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News Release from: IMS Research | Subject: Touch screen operator panels growth
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 31 January 2003
HMI touchy panels to lead market growth
in 2003
Touch screen operator panels are leading a market recovery for manufacturers of human machine interfaces says a survey.
Touch screen operator panels are leading a market recovery for manufacturers of human machine interfaces (HMIs) After witnessing market declines in 2001 and 2002, a new market study recently from IMS Research predicts that the market will return to growth in 2003 with the touch screen sector the fastest growing of any HMI product group
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Aug 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Already a vital source of revenue for HMI suppliers, the touch screen sector is forecast to grow on average by over 15% per annum to 2006, by then accounting for over half of all revenue generated.
The main reason for this higher rate of growth is the migration of users from other HMI product areas such as text and graphic operator panels.
Falling technology costs and increased functionality (at the top end of the market in particular) have combined with the proven durability and stability of touch screen products to increase the level of acceptance of touch screen HMI.
Report author John Devlin said "there are a number of different factors, both positive and negative, affecting the use of touch screen products and their increased popularity with OEMs, system integrators and end-users.
Amongst the most noticeable are the new low cost models, priced in the (500 area, being introduced by some manufacturers, such as ESA.
These products are being effectively targeted at older, traditionally cheaper product groups, such as text operator panels.
Compared to standard graphic terminals, which feature a keypad, these touch screen products have the advantage of offering the same size screen in a smaller body." Devlin continues, "the downturn in automation has made it more important for suppliers of automation equipment to stand out from the crowd.
Touch screen HMI, with their image of leading edge technology, are increasingly being selected for use at the front-end of a machine in order to provide a competitive edge and an additional selling point." This point of view was reinforced by the results of a European-wide user survey, with 71.6% of automation customers saying that they would be using a touch screen operator panel by 2005.
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