Keywords: Operator Panels, China Market Research Study, Touchscreen, Multi-Touch
Growing demands for industry upgrading and information-driven manufacturing technology solutions will drive the market for operator panels in China. But there are also lots of constraints today, e.g. declining price caused by severe competition, over-capacity in many end user industries, new entrants entering this market, and others. Orders for operator panels in 2014 grew slightly. ARC estimates the China market for operator panels will keep moderate growth rates over the forecast period (2014-2019) according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
The industrial operator panel market is undergoing a fundamental change. New COTS technology coming from the consumer market will alter the products significantly. In recent years, suppliers started to change their offerings towards widescreen and dual/multi-touch panels. Based on the current trend, text-based and semi-graphical panels will slowly disappear and the share of panels without touch displays will decrease. “The coming years will be very challenging for suppliers since technologies and the market requirements are changing. Only the suppliers have the smart strategies to meet customer needs to keep sustainable success in the China market,” according to Senior Analyst Rex Sun, co-author of ARC’s new “Operator Panels for China Market Research Study”.
Multi-touch: A Real Opportunity?
ARC research indicates that multi-touch is one of the biggest technology trends in the operator panel market. However, in practical terms, multi-touch is not ideal for many factory applications, where dual-touch (zoom) or single-touch (swipe) user interfaces currently dominate.
To meet its full potential in operator panels, multi-touch technology must be combined with the right hardware and software to provide the needed functionality and intuitiveness, while minimizing the opportunities for costly (and often dangerous) operator errors.
Industrie 4.0 and the IIoT Will Impact Technology
Over the study forecast period, new manufacturing approaches will impact the operator panel market. Industrie 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will get traction in many markets, introducing a new paradigm for manufacturers.
To accommodate these profound changes, operator panel suppliers will need to focus increasingly on connectivity and data collection. Many panels will become the link between the office space and the plant floor. Production modularization will also require more applications to be monitored and controlled directly and autonomously, instead of being coordinated from a central control room. This will contribute further to growth, but will require suppliers to incorporate new features into their operator panels.
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