VISION opens with focus on innovation and slow return to growth + VIDEO
NOVEMBER 3, 2009--As in years past, the largest annual trade show in the machine-vision industry, VISION, has attracted a host of exhibitors anxious to display their latest products and technologies. The 293 exhibitors--one more than last year--will be reaching an estimated 6000 attendees, down a few percentage points from 2008 (see the video below).
The very difficult market of the past year was the most common topic of conversation, with many companies having taken aggressive cost-cutting measures. Yet most companies expect that the business environment will slowly improve and some are reporting that they have at least returned to previous revenue levels.
Olaf Munkelt, chairman of the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) Machine Vision Group and managing director of MVTec Software, said that in 2009 the machine-vision industry in Germany witnessed a 30% drop in sales, including both domestic and exported products.
The 2009 sales decline in Germany is reflected as well in the broader global markets for machine vision, with turnover in Europe down 22%, in North America down 35%, and in Japan down 35%.
Fortunately, 2010 is expected to show a 5% rise in Germany. Munkelt said 2009 has been the "crisis year" and that during this time there has been an increased focus on standardization and developing new applications in anticipation of future opportunities.
The winner of the 2009 VISION Award, which comes with 5000 euros, was the CoaXPress Consortium, which includes Adimec, EqcoLogic, Active Silicon, Components Express, AVAL Data, and NED. The Consortium has developed a prototype high-speed digital camera interface that would go beyond Camera Link, using a high-speed serial link to send video, control, and power over conventional digital cable.
The Japan Industrial Imaging Association has agreed to host the standardization process. For a technical description of the proposed new standard, read this article in the August 2009 issue of Vision Systems Design.
Such new developments in standards will benefit from the announcement made at the show that the Automated Imaging Association, the European Machine Vision Association, and the Japan Industrial Imaging Association have agreed to cooperatively develop and promote global machine-vision standards. The groups also hope to harmonize statistical efforts in tracking the markets for the machine-vision industry, and create a global process that emphasizes openness, transparency, and fairness.
-- Posted by Conard Holton, Vision Systems Design, www.vision-systems.com