North American Machine Vision Market Down 4.6%
North American sales of machine vision systems and components contracted 4.6% comparing year to date numbers, to $2.07 billion through September, according to new statistics released today by the AIA, the industry¡¯s trade group that is part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
Machine vision systems saw a decrease of 2% year over year, at $599.9 million. This category includes smart cameras and application specific machine vision (ASMV) systems. The machine vision components market (cameras, lighting, optics, imaging boards, and software) dipped 4% to $92.1 million in the same time. Total machine vision financial transactions fell 2% to $694.1 million.
According to AIA¡¯s survey of industry experts, 53% of respondents believe machine vision component market sales in total will increase, and 38% believe sales will remain flat. There is more consensus in the machine vision systems market, with 70% expecting flat performance, and 24% believing sales will increase in the next six months.
¡°Despite the overall market performance, vision and imaging technology is a key player in a variety of automation solutions and remains integral to the industry,¡± said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation. ¡°Growing global trends like autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and autonomous mobile robots depend on strong vision and imaging systems, bolstering this industry.¡±
Global Motion Control and Motors Market Up 1.9%
Global motion control and motor suppliers have received orders at $2.65 billion through the third quarter of 2019, an increase of 1.9% compared to the same period in 2018, according to the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA), part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Shipments also showed growth, at $2.92 billion up 1.5% over the first nine months of 2018.
Third quarter orders of $878.9 million were up 7.5% over the same period in 2018, while shipments totaling $977.5 million were up, at 1.8%, over third quarter shipments in 2018.
AC motors (44%) and ancillary components (19.7%) showed the most growth for orders, and AC motors (56.3%) and sensors & feedback devices (26.2%) showed the most growth for shipments. The largest product categories were motors, followed by actuators & mechanical systems, and electronic drives.
According to the latest MCMA survey of industry experts, 54% of respondents believe orders will increase in the next six months, while 33% expect flat performance.
¡°It¡¯s encouraging to see growth as we near the end of the year and to report the positive projections from industry companies,¡± said Burnstein.
