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16th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards

Dec. 26, 2007
Users Choosers. The Picks Are in! Users Choose the Best Products and Finest Service for the 16th Time

For 16 years, Control magazine has produced the only unaided product poll in the process automation market. Yet again, we present the selections our readers have made.

When we say, “unaided,” we mean that there is no drop-down box with company names in it; there is only an empty text box, in which we ask the respondents to type the name of their selection. Next to it is a set of choice buttons for the service score, ranging from “Poor” to “Outstanding” on a 1 to 5 point scale.

The poll is web-based, with the invitation sent privately via email to a selected number of Control subscribers, carefully screened to eliminate vendors. A premium awarded in a random drawing from the first 100 respondents (this year’s was an iPod Nano—won by Tim Doud of Alcoa) is offered. A reminder email is sent a few days after each mailing.

Because differences of less than 3% are statistically insignificant, they are treated as tie scores.
This year, there were over 1,000 respondents providing our sample. The demographics of the sample are as follows:

Industry:

Chemicals........................................22%
Food & beverage...............................15%
Electric/gas/water/sanitary utilities.......9%
Pulp & paper......................................8%
Petroleum refining..............................8%
Primary metals...................................8%
Rubber & plastics................................8%
Stone/clay/glass/concrete.....................3%
Textile...............................................1%
Tobacco...........................................<1%
Engineering & integration firms............16%

Job function:

Engineering.......................................55%
Plant operations................................17%
Research & development......................8%
Administration....................................5%
Other...............................................15%

Editor's Note: Because differences in the results of less than ±3% are statistically insignificant, they are being treated as ties in the numerical rankings.

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