Koyo Electronics and the automation industry

Who is Koyo? You might already know . . .

In January 1994 PLC Direct (now Automationdirect.com Inc.) was established as a privately held Georgia corporation that is a subsidiary of Koyo Electronics . Koyo had designed and manufactured PLCs for some of the world's largest PLC companies, including General Electric , Texas Instruments , and Siemens . However, the future plans of these companies and Koyo were not compatible. Tim Hohmann, founder and company captain of AutomationDirect , established the company in 1994 as the first entity within the Koyo group to concentrate on the micro PLC market.

C-more operator interface was designed and is manufactured by our parent company, Koyo Electronics [ profile ]. Koyo has designed and manufactured world class factory automation products for decades. In fact, Koyo Electronics recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Koyo, headquartered in Tokyo, is part of the multi-billion dollar JTEKT group of companies which is a major supplier of OEM components to the automotive industry.

The History of Koyo Quality in Automation

Before designing AutomationDirect's successful line of DirectLOGIC PLCs, the quality SR21 design by Koyo Electronics has been one of the most widely marketed PLCs in history. Over three million modules have been sold , proving that these modules are extremely reliable and well-suited for many applications. The DL305 PLC (by Koyo Electronics) continues to be sold and is in use today. With this type of engineering and manufacturing background our goal is to offer the best combination of reliability, easy of use, features, and price.
1982	In 1982 Koyo Electronics introduced the SR21 PLC, the first small modular PLC.	[ larger image ]

1983	GE nicknamed the Series One (by Koyo) “America’s Most Popular PLC” In 1983, General Electric decided to private label the Koyo SR21 design. They called it the General Electric Series One and changed the color from Koyo yellow to black. The product sold so well they nicknamed it “America’s Most Popular PLC.” It is estimated that over 1 million of these units have been installed worldwide.	[ larger image ]

1989	Texas Instruments called the Series 305 (by Koyo) the “Best Value PLC” In 1989, Texas Instruments began to private label the Koyo SR21 design. They named it the Series 305 and changed the plastic color to light gray. The product was enhanced and did so well for Texas Instruments that they nicknamed it the “Best Value PLC.”	[ larger image ]

1991	Siemens also called the Simatic TI305 (by Koyo) the “Best Value PLC” In 1991, Siemens Industrial Automation decided to private label the Koyo SR21 design. They named it the SIMATIC TI305 and changed the color to charcoal gray. Once again, the product line continued to receive enhancements and the nickname “Best Value PLC” continues at Siemens.	[ larger image ]

1994	AutomationDirect calls the DL305 (by Koyo) a “PLC Classic” and makes it state-of-the-art In 1994, AutomationDirect added more enhancements with Windows-based DirectSOFT, and in 1997 we introduced the D3-350 CPU, which offered state-of-the art features, and has maintained years of compatibility. This long lasting, quality design by Koyo Electronics continues to be sold and is in use today.	[ larger image ]

1994 - 2012	In AutomationDirect's ever expanding line of products, Koyo designed the following: AutomationDirect PLCs: CLICK DL05 DL06 DL105 DL205 DL305 (or see above) DL405 Terminator I/O (field I/O) Operator Interface: C-more Operator Interface C-more Micro Operator Interface	[ larger image ]