Table of Contents

1958-2005 - From the Transistor to Totally Integrated Automation. The Road to the PLC. 1958-1979. 1958 - Transistor changes the world of control engineering. 1964 - Control and switching systems are implemented in silicon. 1971 - ICs expand the range of industry-standard applications. 1973 - The origins of the programmable controller. The S5 Era. 1980-1990. 1980 - The breakthrough of programmable controllers. 1984 - Siemens enforces the products business. The context - Alternatives to the PLC. Integration. 1996-2002. 1996 - From the PLC to totally Integrated Automation. 2000 - Integrated drive systems and Component Based Automation. 2002 - Totally Integrated Automation bridges the gap to the IT world. New Horizons. 2004 and beyond. 2004 - Totally Integrated Automation in successful competition. The future - Automation engineering faces new challenges.

About the Author

Starting from the mid of the sixties, ARNOLD ZANKL has been playing a part in the story of automation. As a member and head of various staff units, he has been directly or indirectly involved in many decisions having a formative influence on the technical development of automation systems.