The software dilemma: How Europe's industrial automation leaders are navigating the build vs. partner decision

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Interview programme overview

Every European automation vendor is making the same decision right now. Companies that have built their reputation on sensors, control systems, industrial connectivity, process instrumentation and factory equipment are facing a question that didn't exist a decade ago: how much software capability do we need, and do we build it, buy it or partner for it?

This research is for the people making that call. We're speaking with the people inside Europe's automation vendors who are shaping software strategy, allocating R&D investment, evaluating partnerships and deciding what to build versus where to collaborate.

Against the backdrop of the EU AI Act, NIS2 cyber rules and headline moves like the 7,000-strong Accenture-Siemens partnership, the pressure to act is real. Software will generate more than half of all new value in Europe's automation sector by 2027, yet most vendors still spring from hardware roots.

In 30 minute interviews, we explore what triggered the shift, how organisations are allocating resources between hardware innovation and software development, and what they've learned along the way. Participants receive a personalised one-page write-up of their insights, feature in a market view report, and gain recognition among Europe's automation leaders.

Key areas of exploration include:

  • Strategic philosophy on building versus partnering for software capabilities
  • How customer expectations around openness and interoperability are changing
  • The shift toward equipment as a service and what software that requires
  • Preparing for the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), due December 2027
  • The role of partnerships in future competitive strategy
  • The software talent gap and how organisations are addressing it
  • What organisations have learned and what they would do differently

Interview questions

  1. How has the balance between hardware and software shifted at your organisation over the past three to five years, and what drove that?

  2. What are your customers asking for now in terms of software capability that they were not asking for three years ago?

  3. Are you seeing more demand for pre-integrated platforms or do customers prefer to assemble best-of-breed components themselves?

  4. How are you finding the shift in skills needed, from traditional automation engineering to software development, and how is your organisation addressing that gap?

  5. What is your current approach to the software question: are you primarily building in-house, acquiring, partnering, or a mix?

  6. What has been the hardest part of developing or acquiring software capabilities that you did not anticipate?

  7. How are you thinking about upcoming regulatory requirements like the Cyber Resilience Act and how they affect your software strategy?

  8. Are you seeing a shift towards selling equipment as a service rather than as a one-off purchase, and what software does that require?

  9. What role do you see partnerships playing in how your organisation competes over the next three to five years?

  10. If you could go back three years, what would you do differently in your software strategy?

Interview process

Step 1 - Optional briefing call

(Optional) Briefing call with TechPros.io. We will go through the details and answer any questions you have.

Step 2 - TechPros.io Interview

30 minute TechPros.io Zoom interview including an anonymous poll at the end to produce infographics for the report. We produce a short summary of your key points to support a more focused follow-up conversation.

Step 3 - Follow up call

A short follow-up call with AVEVA to expand on your insights. TechPros then writes up your interview one-pager and sends it to you in advance of the review call.

Step 4 - One pager review

We run through your One Pager to capture feedback, discuss any changes and lets you know the expected publication date and any follow on events you might be interested in.

Step 5 - Market view report

We email you a week before the report is published on LinkedIn and then again on the day of the launch, often with a draft post for you to reshare to help raise awareness of the thought leadership.

What we need from you

Company email

In the calendly booking form please share your company email for future coordination.

Professional headshot

A professional headshot photo is needed for your One Pager, we will coordinate with you via email.

Employment status

We ask all participants to confirm they are currently in their role, so your insights reflect your live experience, and the publication accurately represents your position.