What happens when you’re named “Best in Class” four years in a row? You could sit back. Or you could take it as a challenge – and think FOURward.

That’s exactly what we’ve done at PLCnext Technology. In the latest PAC INNOVATION RADAR 2025, our open automation platform has once again been recognized as a leading solution in the category “Digital Platforms for Industrial Edge Management in Europe”. And this recognition comes at a time when the market is evolving rapidly: edge computing is becoming a key enabler, cyber resilience is a must-have, and openness is a true competitive advantage.

So what does this award mean for us – and what convinced PAC to name us “Best in Class” once again? Let’s take a closer look.

What is the PAC RADAR?

The PAC RADAR is an independent market analysis tool developed by the European analyst firm PAC (Pierre Audoin Consultants). It helps IT and OT decision-makers evaluate technology providers based on a transparent set of criteria – including strategy, portfolio strength, market presence, innovation, and customer feedback.

The evaluation is based on:

• Provider questionnaires and analyst briefings
• Customer surveys and PAC’s proprietary databases
• Secondary research and market observation

Weighted scores in competence and market strength define each provider’s position in the PAC RADAR. The closer a provider is to the top right corner of the radar, the better they meet the needs of industrial users.

PAC’s Take on PLCnext Technology

PAC sees Phoenix Contact as a first mover in the field of Industrial Edge Management – and PLCnext Technology as a platform that sets benchmarks in several key areas:

• Cyber Resilience: PAC sees PLCnext Technology from Phoenix Contact as the leading industrial edge management platform when it comes to cyber resilience. In 2022, we were the first company to receive certification in accordance with IEC 62443-4-2 SL-C 2 and 62443-4-1 ML3 for PLC controllers. This confirms not only a secure product development lifecycle and robust technical security standards for industrial IT, but also lays the foundation for compliance with the upcoming EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). “No other vendor in our analysis has shown more progress in this area.” – PAC INNOVATION RADAR 2025
• Openness & Flexibility: From the beginning, PLCnext Technology has been open on the development side – supporting classical PLC tools like PLCnext Engineer and Codesys, as well as IT tools like MATLAB®, Eclipse, and Visual Studio. On the application side, the PLCnext Store has grown from 80 to over 250 components, offering a mix of free and commercial apps. PAC notes that we’re the only vendor in their analysis with proof points for marketplace success
• Virtualization & Ecosystem: In 2024, we launched Virtual PLCnext Control – a software-based runtime that runs in OCI containers on industrial PCs or edge devices. This made our platform even more flexible. At the same time, new partnerships expanded our ecosystem: Festo now integrates PLCnext Technology into its hardware, and Alibaba Cloud includes Virtual PLCnext Control in its industrial edge offering.
• Community & Developers: The PLCnext Community is by far the largest developer community in PAC’s market analysis. This reflects our long-term commitment to openness, collaboration, and real engagement. Over the past few years, our LinkedIn following has grown steadily – a sign of the growing interest and engagement within the PLCnext Community.
• AI Integration Made Easy: With MLnext, we offer an intuitive toolset for industrial AI. Users can build and train time-series models without writing code, and deploy them easily into production. This makes AI accessible to engineers and developers alike – without needing a data science background

Looking ahead

This award is more than a recognition of our technology – it’s a confirmation of our direction. As we align more closely with the vision of an All Electric Society, we’re expanding our focus on the energy sector and enabling new use cases at the edge.

Thank you for being part of the journey

Being named “Best in Class” four times in a row isn’t a coincidence. It’s the result of continuous development, real openness and a strong community. So thank you – for building, testing, sharing and growing with us.

Let’s keep thinking FOURward.