Tough times are no time to purchase lackluster products from indifferent suppliers. Our second annual Readers' Choice Awards survey found the vendors with the best technologies...and rated their customer service efforts.
In the October/November 2002 issue of CONTROL DESIGN magazine, we feature the winners in 48 product categories, as chosen by our readers. A few months ago, we sent survey forms to nearly 10,000 randomly selected readers. Responses were received from about 300 of them. The prime directive is: "Please identify by name the best supplier, in your opinion, in each of the following technology categories."
Product selection is a very personal process. It involves the inevitable analysis of cost versus benefit, ease of use, performance, reliability, service life, and so forth. Furthermore, it depends heavily on the particular application. The same product, although it performed well in previous applications, may not be selected the next time if the application requirements change. Every customer's list of critical specifications or features and their priority of importance may differ. Thus, rather than try to set up criteria for the Readers' Choice Awards, CONTROL DESIGN simply asked its readers to tell us whose technologies work best in their particular process applications.
Another key measure of every supplier is customer service. So we also asked readers to rank their suppliers' customer service on a scale of 1 (for poor) to 5 (excellent). Those results follow.
The Service Leaders
The 69 Companies Receiving Service Grades of Very Good and Better
(5=Excellent, 4=Very Good, 3=Good, 2=Marginal; 1=Unsatisfactory):
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4.7 |
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Compumotor/Parker |
Software, Motion Control |
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4.6 |
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GE Fanuc |
Motor, Servo |
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Compumotor/Parker |
Motor, Servo |
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4.5 |
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3COM |
Industrial Network Components |
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AutomationDirect |
Controller, Programmable Logic |
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Banner Engineering |
Presence Sensor |
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Honeywell |
Industrial Computer |
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ifm efector |
Presence Sensor |
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Pepperl+Fuchs |
Presence Sensor |
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Rockwell Automation |
Alarm/Annunciator |
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Rockwell Automation |
Electrical Connectors |
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4.4 |
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AutomationDirect |
Software, PLC Programming |
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Bently-Nevada |
Measurement, Vibration |
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Bosch-Rexroth |
Hydraulic Components |
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Dell |
Industrial Computer |
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Emerson Motor Technologies |
Motor, Servo |
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Encoder Products Co. |
Encoder/Resolver |
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Festo |
Pneumatic Components |
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General Wire & Cable |
Wire and Cable |
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Magnetrol |
Measurement, Level |
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MicroMotion/Emerson Process Management |
Measurement, Flow |
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Pepperl+Fuchs |
Intrinsic Safety |
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Rosemount/Emerson Process Management |
Measurement, Level |
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Rosemount/Emerson Process Management |
Measurement, Temperature |
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Turck |
Intrinsic Safety |
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4.3 |
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Banner Engineering |
Safety Network/Components |
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Bosch-Rexroth |
Motor, Servo |
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Endress+Hauser |
Measurement, Flow |
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GE Fanuc |
Electric Drive |
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GE Fanuc |
Controller, Programmable Logic |
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National Instruments |
Data Acquisition Systems |
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Compumotor/Parker |
Motor, Stepper |
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Pepperl+Fuchs |
Purging System |
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Phoenix Contact |
Industrial Network Components |
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Rittal |
Industrial Enclosures |
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Rockwell Automation |
Interlock Switch |
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Rosemount/Emerson Process Management |
Measurement, Flow |
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SMC |
Pneumatic Components |
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Triconex/Invensys |
Safety Network/Components |
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4.2 |
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ABB |
Electric Drive |
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Banner Engineering |
Safety Relay |
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DVT |
Vision System |
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General Electric |
Motor Starter |
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General Electric |
Motor, Electric |
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GE Fanuc |
Software, CNC |
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Hoffman |
Industrial Enclosures |
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Keyence |
Vision System |
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Omega Engineering |
Measurement, Temperature |
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Rockwell Automation |
Controller, Programmable Logic |
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Rockwell Automation |
Input/Output System |
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Rockwell Automation |
Intrinsic Safety |
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Rockwell Automation |
Safety Curtain |
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Rockwell Automation |
Terminal Block |
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Rosemount/Emerson Process Management |
Measurement, Pressure |
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Saginaw |
Industrial Enclosures |
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Siemens Milltronics |
Measurement, Level |
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Superior/PacSci |
Motor, Stepper |
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Thomas & Betts |
Electrical Connectors |
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Wiedmller |
Terminal Block |
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Z-World |
Single-Board Computer |
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4.1 |
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Acopian |
Power Supply |
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Banner Engineering |
Safety Curtain |
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BEI |
Encoder/Resolver |
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Foxboro/Invensys |
Measurement, Pressure |
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Mettler Toledo |
Measurement, Weighing/Load Cell |
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Moore Industries |
Signal Conditioner |
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Opto 22 |
Input/Output System |
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Phoenix Contact |
Power Supply |
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Phoenix Contact |
Terminal Block |
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Regal-Beloit |
Motor, Electric |
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Rockwell Automation |
Industrial Computer |
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Rockwell Automation |
Motor Starter |
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Rockwell Automation |
Presence Sensor |
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Rockwell Automation |
Relay |
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Rockwell Automation |
Software, HMI |
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Rockwell Software |
Software, PLC Programming |
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SquareD/Schneider Electric |
Motor Starter |
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SquareD/Schneider Electric |
Relay |
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Siemens E&A |
Controller, Programmable Logic |
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Simpson |
Panel Meter |
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Vickers/Eaton |
Hydraulic Components |
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Yaskawa |
Electric Drive |
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4.0 |
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Advantech |
Single-Board Computer |
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Belden |
Wire and Cable |
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Cutler-Hammer |
Operator Interface |
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ECT Intl. |
Software, Electrical CAD |
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Fisher-Rosemount/Emerson Process Management |
Controller, Loop |
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GE Cisco |
Industrial Network Components |
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GE Fanuc |
Controller, CNC System |
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Hardy Instruments |
Measurement, Weighing/Load Cell |
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Honeywell |
Data Acquisition Systems1 |
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Kistler-Morse |
Measurement, Weighing/Load Cell |
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National Instruments |
Input/Output System |
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Numatics |
Pneumatic Components |
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Omega Engineering |
Measurement, Flow |
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Patlite |
Light Tower |
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PMC/Beta |
Measurement, Vibration |
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Rockwell Automation |
Electric Drive |
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Rockwell Automation |
Light Tower |
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Rockwell Automation |
Operator Interface |
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Rockwell Automation |
Safety Network/Components |
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Rockwell Automation |
Safety Relay |
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Rockwell Automation |
Single-Board Computer 4.3 |
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Sick |
Safety Curtain |
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Siemens-Moore |
Controller, Loop |
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SMC |
Linear Actuator |
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Sola/Hevi-Duty |
Power Supply |
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STI |
Interlock Switch |
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STI |
Safety Curtain |
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STI |
Safety Relay |
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Turck |
Presence Sensor |
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Via Development |
Software, Electrical CAD |
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Wonderware/Invensys |
Software, HMI |
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Yokogawa |
Controller, Loop |
