One of the more convincing signs of a healthier manufacturing sector is the rise in total machine vision sales in North America. That number grew ten percent year-over-year for the first quarter of 2013, according to new statistics from AIA, the industry’s trade group.
Sales of machine vision systems, the largest category, rose 11% percent year-over-year while sales of machine vision components saw an increase of four percent.
The increase in machine vision system sales resulted primarily from the resurgence of Application Specific Machine Vision (ASMV) systems, which grew 12% over last year. Smart Cameras sales, which are included in machine vision systems, grew four percent.
The increase in sales of machine vision components resulted primarily from sales of cameras, the largest machine vision components market in North America, which rose by nine percent compared to first quarter 2012. Software and Imaging Boards also posted single digit growth.
“We are excited about this growth in the machine vision market in North America,” said AIA President Jeff Burnstein. “Our industry has benefited from a healthy manufacturing sector so far this year, which has helped spur this growth. We are hopeful it will continue throughout the year.”
Alex Shikany, AIA’s director of market analysis, added “In addition to the positive news about overall growth, many industry experts are specifically optimistic about machine vision components. In a recent survey, 70% of machine vision experts believe machine vision component sales will increase in the next six months.”
