Touch simplifies the human/machine interface for large, complex equipment, by eliminating the keyboard, mouse, and other peripheral devices from a distracting and often harsh industrial environment. In addition, Elo's touch technologies are rugged enough to be used in environments such as steel mills and oil refineries where the user must wear heavy gloves to protect against caustic chemicals and vapors. Elo's touch-based systems provide reliable interaction; resist dirt, grease, moisture, shock, vibration, and EMI/RFI; and still do not require routine maintenance or calibration, making them ideal for use in the industrial automation market.

Traditionally, the operator interface for process control systems consisted of banks of discrete controls, switches, and indicators. Touch technology can sweep away that cumbersome interface and replace it with a flexible, reconfigurable control panel that displays only the controls and indicators that are relevant to a particular process. Unlike other devices, Elo's ruggedized touch technologies are not degraded by a harsh environment. They perform consistently under even the most severe conditions, unaffected by factors such as vibration or temperature extremes-conditions ubiquitous to the process control industry. And Elo's touchscreens can be sealed to the demanding requirements of NEMA 4/IP65 specifications, making them more durable than the keyboards, buttons, and dials found in many traditional process control systems.