(Automated Imaging Association: Ann Arbor, Michigan) -- A new machine vision market study reports that machine vision and automated imaging continues to be a growth industry in North America.
The 2008 study is based on 2007 actual results and is organized primarily around the major machine vision product markets: optics, lighting, cameras, imaging boards, smart cameras, and application-specific machine vision systems (ASMV). While the study predominantly focuses on the North American market, two chapters are dedicated to the emerging Chinese and Indian machine vision markets. The study also provides worldwide estimates of sales.The study found that the North American economy has indeed had an effect on U.S. and Canadian manufacturing sectors, with most economists predicting a continued slowdown in the economy for the United States throughout 2008, which could result in a decrease in purchases of machine-vision products.
Overall, sales results were mixed for 2007; while smart cameras and ASMV system sales were up over 2006, total component sales were down from the previous year. Smart cameras experienced sales of $116.6 million.
Sales revenues for cameras in 2007 increased 0.8 percent over 2006 with the number of units sold down slightly. Camera sales are expected to have mixed results in 2008 with sales increasing by 0.2 percent in terms of revenue and decreasing by -1.0 percent in terms of units sold. The machine-vision lighting market has generally declined in size in terms of revenue, but has grown in terms of units sold, in part affected by the growing popularity of LED products, which have become the dominant lighting technology.
The study, entitled “Machine Vision Markets—2007 Results and Forecasts to 2012,” is published by the Automated Imaging Association, a global machine-vision trade group, with more than 300 member companies from 26 countries.
“Particularly in these challenging times, where the margin for error in decision-making is very thin, machine vision companies need to base their product-development and sales strategies on the most accurate view of the marketplace possible,” says Paul Kellett, AIA’s director of market analysis. “AIA has prepared its latest market study with this need foremost in mind. To satisfy this need, the study specifically analyzes sales by product feature, identifying the best-selling feature configurations by product market and key trends that suggest the direction of evolving customer preferences. It also investigates sales opportunities in new geographic markets.”
Additionally, for the first time, a separate machine vision financial study is being offered. This study is designed for machine vision companies that wish to assess their relative financial health, investors of machine vision companies, and those exploring merger and acquisition activities. An easy to use, specially developed analysis tool is included on the CD, which will enable nonpublicly traded machine vision companies to benchmark their company’s financial performance by comparing their financials to industry averages.
“Based on the realization that financial health is not driven by sales activity alone, the new financial study is two-part, consisting of a financial ratio analysis and an analysis of stock market performance of 28 of the world’s largest, publicly-traded machine vision companies over a three-year period,” says Kellett. “Machine vision companies that wish to determine their relative financial health will find this new study highly valuable.”
The latest AIA studies are the most in-depth and up-to-date analyses of machine vision and imaging product markets available. The market study breaks down sales and revenue trends by product type and feature, and provides information that machine vision companies can apply directly to sales strategies and tactics. Other enhancements to the study include an analysis of new market developments, such as GigE Vision, Chinese and Indian market opportunities, and additional market information to arm machine vision companies with actionable competitive intelligence.
For more information, visit www.machinevisiononline.org/public/articles/articlesdetails.cfm?id=3513
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