A domestically developed, large programmable logic controller product was launched by Shanghai Baosight Software Co Ltd on Monday in Shanghai, which marks a breakthrough in the industrial control system dominated by foreign companies, the Shanghai-listed software company said.

The large PLC product, a key component in industrial control systems, was researched and developed independently by Baosight Software. After decade-long devotion to the research, Baosight has finally cracked the technology puzzles in precision control and high-speed communication.

So far, the Shanghai-based company has been capable of offering control system solutions with high reliability, strong openness, high safety and massiveness in the flow manufacturing field.

Lyu Jun, general manager of the intelligent business center at China Baowu called the product's launch a milestone achievement.

"Industrial automation makes an important part of the steel eco-system development. The release of the PLC product has made a breakthrough into the field dominated by producers from the EU, the US and Japan," Lyu said.

The large PLC system is one of the key technological products in supporting manufacturing's digital transformation. Currently, China's industrial control market, which has an annual market scale of 200 billion yuan ($30.8 billion), relies heavily on foreign suppliers.

Baosight Software's PLC product targets the metallurgical technology needs for high-end equipment. Based on an open frame design idea, the product presents a set of powerful control platforms for both software and hardware.

Designed specifically for the special features of the steel industry, the PLC product has already proved its validation in several production lines, according to Han Dadong, a division chief from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization.

All Baosight Software's medium- and large-sized PLC products are designed independently and manufactured locally, and their performance is approaching the latest high-end products made by their peers in Europe and the US, said Xia Xuesong, chairman of Baosight Software.