CON
T
R
OL13th Annual
Readers’
Choice Awards
Readers Broadcast
Their Opinions On the
Best Suppliers in the
Process Control and
Automation Industry
COONN
TT
RR
OOLL13th Annual
Readers’
Choice Awards
Readers Broadcast
Their Opinions On the
Best Suppliers in the
Process Control and
Automation Industry
s we have done every year since 1991 we’re
broadcasting our readers’ opinions of process
automation and control technologies ven-
dors. Does this thirteenth-annu-
al Readers’ Choice Awards
reveal any breathtaking new
winners or any striking falls from grace?
Well, in a word no, but that’s a good thing, perhaps reflecting a
continuity to the industry in spite of some tough recessionary
years and waves of consolidation among the suppliers we all
count on to help us get the job done. As you scan the categories
you’ll encounter some familiar names, many who appear also
in The CONTROL Top 50 list (p26, Dec. ’04).
What our readers’ opinions do reveal is that year-after-year,
certain companies have, through good technology and good
service, been able to retain that key “front-of-mind” aware-
ness. In other words, a positive presence that is readily
recalled when the CONTROL’s Readers’ Choice Awards sur-
vey lands in the inbox and asks readers to name the vendors
delivering the best technologies across 71 categories.
Similarly, we asked readers to rate vendors’ ability to deliver
customer service (see Table). This line of inquiry
goes right to the heart of the matter because even if
a company has the best technology it won’t mean
much if the mechanisms of delivery and after-the-sale service
are not in place to keep you satisfied once the check has cleared.
You Are the Judge
To our mind, you, our readers, are the ultimate judges of the
“character” of the process industry’s suppliers, and through
your interactions with them, have the only truly valid opinion
of their performance. Our intent with the Readers’ Choice
Awards is to provide you with a vehicle to voice your opinions
in a way that broadcasts loud and clear t