North American and Western European Market Demand for Ruggedized/Industrial Computer Systems

Report Highlights

Estimated 2003 shipments in U.S. dollars of stationary ruggedized/industrial computer systems by vendors to markets in North American and Western Europe for the application segments studied are:

Shipment growth expectation for these markets over the forecast period are modest, ranging from a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.5% for industrial automation control & instrumentation applications, to 5% for defense & aerospace applications.

Report Overview and Scope

This market study on stationary ruggedized/industrial computer systems covers five application market segments. Included are current market sizes and forecasts through 2006. Trends are identified, markets analyzed, and strategies recommended.

Geographic Markets Analyzed

The geographic scope of the study covers North America and Western Europe.

Application Market Segments Analyzed

• Communications
• Defense & Aerospace
• Energy, Utilities & Transportation Infrastructure
• Industrial Automation Control & Instrumentation
• Medical, Laboratory & Scientific

Computer Systems Investigated

This study covers stationary computer systems that are more rugged than office-grade types. These ruggedized/industrial computer systems are hardened and/or performance-enhanced in one or more of the following ways:

• Power supply enhancements (regulation, surge suppression, etc.) and/or redundancy;
• 24 hour/day, 7 day a week operation capability for extended periods;
• Sturdier cases (rack mounted, mil. spec., NEBS, NEMA or IP ratings, etc.);
• Higher resistance to vibration and shock;
• Extended operating temperature ranges;
• Intrinsically safe/explosion proof;
• Liquid splash/cleaning protection;
• Shielding from magnetic fields;
• EMI/RFI filters and shielding;
• Higher humidity toleration;
• Diagnostics and alarms;
• Filtering of cool air; etc.

Configurations Covered

Included in the studies are computer systems that are purchased:

• Fully Configured, Integrated With Software, and Tested
• Fully Configured, and Integrated With Operating System
• Partially Configured and Integrated

Product Segmentations, Forecasts and Trends

The following product segmentations and forecasts or expected trends are provided:

• Between Passive Backplane and Active Backplane/Motherboard Type Computers
• Passive Backplane Types by Backplane Bus Architectures
• Active Backplane/Motherboard Types By Form Factors
• Enclosure/Mounting Configurations Separately for Passive Backplane and Active Backplane/Motherboard Types of Computers
• Dimensions (height and depth) of rack mount units
• Types of Microprocessors Used
• Operating System Usage
• Various Feature Requirements-sound/audio, video/graphics, displays, mass storage, input/output, networking, peripheral connectivity, and power supplies