Thermal Imaging Competitors

Competition

There are only a few key players currently in this market that focus on the building trades industry. They are FLIR Systems, LumaSense, Jenoptik, and InfraRed Solutions. The cameras range in price from $7,000 - $40,000. FLIR Systems is seen as the biggest competition. FLIR, established in 1978, is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon. They have worldwide facilities for manufacturing, sales and service, and research and development. FLIR not only manufactures thermal cameras, but they also offer products in the following industries:

o Automotive

o Border Security

o Surveillance

o Utility

o Marine

o Search & Rescue

o Home Inspection

o Medical

FLIR’s annual revenue in FY07 was $219.2 million in the Thermography industry. The HeatSeeker 3000 will be in direct competition with FLIR’s B Series Thermal Imagers and the InfraCAM SD Thermal Imagers. They are targeted towards home inspectors, HVAC contractors, general contractors, air quality professionals, energy auditors, and anyone else involved in the building trades. FLIR markets to their customers by describing what issues there are in the building trades industry. For example, they state, “Moisture in building materials can destroy structural integrity and nurture mold. The first step in moisture problem remediation is to quickly and accurately locate and remove all sources of moisture.” They then describe how their cameras can help find those issues. For example, “FLIR infrared cameras instantly show you what's wet and what's dry. IR cameras can instantly find the ultimate source with little or no physical disassembly of the premises and minimal disturbance of inhabitants.”

FLIR also offers training for their users. Their instruction addresses extensive field experience in thermography and building construction. It also includes references numerous cases illustrating how IR thermography has pinpointed sources of building moisture and enabled energy savings. Courses are currently held in several states across