Automation Listers :

Lack of growth in industrial automation is forcing
publicly-held companies into a steady stream of mergers and acquisitions to maintain or improve stock-market valuations.

My previous article (Sept 99) included the "famous-list" of industrial-automation majors, ranked by size. For some reason, no one else publishes this kind of information not sure why.

This is the latest update of the article, which includes new tidbits on various aspects of the merger-fever that is now rampant. I am predicting that the Top-10 will become the Top-5 within the next year. If I'm wrong, I won't be far off...

The original version of this article was published in Controls Intelligence & Plant Systems Report, August 2000. You can have a .pdf file copy on the website too. It's at :
http://www.jimpinto.com/writings/mergeurge2000.html

Cheers:
jim
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Jim Pinto
email : [email protected]
web: www.JimPinto.com
San Diego, CA., USA
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Hello, Vitor Finkel :

You asked :
>>IF Jim is right, does that means we should be running out of advertisers for InTech soon ?

I think we all recognize that advertising $$$ are pretty slim these days. Most companies in industrial automation are NOT growing, and tend to (unwisely) pull back their advertising .

You continue:
>>Would that trend affect our competitors and non North American InTechs or similar magazines, as well ?

The no-growth problem affects all industrial automation companies, and magazines. No one seems to want to admit it. But, take a look at the size of each (number of pages) and you'll recognize the problem.

Because all the magazines and news media in the industrial automation world are advertiser supported, they tend NOT to be outspoken about the problem. Hence the need that I seem to serve - telling it like it is.

Cheers:
jim
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Jim Pinto
email : [email protected]
web: www.JimPinto.com
San Diego, CA., USA
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