Scanner market growth predicted, imagers lead the way

Global market for handheld bar code scanners should reach $974 million by the end of 2008, a recent study from Venture Development Corp. shows.

By Control Engineering Staff August 12, 2004

Global market for handheld bar code scanners should reach $974 million by the end of 2008, a recent study from Venture Development Corp . shows. Growth in imagers—both linear and 2-D—will outstrip that of traditional laser scanners, the report, ” The 2004 Global AIDC Industry Business Planning Service ,” indicates.

Overall, the handheld scanner market is forecast to grow at 8% compound annual growth rate over the next four years. Linear imagers are expected to grow at 11% CAGR, while 2-D images are predicted to grow at 20.8% CAGR. The growth rate for linear scanners is set at 6.5%.

According to VDC analyst Taylor Smith, “The bar code imager market, particularly 2-D imaging, is positioned for strong growth over the next five years. First, several large accounts—including the U.S. government AIT III, Fed Ex, UPS, and the United State Postal Service—are heavily emphasizing imaging capability. Secondly, an increasing number of manufacturing industries, such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, are incorporating 2-D direct part marking/coding applications for advanced product track-and-trace functionality.”

Factors influencing growth include system upgrades prompted by an expected drop in average factory selling prices at a 4.6% rate through 2008, and growing acceptance of 2-D symbologies that require 2-D images to read and process the codes. Imagers provide functionality beyond that of traditional laser scanners, including the support of optical character recognition, signature capture, and image capture.

Click here to read more on the study .

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com