Phoenix Contact, the Blomberg-based electrical specialist, received two prestigious awards in the first half of 2026: The trade magazine Industrial Production awarded Virtual PLCnext Control first place in the Automation, Digitalization, and Connectivity category. The software-based controller enables PLCnext Control functions to run on IT hardware or industrial PCs with the same engineering workflow and deterministic behavior as hardware-based controllers. Users benefit from high flexibility, scalability, and easy integration into IT-oriented environments.

In a separate awards program, Computer & Automation magazine also honored the VL3 UPC 2440 Edge with second place in the control category. This industrial edge device combines powerful hardware with a Linux environment for real-time control, data processing, and analysis directly at the machine. Particularly noteworthy is the ability to run Virtual PLCnext Control directly on the VL3 UPC 2440 Edge, thereby combining control and edge computing in a single device.

According to Phoenix Contact, these two awards confirm the company’s approach of focusing on open, scalable, and future-proof automation solutions. They underscore the added value of software-based control concepts and powerful edge technologies for modern industrial applications.

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