Control.com Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 Highlights Automation Trends

A Year Defined by Virtualization, AI, and Practical Engineering

The Control.com Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 offered a revealing snapshot of what mattered most to automation professionals during the year. From virtual PLC architectures and AI-driven logistics to foundational electrical troubleshooting, the rankings reflected an industry balancing digital transformation with real-world engineering reliability.

What stood out most was the coexistence of cutting-edge software innovation and timeless maintenance knowledge. Engineers continued searching for practical answers while also preparing for increasingly software-defined industrial systems.

The automation sector entered 2025 with growing attention on AI, virtualization, and software-centric control systems.

Siemens Dominated the Automation Conversation

Three of the five most-read news stories centered around Siemens technologies. That alone says something important about the current state of industrial automation. The market increasingly values scalable software ecosystems as much as controller hardware performance.

Virtual PLCs Continue Moving Toward Mainstream Adoption

The Siemens S7-1500V virtual PLC generated major attention because it represents more than a new controller release. It signals a broader migration toward containerized and software-defined automation environments.

Virtual controllers simplify simulation, commissioning, and cloud-connected operations. For manufacturers building digital twins or hybrid edge-cloud architectures, virtualization reduces deployment friction while improving scalability.

Many facilities modernizing legacy control infrastructure continue pairing these new approaches with established PLC platforms and industrial networking hardware available through Siemens automation systems.

TIA Portal Version 20 Reinforced the Software-Centric Trend

Engineering software rarely generates mainstream excitement outside industrial circles. Yet TIA Portal Version 20 became one of the year’s most-read announcements because integrated engineering environments now directly impact productivity.

Faster project compilation, improved visualization workflows, and tighter motion integration all translate into reduced commissioning time. For global manufacturers facing labor shortages and compressed project schedules, these improvements carry measurable operational value.

AI Warehouses Became a Symbol of Industrial Change

The most-read automation story of the year focused on Walmart’s partnership with Symbotic and the rise of AI-powered warehouse automation. That popularity reflects a growing realization that automation has expanded far beyond traditional manufacturing plants.

Modern logistics systems increasingly combine robotics, machine vision, AI orchestration, and predictive analytics into unified operational ecosystems. Warehouses now resemble highly coordinated industrial automation facilities rather than simple storage buildings.

Robotic palletizing and AI-assisted logistics systems continued expanding across large-scale distribution operations.

These facilities rely heavily on industrial drives, distributed I/O, industrial Ethernet, and real-time machine coordination. Integrators supporting automated logistics often deploy motion and drive platforms similar to those found in industrial drive and motion control systems.

The Technical Articles Engineers Still Depend On

While AI and virtual PLCs dominated headlines, the most-read technical articles revealed something equally important. Engineers still depend on practical electrical knowledge to keep industrial assets operating safely.

Motor Insulation Testing Remains Essential

The top technical article of 2025 focused on motor insulation resistance testing, commonly called “megger” testing. Its popularity demonstrates that predictive maintenance fundamentals remain central to industrial reliability strategies.

As motors age, insulation degradation increases the risk of short circuits, overheating, and catastrophic failure. Regular insulation testing helps maintenance teams detect problems before production losses occur.

Power Quality and Electrical Fundamentals Still Matter

Articles covering reactive power, apparent power, and power factor also ranked highly. These topics may appear basic, but they directly affect plant efficiency, transformer loading, and electrical stability.

In facilities operating large VFD populations, compressors, or high-horsepower motors, poor power factor can create avoidable energy losses and equipment stress. Engineers continue revisiting these principles because electrification and automation density keep increasing.

PWM and Motor Wiring Continue Supporting Daily Operations

Pulse width modulation and three-phase motor wiring guides remained among the year’s most referenced resources. These subjects sit at the core of motor control engineering, especially in applications involving VFDs and servo systems.

Even as factories adopt AI and cloud analytics, technicians still troubleshoot wiring, phase balance, signal integrity, and motor drive performance on the plant floor every day.

Motor insulation resistance testing remained one of the most searched maintenance practices among engineers in 2025.

What the Rankings Really Reveal About Automation

The strongest takeaway from the Readers’ Choice Awards is that industrial automation is entering a hybrid phase. Engineers are embracing virtualization, AI, and advanced analytics, but they are not abandoning traditional engineering disciplines.

Factories still require dependable PLC hardware, deterministic control, motor diagnostics, and electrical expertise. The future belongs to organizations capable of combining digital transformation with operational reliability.

That balance explains why software platforms, warehouse robotics, insulation testing, and PWM theory all appeared together in the same rankings. Modern automation no longer belongs to a single discipline. It now connects IT architecture, electrical engineering, control systems, and operational intelligence into one continuously evolving ecosystem.

An Industry Moving Forward Without Forgetting Its Foundations

The automation sector spent 2025 discussing AI, digital twins, and virtual controllers, but the year’s most-read technical content proved that engineering fundamentals still drive industrial performance.

Control engineers may not yet explain their careers easily at family gatherings, but their role is becoming more critical than ever. As factories grow more connected and software-defined, the need for engineers who understand both advanced automation and foundational electrical systems will only increase.

Author: Daniel Mercer | Senior Automation Systems Reporter

Daniel Mercer has 14 years of experience covering industrial control systems, digital manufacturing, and power infrastructure. His background includes automation integration projects involving Siemens, ABB, Emerson, and Schneider Electric platforms across energy, process, and logistics industries.