Total machine vision sales in North America rose in the second quarter of this year compared to the second quarter of 2011, according to new statistics from the AIA (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) the industry's trade group.
According to the AIA, total machine vision sales include sales of machine vision systems and components. Sales of machine vision systems, the largest category, rose two percent year-over-year while sales of machine vision components saw an increase of 10 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 13 percent compared to the second quarter of 2011.
Sales of other machine vision components also rose on a year-over-year basis: software (24 percent), imaging boards (10 percent), optics (2 percent) and lighting (1 percent).
"We welcome a return to growth. These encouraging results break the pattern of the previous three quarters, which recorded year-over-year declines," says AIA President Jeff Burnstein.
"While second quarter results are up from the first quarter of this year, industry experts do not expect an ongoing improvement. 53 percent of the experts surveyed expect flat sales, while 37 percent believe sales will decrease in the next two quarters. Only 10 percent expect an overall improvement in machine vision sales," adds Paul Kellett, AIA's Director of Market Analysis.
-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design
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