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Demand for vision high, VDMA reports, as Vision show reunites industry
In the first half of the year, orders for machine vision components were up by 31 per cent in Germany, according to the latest figures from the VDMA. In Europe outside of Germany, orders were up by 66 per cent. At the opening of the Vision trade fair in
Stuttgart in October, Mark Williamson, the chairman of the board of VDMA Machine Vision, said there had been a positive turnaround from 2020, when the vision sector declined by 4 per cent, but that growth will be slowed by the shortage in semiconductor components. He added that the machine vision sector is not going to contract because of chip supply. In a statement, Williamson said: ‘Te
demand for machine vision components and systems remains very high. However, companies are struggling to keep up with production due to the shortage of materials, especially electronic components, and therefore are having to reduce their current production plans.’ Te VDMA is forecasting growth in
turnover for the European vision industry at 7 per cent for this year. In Germany alone, turnover was up 21 per cent for the first half of the year, but supply bottlenecks are likely to hamper this (more on this in Anne Wendel’s column on page 6). A third of members of the European
Machine Vision Association, when asked in a survey, expect the longer lead times to increase before they get better, while half expect them to be temporary.
Growth outside the factory In 2020, the share of the European machine vision industry’s turnover in sectors outside the factory floor, such as medical technology, security, agriculture, intelligent traffic systems and retail, was already 35 per cent, and turnover there grew by 9 per cent, according to the VDMA. In addition, European machine vision
firms saw 20 per cent growth in the electronics sector, the VDMA found, while turnover within the semiconductor market grew by 10 per cent. Turnover within
‘More than 5,400 people attended Vision Stuttgart, with the trade fair hosting 296 exhibitors’
the automotive industry fell by 13 per cent, however. Turnover within food and beverage stagnated. More European companies are selling
into Asia, and China in particular – sales into China grew by 10 per cent in 2020, while exports to Asia increased by 3 per cent, according to the VDMA. Fifty two per cent of the turnover of the European machine vision industry was achieved in Europe in 2020, 6 per cent less than in the previous year. Exports to America increased by 5 per cent.
Busy aisles More than 5,400 people attended Vision Stuttgart, with the trade fair hosting 296 exhibitors, about half of which came from outside of Germany. With the world still gradually opening up
and travel not straightforward for many, the show was always going to be smaller than in 2018 – the 2018 fair had 11,106 visitors, with almost half of those travelling from outside of Germany. Tis year, 39 per cent of visitors came from abroad.
4 IMAGING AND MACHINE VISION EUROPE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 But many exhibitors shared their delight
that the aisles were busy and that they were able to demonstrate technology in person. Christian Vollrath, head of computer
vision at Wenglor, told Messe Stuttgart: ‘Compared with trade fairs featuring a machine vision area, the discussions are deeper and more detailed. Customers have specific demands backed up by corresponding unit numbers.’ In addition, a survey by the European
Machine Vision Association before the show found that 60 per cent of respondents said they were only able to partly attain their targets regarding new customer acquisitions in the last 12 months without the opportunity for personal meetings. Messe Stuttgart found that 61 per cent of
visitors surveyed at the 2021 show said that they were solely or partly responsible for purchasing decisions concerning machine vision solutions in their companies. Tis year the majority of visitors came
from Europe. Te top 10 countries from outside Germany were Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Tere were also visitors from the USA,
Korea, Japan and Taiwan despite the travel restrictions and quarantine regulations. Among the highlights at the show, 15
start-ups took part in the daily start-up pitch sessions, with GrAI Matter Labs being crowned the top start-up for 2021. Meanwhile, Prophesee took home the Vision Award for its neuromorphic sensor technology. ‘As far as we are concerned, Vision is
and will remain the leading trade fair for machine vision. We are already looking forward to next year,’ Vollrath stated. Messe Stuttgart said that 72 per cent of the
visitors surveyed are planning to attend next year’s show. Vision 2022 will be held from 4-6
October 2022, concurrently with the Motek trade fair, and thereafter again every two years.
@imveurope |
www.imveurope.com
Thomas Wagner
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