Asia-Pacific drives growth in HMI sales
The world market for operator terminals is forecast to expand by around 7% a year over the six-year period between 2005 (when it was worth just over $1.5bn) and 2011. According to the analyst IMS Research, the Asia-Pacific market, which accounted for about a fifth of the global market in 2005, will be the fastest-growing region over this period, achieving a double-digit growth rate.
The main factor driving this growth is the increasing use of operator terminals in the Chinese and Indian industrial automation markets. Both countries are forecast to experience rapid increases in demand for operator terminal products, with touchscreen types expected to dominate in terms of revenues. By 2011, touchscreen terminals are expected to account for around 80% of the Asia-Pacific HMI market.
Simpler products, such as text displays and text-based operator terminals, are also expected to show reasonable growth in China and India as machine-builders in these countries strive to produce price-competitive products.
"These countries are seeing an increase in the number of manufacturing facilities that they accommodate due to their advantageous labour costs which can give companies operating in the international arena a significant advantage," says IMS analyst Mark Watson. "This, in turn, is influencing the size and growth of their operator terminal markets."
By 2011, China and India are likely to be ordering nearly 180,000 text-based terminals a year, mainly for use in basic applications. The entire EMEA region, by comparison, will need just over 190,000 of these terminals in 2011.
