The Human Machine Interface or as it is more commonly known HMI, is an interface between the user and a device. This includes everything from the screen on a smartphone to industrial computers, but HMI is mainly applied to manufacturing and process control systems. It delivers real time data acquisition by providing visual representation of a control system allowing operators to complete settings through touch screens on a user-friendly interface. New computing technology is changing the HMI industry, and experiencing double digit growth as more companies replace legacy system with new ones.

The new report conducted by Transparency Market Research, "Human Machine Interface (HMI) Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019" forecasts the market to reach a value of $5.579 billion by 2019, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4 percent from 2013 to 2019.

The growth is going to be driven by a rise in demand for industrial automation and interface software solutions designed to improve operational efficiencies. The introduction of information and communications technology (ICT), machine-to-machine (M2M), big data analytics, mobility and even wearable technology has changed the term HMI. This is because each of these technologies is to some extent an interface between a human being and a machine.

This has increased the demand of HMI by industries in oil and gas, automotive, metal, mining and others as they become aware of how the technology has improved productivity and safety.

The report categorized HMI into display or touchscreens, interface software, industrial PC's and other controllers. The largest and fastest growing sector is the interface software segment accounting for more than 41 percent of the HMI market. However, as the adoption of M2M and the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to increase, monitoring and controlling application in the automation industry is expected to drive the software and services segment.

The largest HMI application was in the automotive industry, accounting for 15.9 percent of the global market, and it is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. The report also looked at: food and beverage; aerospace and defense; metals and mining; packaging; and healthcare.

Regionally North America accounted for the largest HMI market share overall, with the Asia Pacific region expected to have the fastest growth in the future. Growing economies in India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and other APAC region countries with increased automation in both manufacturing and processing industries as well as growing economies is responsible for their HMI acceleration.

The technology in HMI is controlled by established companies with a strong global presence, making it a very competitive environment. Few companies account for more than 50 percent of the market share, with Siemens AG (News - Alert), Rockwell Automation, Mitsubishi Electric, Pro-Face, and General Electric Corporation leading the way.