Machine vision sales in North America were strong through the first half of the year, but have fallen slightly in the third quarter, according to new statistics from the Automated Imaging Association (AIA).
Though up 15% so far this year, machine vision sales fell 2% in the third quarter compared with the same period in 2010. “After six consecutive quarters of growth, the third-quarter results indicate that we may be in for slower growth in the near term,” said Jeff Burnstein, AIA president.
Industry executives appear to agree, as the AIA report shows a majority of reporting companies (54%) expect sales to stay at current levels for the next six months; 34% expect a decrease; and 14% expect an increase.
“The modest slowdown in machine vision sales in the third quarter would appear to follow the performance of the manufacturing sector, which has lost some steam as of late,” added Paul Kellett, AIA’s director of market analysis. “A near-term uptick in the expansion of manufacturing sector, however, would most likely resound to the benefit of machine vision companies.”
