Machine vision market in North America declines in first quarter of 2016

Total sales of machine visioncomponents and systems in North America fell 11% year over year to $546 million in the first quarter of 2016, according to new figures released by the AIA.

Machine vision sales include the sales of machine vision components and systems, with the components category having decreased 7% to $79 million in Q1. Individual component categories, including cameras, lighting, optics, and software were down, while sales of imaging boards were flat. Additionally, the machine vision systems category fell to $465 million. Within machine vision system sales, sales of sales of application specific machine vision (ASMV) systems decreased 13% to $391 million, while smart cameras contracted by 2% to $75 million.

Despite these declines, however, the machine vision market in North America saw growth over year-end 2015 levels, specifically in the components category, which saw an increase of 5% in sales over the fourth quarter of 2015. Machine vision systems sales also increased by 2%.

"Fifty-six percent of industry experts are expecting things to turn upward for machine vision component markets in the next six months of 2016, 38% believe they will remain flat, and six percent expect further declines," said Alex Shikany, AIA’s Director of Market Analysis. "We are in the midst of what appears to be a cyclical downturn for this market. Similar cyclicality was recorded in 2012, for example, which preceded a significant growth year (2013) for the North American vision market."

AIA President Jeff Burnstein also commented. “Despite the market’s cyclicality, interest in vision and imaging is at an all-time high,” he said. "The growing interest in these technologies was apparent at The Vision Show in Boston this past May. The show set new records for attendance, exhibitors, and its corresponding technical conference, and brought in interested users of vision technology from a multitude of industries."

View the AIA press release.

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