Abstract
Need for Added Functionality Drives Market Opportunities
While the push for more efficient industrial plants has been growing in
Europe, the number of operators per machine has been reducing sharply over the
past decade. With fewer operators, the need for competent operation and
monitoring of systems has intensified. As human machine interfaces (HMIs)
continue to advance and provide added functionality, industrial end users are
investing in improved HMI solutions. Being more efficient and easy to install,
operate, and maintain, these systems allow companies to focus on more
value-added operations such as speed-to-market, reliability and the capability
to produce new products.
This European HMI market study provides an analysis of the main applications
by industry/end-user market for discrete manufacturing (automotive, metal
manufacturing, packaging machinery and others) and process industries (food and
beverage, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, utilities and others). The research
presents extensive information on the latest market trends, drivers, restraints
and challenges.
Flexible Manufacturing Requirements Expand Customer Base
To maintain Europe's edge in the fiercely competitive global market, which
has been affected by the shift of manufacturing to low wage locations, high-tech
manufacturing with a higher level of automation is necessary. Technology that
makes manufacturing plants flexible and reconfiguration of machinery easy is
becoming essential. "Flexible manufacturing systems permit reduced order
quantities, mass customisation and just-in-time production - all of which help
to cope with rapid changes in the distribution of output volume over time,"
says the analyst of the research. This is expected to have a positive impact on
the demand for improved automation systems and flexible HMIs.
Technological Advances and New Software Stimulate Future Growth
Continued technology advance in HMI design is likely to promote robust growth
in this mature market over the next few years. As end users shift away from
pushbuttons and knob systems to easy-to-use and more flexible solutions, demand
for devices that can be easily connected into communication networks is
projected to expand. The declining prices for thin film transistor (TFT) and
touch screen technologies will also stimulate strong sales for modern HMIs,
which incorporate these technologies.
The expanding acceptance of PC technology and the wider range of hardware and
software options provided by PC-based open platforms are spurring substantial
growth in the software HMI market. Moreover, the trend in most industrial
markets is to move from typical HMI applications, which monitors a small part of
the whole manufacturing process, to increased integration and visualisation.
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