To qualify for a listing in the Automation Integrator Guide ®, an applicant must be
a contract engineering firm or an engineering division of a larger company that can
design and implement computerized control systems for industrial machinery, manufacturing
lines, or other automated facilities that produce either a commodity or a finished product.
Examples would include automation, control, robotic, and test system integrators as
well as automation contractors, automated machine builders, multi-disciplinary engineering
firms with instrumentation and automation divisions, and automation product vendors that
also provide application engineering services. Telecommunication system integrators,
computer system integrators, audio/visual system integrators, and other kinds of system
integrators that focus on fields besides industrial automation and control can be found
elsewhere.
An automation system integrator may or may not provide the automation products required
for a particular project but must be capable of integrating both the hardware and the
software with the client’s existing facilities. Companies that provide individual elements
of an automation project such as consulting, programming, electrical contracting, or
panel construction are not considered “system integrators” unless they also provide the
remaining services required for a complete turnkey installation.