I am in search of any services that provide benchmarking info. for automation companies. Specifically, I am trying to compare my companies financial metrics to other similar or larger companies in the automation assembly industry. Other industries have such services available which allow a business owner to compare numbers and identify areas which may need to be worked and strengthen. Does anyone know of such a service?

This information is hard to come by, given that overwhelming majority of machine builders are small, privately held companies. There's only one publicly held systems integrator, and that's ATS--Automation Tooling Systems, up in Canada. ATS is a big company, but a peak at their annual and quarterly reports might give you some idea where you stand.

Assembly magazine's parent company, BNP Media, has a market research arm that might be able to help you. Check them out at: www.clearseasresearch.com