The terahertz body scanning market in South America is expected to grow from US$ 1.22 million in 2019 to US$ 4.92 million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.5% from 2020 to 2027.
Terahertz imaging systems and techniques have been developed recently and are widely used owing to the advantages of low radiation and clothing-penetrable for detecting concealed weapons or other contraband at airports, customs, retail, and other secure locations. If mounted efficiently, the body scanner allows the operator to screen people with no knowledge of stealth. This ensures that various person-borne threats are detected effectively without creating chaos enabling to effectively counter urban violence and prevent street crimes by discovering hidden knives, brass knuckles, and handguns when installed in public places, event arenas, and high profile venues. Besides, the sufficient imaging distance of up to 3 m ensures remote detection of suspicious objects hidden beneath clothes. The mere presence of such hidden items can help law enforcement and security personnel mark a suspect and isolate him/her from police/security/customs officers for subsequent physical inspection (body search), depending on the scene. Thus, covert and overt surveillance is one of the major factors likely to drive the market growth during the forecast period.
Based on scanner type, the fixed segment led the South America terahertz body scanning market in 2019. Fixed terahertz scanners can be mounted at several locations, as per the environment. These can be deployed on the walls, ceiling, in tactical deployment system, thus they are flexible from a deployment perspective. These scanners may create privacy concerns, yet the focus is on the user. For instance, in public places, venues are required to reveal monitoring technologies. The screener uses passive terahertz technology, which measures energy from the body, and the items that block that energy appear on the scan. Apart from detecting metal objects, this scanner can also pick up non-metallic threats, including 3D printed guns and explosives. Also, the technology can be fixed at a hidden location. All these attributes of terahertz technology are anticipated to increase its adoption by end-users, thereby boosting the terahertz body scanning market in South America.
In South America, Brazil has the highest cases of COVID-19 so far, followed by Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. To curb the spread of the virus, the governments across South America have imposed travel bans, factory and businesses shutdowns, and lockdowns, which is likely to have a direct impact on the region’s economic growth as the region would face lower export revenues, both from the drop in commodity prices and reduction in export volumes, especially to major trading partners, such as China, Europe, and North America. The presence of various developing countries makes South America as one of the major markets for the growth of terahertz body scanning market over the forecast period. However, the sharp decline in manufacturing activities in this region due to COVID-19 lockdown measures is expected to directly impact the growth of the terahertz body scanning market in the coming quarters. In addition, the supply chain disruptions and non-availability of raw materials would also aggravate the problems of various industries operating in this region. Thus, the decline in business operations and product development activities is expected to directly affect the growth rate of terahertz body scanning market in this region for the next three to four quarters.
The overall South America terahertz body scanning market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the South America terahertz body scanning market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the South America terahertz body scanning market. Key players operating in the South America terahertz body scanning market include Terasense Group Inc.; Shanghai Eastimage Equipment Co., Ltd.; Nuctech Company Limited; and Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG.