Real-time Location Systems

The Real-time Location Systems (RTLS) market research report delivers current market analysis plus a five-year market and technology forecast. 

Real-time Location Systems: Growing Demand for Location Accuracy Technologies

A real-time location system (RTLS) provides information about the location of assets, objects, vehicles, and goods. The system comprises tags or beacons that are physically attached to the object, receivers, and gateways for signal detection, and a software location engine. This report covers real-time location technologies that utilize radio signals derived from asset tags that generate Bluetooth low energy (BLE), radio frequency identification (RFID), ultra-wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi, and other location technologies. Coverage in this report is limited to real-time location systems used for indoor, oil & gas, and mining applications. Further segmentation of application types includes asset tracking, manufacturing operations, robots/automated guided vehicle (AGVs), intra logistics, and tool management. 

The year 2020 was supposed to be a very good growth year for RTLS, as the benefits of real-time location technologies were getting recognized and the awareness or importance of RTLS technologies have rapidly been gaining momentum in manufacturing areas in the recent past. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the market expectations in terms of growth. Many user companies have delayed their planned investments for RTLS to 2021, as installation of RTLS infrastructure became a key challenge in 2020 due to no access to sites as per COVID-19 safety measures or lockdowns across the globe.  

However, the RTLS market has been supported by some factors that helped the market not experience strong declines in 2020. Some of the key drivers include quick recovery from China, increasing digitalization to optimize processes and gain more efficiency, concerns of workforce safety, and COVID-19 containment measures: social or physical distancing and contact tracing. Looking at 2021, the RTLS market is already back on its growth path.

Real-time Location Systems Market Trends and Strategic Issues

Real-time Location Systems market trendsIn addition to providing a five-year market forecast, the RTLS market research provides detailed quantitative current market data and addresses key strategic issues as follows.

Strategic Recommendation for Users: Know and Examine Various RTLS Technologies

Though RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, ultrasonic, infrared (IR), and ZigBee (based on IEEE 802.15.4) are commonly used RTLS technologies, RTLS characteristics depend on a specific technology being involved. Therefore, the selection of the RTLS is a multi-criteria decision-making strategy, which includes both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Detailed infrastructure may differ depending on a specific technology and the location accuracy that users are looking for. 

Strategic Recommendation for Suppliers: Foster Interoperability

Lack of true interoperability among various systems is one of the major concerns in user industries. Through investments in new RTLS systems that communicate with other enterprise software systems and share information needed to react in time, suppliers are adding flexibility to their product offerings and offering open platform solutions that foster interoperability with the tags from other vendors and other enterprise systems. Going forward, suppliers offering better interoperable product solutions are more likely to gain a larger market share. 

Strategic Recommendation for Suppliers: Have a Couple of Different Locating Technologies in the RTLS Portfolio or Build Partnerships with Other Vendors. 

As more users adopt locating solutions, they push more different use cases and find the limits of where their particular technologies do not work well enough. Together, it leads customers to want a platform to both insulate them from technology change and allow them to better manage a mix of various locating technologies.  

Market Data Research Available Datasets

This in-depth market data research is split into two key modules: Market Growth Outlook and Competitive Analysis.  Each of these modules is further configured into several sub-modules to meet the needs of executives as well as marketing, sales, and product development managers.  All of these modules and sub-modules may be purchased as a bundle or separately.  A brief description of these modules, sub-modules, and their use cases is included below.

Market Growth Outlook

ARC’s market growth outlook service delivers an in-depth market opportunity analysis including five-year market and technology forecasts and 3-year history trend lines where available. Besides providing an in-depth analysis of the market opportunity provided by each technology, this service allows technology suppliers to analyze their own customized markets consisting of multiple technologies. For example, customers can view different market scenarios by adding or removing technology markets from the analysis, providing them a Total Available Market (TAM) view of their own served market. A list of the available market growth outlook services can be seen in the list below.  

This service is designed to help accelerate your organization's ability to understand an up-to-date view of the market opportunity provided by your current product portfolio and analyze how your company’s market opportunity would change if you were to acquire or divest a particular product line. The service will also help you identify and capitalize on emerging markets, whether these markets are based on an emerging technology, region, vertical industry, or application. Built upon a proprietary market model and ARC’s field proven primary research, this service helps product and marketing managers optimize their business plans by identifying the opportunities provided by emerging trends. ARC’s reputation as the preeminent independent provider of market growth opportunity analyses for nearly four decades also provides greater weight to your business plans. ARC’s market growth outlook services are available in a variety of formats depending on whether you view your market opportunities via different technologies, industries, or world regions.  

In addition, ARC has a strong history of providing customized market opportunity reports and services to meet your specific needs.  For example, you may sell your products only to specific industries and/or in only one or two regions. You tell us your served markets and ARC can quickly configure a report or service designed to best serve your served market.

ARC provides several versions of these reports and services depending on your role in the organization. Executive Views are high level market opportunities designed to help executives quickly identify key trends and market opportunities around the world.  In-depth market opportunity analyses provide marketing and product managers more detailed technology specific market information to plan marketing and product development strategies.  The following table shows more specific information included in each version.

Market Growth Outlook AnalysisUse CasesTarget Role
Worldwide Market Growth Outlook by Industry & Region with 3-year history where availableIn-depth technology-specific strategic growth planning across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industriesProduct & Marketing Managers
Worldwide Industry Growth Outlook by Region with 3-year history where availableStrategic technology growth planning for markets defined by a single or multiple vertical industriesIndustry Managers
Regional/Country Market Growth Outlook by Technology & Industry with 3-year history where available (includes country data)Strategic technology growth planning for markets defined by a single or multiple world regionsRegional & Country Sales Managers
Market Growth Outlook Executive ViewStrategic Total Available Market (TAM) growth planning dashboard covering multiple vertical industries, technologies, and world regionsExecutives
Market Competitive Analysis

ARC’s Competitive Analysis services deliver in depth competitive analyses across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industries.  Besides providing an in-depth analysis of the market opportunity provided by each technology, this service allows technology suppliers to analyze their own customized markets consisting of multiple technologies. For example, customers can view different market scenarios by adding or removing technology markets from the analysis, providing them a Total Available Market (TAM) view of their own served market. A list of the available market growth outlook services can be seen in the list below.  

This service is designed to help product and marketing managers identify their company’s market positioning across multiple views within their Serviceable Available Market (SAM). Built upon a proprietary market model and ARC’s field proven primary research, this service helps product and marketing managers optimize their business plans by identifying how their company’s market position would change if the company were to acquire or divest a particular product line or technology. ARC’s reputation as the preeminent independent provider of competitive market benchmarking for nearly four decades lends greater weight to your business plans. ARC’s market competitive services are available in a variety of formats depending on whether you view your market opportunities via different technologies, industries, or world regions.  

In addition, ARC has a strong history of providing customized market opportunity reports and services to meet the specific needs of our clients.  For example, you may sell your products only to specific industries and/or in only one or two regions. You tell us your served markets and ARC can quickly configure a report or service designed to best serve your served market.

ARC provides several versions of these reports and services depending on your role in the organization. Executive Views are high level market competitive analyses designed to help executives quickly assess their SAM by world region, technology, or vertical industry. In-depth competitive market analyses provide marketing and product managers more detailed technology specific benchmarking information to plan marketing and product development strategies.  The following table shows more specific information included in each version. 

Competitive AnalysisUse CasesTarget Role
Worldwide Competitive Analysis by TechnologyIn-depth competitive market analysis that quantifies how your company’s market position has changed over time across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industriesProduct & Marketing Managers
Worldwide Competitive Analysis by IndustryStrategic technology-based competitive analyses for markets defined by a single or multiple vertical industriesIndustry Managers
Regional/Country Competitive Analysis by IndustryStrategic technology-based competitive analyses for markets defined by a single or multiple world regionsRegional Sales Managers
Competitive Analysis Executive ViewStrategic Serviceable Available Market (SAM) analysis dashboard covering multiple vertical industries, technologies, and world regionsExecutives

Worldwide Research Focus Areas

Strategic Analysis

  • Major Trends
  • Regional Trends
  • Industry Trends
  • Strategic Recommendations

Competitive Analysis

  • Market Shares of the Leading Suppliers
  • Market Shares by Region
    • North America
    • Europe, Middle East, Africa
    • Asia
    • Latin America
  • Market Shares by Revenue Type
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
  • Market Shares by Hardware Type
    • Anchors/Readers
    • Gateways
    • Tags/Beacons
  • Market Shares by Technology
    • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
    • Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
    • Ultra-wideband (UWB)
    • Wi-Fi
  • Market Shares by Industry
    • Aerospace & Defense 
    • Automotive
    • Electronics & Electrical
    • Food & Beverage 
    • Machinery
    • Mining
    • Oil & Gas
    • Pharmaceutical & Biotech
    • Transportation & Logistics
  • Market Shares by Application Type
    • Asset Tracking
    • Manufacturing Operations
    • Robots/AGVs 
    • Tool Management
    • Intralogistics 
  • Market Shares by Customer Type
  • Market Shares by Sales Channel

Market Forecasts and Histories

  • Total Shipments of RTLS
  • Shipments by Region
    • North America
    • Europe, Middle East, Africa
    • Asia
    • Latin America
  • Shipments by Revenue Type
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
  • Shipments by Hardware Type
    • Anchors/Readers
    • Gateways
    • Tags/Beacons
  • Shipments by Technology
    • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
    • Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
    • Ultra-wideband (UWB)
    • Wi-Fi
  • Shipments by Industry
    • Aerospace & Defense 
    • Automotive
    • Electronics & Electrical
    • Food & Beverage 
    • Machinery
    • Mining
    • Oil & Gas
    • Pharmaceutical & Biotech
    • Transportation & Logistics
  • Shipments by Application Type
    • Asset Tracking
    • Manufacturing Operations
    • Robots/AGVs 
    • Tool Management
    • Intralogistics 
  • Shipments by Customer Type
  • Shipments by Sales Channel

Industry Participants

The research identifies all relevant suppliers serving this market.  

Regional Research Focus Areas

Strategic Analysis

Competitive Analysis

  • Leading Suppliers in Region
  • Industry Shares in Region
  • Country Shares in Region
  • Leading Suppliers by Industry

Market Forecasts and Histories

  • Market Forecast & History by Country
  • Market Forecast & History by Industry

List of countries included in each region: MIRA-Country

For More Information

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