MODICON

The Modicon Story.

In 1968 with a core group of engineers, Richard (Dick) Morley founded Bedford Associates and invented the first programmable logic controller or PLC. He established the Modicon company, deriving its name from Modular Digital Control. Modicon created the first programmable logic controller (PLC) in the United States in 1968. The Modicon brand became synonamous with quality PLC's. In 1979 Modicon developed the Modbus communication protocol which later became the de-facto industry standard for serial communications between PLC's and a multitude of industrial equipment. This later expanded to include ethernet protocols as TCP/IP became more widely used.
The business grew and prospered over the years. The company was sold several times.
The first was Gould. They continued development and gradually changed branding from:
"MODICON Gould" to "GOULD Modicon" to "GOULD"
The next was AEG. They continued development and likewise changed branding from:
"GOULD" to "AEG Modicon"
Then came Schneider Electric in 1997. They already owned Square D, Telemecanique and other brands. They brought significant change and restored branding to:
"MODICON"
The Modicon brand is a testament to the power of innovation and the importance of technological advancements in the field of industrial automation. Developed over 50 years ago, Modicon has continued to evolve and improve, becoming an essential tool in the manufacturing, mining, processing and energy industries.