Editor’s Note: Expectations for 2023

Our Senior Editor, Linda Wilson, represented Vision Systems Design at the 2023 A3 Business Forum in January, and she reported good news as the automation market is again poised to grow during 2023. This is good news for systems integrators that develop vision/imaging solutions for their customers in automation since vision systems are often critical components of an automation system, especially at the inspection stage.

Vision Systems Design and A3 also deployed a market update survey shortly before the Forum, and Alex Shikany, Vice President of Membership, A3, shared some of the results during his presentation, along with 2022 market data for the North American machine vision market. For example, in North America, machine vision revenues reached $3.116 billion in 2022—up 3% from 2021 and the second time the machine vision industry has been over $3 billion in North America. Shikany stated that this growth was driven primarily by growth in cameras to the tune of an increase of 19.4% in revenue.

Results from the joint survey also point toward another good year, despite economic uncertainty for many companies. Of those who responded they are users of vision/imaging products, 62.28% expect to increase purchases of these products in 2023, 34.13% expect their purchases to remain the same, and 3.6% expect to decrease their purchases. Of those who expect to increase purchases, 17.37% expect to increase over 20% and 24.55% expect to increase 10% to 20%.

To help you navigate the purchasing process, we again offer you our annual Buyers Guide in this issue. Don’t forget that we also offer you expanded vendor information, company and product news, and videos in the online version of the Buyers Guide at www.vision-systems.com/directory.

Speaking of 2023 and predictions, I recently wrapped up a Webinar covering machine vision trends for 2023 and beyond. The Webinar is located at: https://www.vision-systems.com/home/webinar/14287540/machine-vision-trends-2023-and-beyond. David Dechow and Tom Brennan, both members of our Editorial Advisory Board, joined me for a discussion covering some things to look for in 2023 and beyond when it comes to machine vision. For 2023, both agreed that much of the hype that has surrounded deep learning/AI technology and corresponding products on the market has calmed and expect to see that continue as deep learning/AI continues to migrate toward being a tool to use for specific use cases. Also, David and Tom discussed 5G and how it could impact machine vision in the future. Check out the archived Webinar for more.

Finally, during the past two years I have been welcomed into the machine vision community by users and suppliers alike. This is a close-knit group, and being able to be a part of it has been a privilege. There are few markets where there is genuine excitement to explain a technology and how it works—especially to those of us who are not engineers. It has been a truly enjoyable experience, and I thank you all for bringing me into the fold.

This is my last editorial for Vision Systems Design. I have accepted a position with a brand that covers fire apparatus and equipment, and as crazy as it might sound, there’s a bit of overlap between these two areas of concentration. When we talk about smart cities, fire departments are included, and firefighters across the world use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) every day to assist them in locating those who are trapped in fires or to determine a fire’s location—it’s not always as obvious as you might think.

At VISION 2022, I had a discussion with one vendor who talked about how certain SWIR cameras can see through glass—something a TIC can’t do. Immediately my wheels began to turn thinking about how the fire service might benefit from that type of technology together with the TIC to locate a victim before the first rig arrives. So, although I’ll be leaving Vision Systems Design, I’ll still be following these technologies closely, so I won’t be too far off.

Many thanks again.