RUGGED DISPLAY MARKET ANALYSIS

The global rugged display market size was valued at US$ 9 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% from 2023 to 2030. The global market for rugged displays is expected to experience considerable growth over the coming years. This is mainly due to the increasing demand for HMI and IoT devices in industrial settings. The cost savings offered by ruggedized products compared to consumer-grade devices in rough environments is also a key factor driving the market’s growth.

Global Rugged Display Market: Regional Insights

North America anticipated to exhibit major growth in the global rugged display market over the forecast period. Growth of this region can be attributed to new initiatives by government of countries in the region, specifically the U.S., in end user industries such as Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, and Healthcare among others. As a result, several electronic vendors are adopting various growth strategies such as mergers and acquisitions. In April 2021 for instance, Elbit Systems of America announced the acquisition of Sparton Corporation, for US$ 380 billion for expanding their regional presence in the U.S. with new product line. Thus, the region is likely to show strong growth in the market in the coming years.

Furthermore, Asia Pacific is also projected to witness major growth in the global rugged display market over the forecast period due to significant investment and adoption of rugged display in industrial automation technologies and in industrial sector of the region. The growing industrialization in the region, specifically in countries such as Japan, China, and India is also expected to drive growth of the global rugged display market in Asia Pacific region.

Figure 1: Global Rugged Display Market Share (%), By Region, 2022

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Global Rugged Display Market Drivers:

Reduction in total cost of ownership to fuel the market growth

Rugged displays are engineered and tested to be strong and to break less often even with the regular use in majorly demanding and rough conditions. Rugged devices often account for a major share in the market, however, they deliver significant benefits of total cost of ownership to people and organizations due mainly to rise in associated engineering costs. Depending on the life cycle, the cost of initial purchase of these device can vary. Longer the life cycle, higher is the initial purchase cost. However, the expenses of further repair and replacement will be lower. Thus, these factors are expected to drive growth of the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Increasing demand for IoT and HMI in different industries to propel the market growth

Due to decentralization of work away from the cloud for real-time processing and analytics is driving the IoT connectivity and edge computing. This in turn is resulting into high demand for highly rugged embedded computers as well as industrial computers to serve the real-time processing capabilities for better consolidation of workload via standardized interfaces, specifically in a period of using Industry 4.0 technology. Thus, the rise in demand for IoT and HMI across industries is expected to fuel growth of the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Global Rugged Display Market Opportunities:

Growing public and private spending with increasing cyber threats is anticipated to create growth opportunities in the global rugged display market over the forecast period. Governments are increasingly facing cyber threats, and to overcome this challenge, the spending by public and private sector is increasing all over the world. For instance, in January 2021, Ibit Systems Ltd. received a nearly US$ 24 Billion contract from the Dutch Ministry of Defense for supplying the Royal Netherlands Army with novel vehicular tactical computers.

Furthermore, growing technological advancements and reduced initial costs are the factors expected to generate growth opportunities in the global rugged display market over the forecast period. Market vendors are focusing on creating smaller sized rugged displays such as handheld tablets or smartphones. For instance, in September 2020, Borqs Technologies, Inc. announced the partnership with Juniper Systems to develop solutions for different applications of mobile data collection in hazardous and harsh work environments.

Global Rugged Display Market Trends:

Increasing demand in industrial, commercial and public sectors is a growing trend

Technology vendors are focusing on expansion of their product portfolios in order to expand their offering across various industries, as the demand for rugged display is increasing in industrial, public, and commercial sectors. For instance, in March 2021, Samsung expanded its rugged smartphone portfolio, as it launched the new Samsung Galaxy XCover 5. According to the company, this new products is designed for the factory and field to cater the requirements of growing mobile workforce. Thus, this trend is likely to continue in the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Launch of latest technology-enabled devices by companies is a recent trend

Regardless of comparatively lower adoption of novel technologies by end users such as defense, market vendors are launching latest technology-enabled devices. This trend is expected to grow significantly in the global rugged display market over the forecast period. For instance, in October 2020, GTAC launched integrated LiFi technology. The new technology is powered by pureLiFi. Such activities by market players is driving the adoption of rugged display, which in turn is driving growth of the global market.

Global Rugged Display Market Restraints:

Adoption of consumer-grade devices for industrial applications is limiting growth of the market

Consumer-grade devices have become highly common in companies, as employees have been relying on these devices. Due to rapid incorporation of the novel sophisticated technologies to smartphones, organizations are increasingly relying on consumer-grade devices, owing to their minimal cost, employee satisfaction, and operations levels. This in turn is impacting the investment by organizations in rugged devices. This factor is hence expected to hamper growth of the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Lack of technological adoption in mission-critical sectors such as defense and military to hinder the market growth

Mission-critical areas such as defense and military show lack of technological adoption compared to the launch of these technologies in the market. Thus, some of the technological advancements could not transfer as rapidly as the systems in these sectors, which are mostly old. For instance, the use of Windows 10 started only recently. These restraints are thus, anticipated to limit adoption of display devices, as market players still possess several products to offer. This factor is therefore projected to hamper growth of the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Figure 2: Global Rugged Display Market Share (%), By Product Type, 2022

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Global Rugged Display Market Segmentation:

The global rugged display market report is segmented into Product Type, Level of Ruggedness, Operating System, and End User.

Based on Product Type, the market is segmented into Smartphone and Handheld Computer, Tablet PC, Laptop and Notebook, Avionics Display, Vehicle-mounted Computer, and Panel PC and Mission-critical Display. Out of which, Smartphone and Handheld Computer is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the growing adoption of these devices across end user industries. These devices are preferred in situations where harsh conditions can affect the performance of handheld computers or regular smartphones. Thus, growing adoption of rugged smartphone and handheld computer is likely to drive growth of this segment.

Tablet PC segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the increasing need of data management and real-time visibility driving the demand for tablet PC.  Rugged tablets can sustain harsh environments and can be used easily in rough conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures, dry or wet conditions. Due to various advantages of rugged tablet PC, their demand is increasing rapidly, and this in turn is likely to drive growth of this segment.

Based on Level of Ruggedness, the market is segmented into Semi-rugged, Fully-rugged, and Ultra-rugged. Out of which, Semi-rugged is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the rise in preference of semi-rugged displays. Some rugged tablet platforms are specifically semi-rugged, or business-rugged, or are built to MIL-STD. A semi-rugged devices are commonly used at the consumer level supporting business and law enforcement related applications and projects. The popularity of these devices is increasing, which in turn is driving the segment’s growth.

Fully-Rugged segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the growing adoption of fully-rugged devices due to their benefits. These devices are specifically designed to work in extremely harsh conditions. They are resistant to aftershocks, tremors, drops, and vibrations. These devices are dustproof and waterproof as well as durable. Thus, adoption of fully-rugged devices is increasing rapidly which is further driving growth of this segment.

Based on Operating System, the market is segmented into Android, Windows, and Other Operating Systems. Out of which, Android is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the rising demand and adoption of android devices. Android devices include smartphones, tablets, and other hardware built to resist moisture, temperature, dust, and other tough conditions, with a long-lasting battery life. With widespread adoption of this operating system across various devices, the growth of this segment is likely to increase in the coming year.

Windows segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the widespread popularity of windows operating system around the world. Most of the laptops and tablets use Windows system and these devices are resistant as well as operable in extreme conditions of dust, weather, water, temperature, and other pressure-related circumstances.

Based on End User Industry, the market is segmented into Oil and Gas; Government, Defense, and Aerospace Industrial; Automotive and Transportation Healthcare; Other End User Industries. Out of which, Oil and Gas is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the rise in adoption of rugged displays in oil and gas industry. The stringent regulations by government around safety and oil and gas and the demand for data management device in hazardous applications is increasing rapidly in the industry. With growing use of rugged display in this segment, the growth of the global rugged display market is likely to increase in the coming future.

Government, Defense, and Aerospace segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the increasing applications of disaster, public safety, and recovery applications driving the demand for rugged display device in the segment. With increasing investment by military and defense sector, in the market, the segment is likely to show robust growth in the global rugged display market over the forecast period.

Global Rugged Display Market: Key Developments

In December 2020, Curtiss Wright Corporation’s Defense Solution Group received EASA Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification for the imaging multi-purpose flight recoder (iMPFR), cockpit area microphone, cockpit area camera, and imaging cockpit control unit components of ISSKOR flight recorder system.

In March 2021, OpenGate Capital, entered into agreement with TRansDigm Group Incorporated for acquiring the ScioTeq and Teality Simulation Visual Systems companies. Customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals apply to the transaction.

In March 2021, Kyocera Corporation, introduced DuraForce Ultra 5G UW, the first 5G ultra-rugged Android smartphone that delivers ultra-durability, ultra-low latency, and ultra-fast speeds on the Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network.

In June 2020, Panasonic Corporation announced the expansion of its rugged tablet portfolio by introducing TOUGHBOOK A3 tablet. The new product is suitable for emergency services personnel, transport and logistics operators, and utilities and field service agents, as well as for those working in automotive.

Global Rugged Display Market: Key Companies Insights

The global rugged display market is highly competitive. This is attributed to continuous launch of new technologies due to ongoing R &D and efforts by value chain participants. Moreover, key players are adopting various business growth strategies in order to expand their presence on regional as well as global basis.

Some of the key players in the global rugged display market are Dell Inc., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Getac Technology Corp., General Dynamics Corp., Zebra Technologies Corp., L3 Technologies Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Scio Teq, Sparton Corp., Crystal Group Inc., Kyocera Corp., and Beijer Electronics Group AB

*Definition: Rugged Display is a term for a type of LCD screen that has been specifically designed and manufactured to function effectively in harsh environments and situations. These rugged screens are able to cope with strong vibration, extreme temperatures, and wet or dusty working conditions. This makes them ideal for a variety of industrial applications, including digital menu boards in restaurants, patient sign-in forms at medical facilities, and many other functions.