AIA Launches New Machine Vision Stock Market Index

Ann Arbor, Michigan - A new index to track the stock market performance of publicly traded machine vision companies has been established by the Automated Imaging Association (AIA), the industry's trade group.

Created for AIA by Adams Harkness & Hill, the new index is based on the stock prices of 19 leading machine vision companies from the United States, Canada, and Europe.  Updated weekly, it compares the performance of the vision index to that of the NASDAQ index.

'Our goal in developing this new index is to elevate awareness of the machine vision industry to the industrial and financial communities,' said Mike Kelley, Director of Marketing for Electro Scientific Industries' Vision Products Division and 2002 President of AIA

Like many high-tech industries, the machine vision industry is in the midst of a downturn caused by weakness in capital equipment expenditures.  The new Vision Index shows how the current downturn has impacted stock prices.

Companies currently included in the index are Adept Technology, August Technology, Camtek, Cognex, Coreco, CyberOptics, DALSA, Data Translation, Electro Scientific Industries, Elbit Vision, Integral Vision, ICOS Vision, Key Technology, Orbotech, Photon Dynamics, PPT Vision, Percpetron, RVSI, and StockerYale.  Additional companies may be added in the near future.

The index is available free at Machine Vision Online, the world's leading machine vision resource on the Internet.   (Click Here)

Founded in 1984, AIA is the world's largest machine vision trade group, representing some 210 machine vision suppliers, users, research groups, and consulting firms.  The association is best known for its trade shows such as The Vision Show (next slated for November 19-21, 2002 in Santa Clara, CA), an annual Business Conference (the 2003 event will be held February 5-7 in Orlando), and an annual Market Study (the 2002 edition is now on sale).

For more information about the new Vision Index and other AIA activities, contact AIA Headquarters at 734/994-6088, visit Machine Vision Online.