Machine vision sales drop in North America

Machine vision sales in North America fell two per cent compared to the first quarter of 2011, according to new statistics from AIA, the industry’s trade group.

The decline resulted primarily from sales of complete vision systems, which account for the largest sales volumes in the North American market.  However, sales of machine vision components gained two per cent, led by strong growth in vision software (+26 per cent), lighting products (+11 per cent) and imaging boards (+7 per cent).  Smart camera sales rose four percent while optics sales were up one percent in the first quarter.

“We are not surprised by the slight overall decline in growth,” said AIA President Jeff Burnstein in a statement.  “First quarter 2011 sales were exceptionally robust, occurring during the height of the market recovery.  Though the market has cooled down a bit, the long term growth trend remains strong.”

Paul Kellett, AIA’s Director of Market Analysis, added, “Because of the strength of sales in the first half of 2011, we do not expect a dramatic increase in year-over-year growth in the near term.”  Industry executives appear to agree with this assessment, with a majority (57 per cent) expecting flat sales in the next two quarters of 2012, 30 per cent expecting a relative decline in sales, and 14 per cent anticipating an increase for the same time period.