Increasing demand for flexible machinery, machine safety and an increasing number of new original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in emerging economies are driving stable growth to the production machinery automation market.

The production machinery automation market is expected to see continual growth in 2014 and beyond, according to the "Production Machinery Automation Global Market Research Study" from ARC Advisory Group.

Europe's large machinery market consists of high-end, customized machinery. As a global leader, European machinery has demanding technical requirements, making it crucial for supplier to provide innovative, reliable solutions in order to remain competitive.

China is challenging European machine builders as its OEM sector continues to grow. Increasing wages are forcing manufacturers to invest in automation.

Global quality standards and integrated safety solutions also require more support from automation suppliers. "Automation suppliers that offer complete solutions are more successful in the global OEM market," said Stefan Miksch, principal author of the ARC report. "Portfolio synergies can leverage automation sales as suppliers enter the bidding phase earlier, offer the right products for the right applications, add value to OEMs, and set up sales channels in emerging markets early."

Integration is also a key factor in production machinery, as it shortens start up time an offers competitive benefits. Integrated safety is important to the market currently, but in the future, energy management and cyber security will soon be more heavily integrated into machines and automation.