U.S. Smart PPE Technology Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Smart Safety Gloves, Smart Shoes, Smart Eyewear/Smart Wearable, Smart Protective Clothing, Smart Ear Muffs/Plugs, Smart Respirator, Smart Communication), By Industry (Healthcare & Medical, Construction, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Military, Others (Automotive)), 2023-2030

The U.S. smart PPE technology market size was valued at USD 890.6 million in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 1,026.6 million in 2023 to USD 3,038.5 million by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 16.8% during the forecast period.

Smart PPE technology refers to advanced personal protective equipment that connects to Bluetooth or the internet and other devices such as tablets or mobile phones to provide real-time safety information. It offers safety information to the wearer or others in the field, and these wearable’s collect data and provide real-time alerts.

Key players across the U.S. are focused on developing smart PPEs by integrating advanced technologies such as IoT and connected devices to grow and improve business impacts. For instance,

• According to the Health & Safety Matters (HSM) PPE Market survey, various PPE providers are innovating the existing offerings by enhancing advanced technologies, such as IoT, connected devices, and others, to improve the businesses. In this survey, 38% of the respondents stated that the demand for respiratory PPEs would increase due to innovation in the healthcare industry.

In addition, companies are shifting toward smart PPE technology due to real-time integrative units, which help to optimize job performance via interfacing and alerting the employees about their initial safety warnings and directing hazard elimination control measures. These factors drive the U.S. smart PPE technology market growth.

COVID-19 IMPACT

Increasing Demand for Products to Tackle Pandemic across the U.S. to Boost the Market

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant positive impact on the U.S. smart PPE technology market. The requirement for Personal Protective Equipment augmented to an exceptional level due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of COVID-19 for business showed that the mining, oil, and gas industries had the highest financial risk compared to all other sectors in the U.S. As a result, the distribution and manufacturing of single-use PPE have witnessed huge growth, particularly in clothing, surgical masks, gloves, and glasses.

Furthermore, during the pandemic, various players started investing in manufacturing smart PPE technology as it is capable of capturing biometric and environmental data in real-time to monitor changes in body temperature and air quality and assist the worker's vital signs in protecting the workforce of healthcare and sanitation departments across the U.S. which were at a high risk of contracting the disease.

In addition, due to no contact situation during the pandemic, industries have adopted smart technologies such as IoT, connected devices, and Big Data in PPE kits to develop future business growth. Various colleges/universities across the U.S. innovated smart technologies through collaboration and funding from multiple industries during the pandemic. For instance,

• In May 2020, Northwestern University researchers received USD 200,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation to develop smart facemasks implanted with battery-less sensors to measure proper fit and monitor health. This project is focused on immediate proposals to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

LATEST TRENDS

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Rising Demand for Smart PPE Technology across Various Industries to Boost Market Growth.

Smart PPE technology offers various safety technologies for both companies and workers. It helps to increase efficiency and productivity and enhances worker safety. Different insurance companies are collaborating with multiple industries to create awareness of exploring smart technology and the return on investment in the work site by keeping workers safe, increasing productivity, and saving the companies money.

Industries, such as mining, manufacturing, and healthcare, are adopting smart PPEs to monitor workers' fatigue and health risks, track employees on large worksites, and minimize the chances of serious injuries and fatality rates. Smart PPE technology may become more operational as the industry explores new technologies and applications. For instance,

• In May 2023, Mississippi State University partnered with Liquid Wire Inc. and Toyota Mississippi to develop and adopt smart wearable technology to advance workplace safety and help prevent injuries. MSU's Athlete Engineering research group will work with the Northeast Mississippi auto manufacturer to integrate and evaluate Liquid Wire wearable technological solution by providing new understandings into Toyota to improve efficiency and detect possible injury risks.

Furthermore, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no specific standards for wearables or smart PPE; employers across industries are implementing OSHA's standards regarding worker privacy with new technologies in the workplace.

DRIVING FACTORS

Offering Rental Packages of Devices and Systems to Accelerate the Use of Smart PPE Technology

The adaptation of smart PPEs depends on the product's availability and cost. Large enterprises invest in these products to provide security and safety, but these investments reduce revenue generation. Moreover, small and medium enterprises may need more money to invest in subscription-based industrial technology, especially smart wearables. To make easy availability and cost-reduction products, various players in the market offer smart PPEs in the form of rental and lease services.

Rental options offer availability and flexibility of the products to consumers and companies. The management of extractions and returns enables companies to track the lifespan of the equipment, establish programmed maintenance, acquire the rental's completion, and process the user who has supplied the tool. Key players across the U.S. offer companies rental services for easy availability. For instance,

• Kenzen introduced a new rental program for its wearable devices. It offers wearable worker monitors, a manager application, and a worker alert for on-site supervisors to forecast and avoid heat stress for workers and employers. It also provides an analytical dashboard for corporate environmental leaders to understand the pathway and make improvements to their heat safety programs.

This rental model can be tied into a more structured proof of concept through ground deployment and consultation, making it easy for the players.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Increasing Risk Related to Data and Privacy Concerns and Low-Quality Management Hinders the Market Growth

Smart devices aim to improve occupational health and safety (OHS), increasing employee performance by reducing the probability of illness, injury, or absence. The smart wearable collects the employees' data and is shared with managers in real-time, including data about impacts and other emergencies. Data availability can be challenging in distributed environments with different platforms and data stores. The variability of wireless communications is strongly affected by intervention and distance.

The high cost of devices limits the acceptance by enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises. In addition, the capital expenditure of the provider’s increases as the R&D team expands.

Moreover, comfort and fitness issues that vary from consumer to consumer contribute to the low adoption of smart PPE technology vendors in emerging markets. For instance,

• According to J. J. Keller's PPE Pain Points study, 55% of women struggle to find PPE that fits the work. 75% of the women find their PPE apparel loses fitting due to which it can be trapped in machinery and decreased grip from large gloves, which can lead to accidents.

The data and privacy concerns and low-quality management are the potential restraints hampering the market growth.

SEGMENTATION

By Product Type Analysis

Adoption of Smart Respirators by Industries in the U.S. Boost the Market Growth

Based on product type, the market is divided into smart safety gloves, smart shoes, smart eyewear/smart wearable, smart protective clothing, smart ear muffs/plugs, smart respirator, and smart communication.

The smart respirator segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing concerns over acute respiratory disease caused due to chemical exposure and minute particles in the manufacturing industries.

Smart respirators are equipped with sensors that alert the wearer about chemical hazard exposure. These sensors provide real-time data of the wearer's breathing rate and control the airflow accordingly. Various smart PPE providers are developing smart respirators by integrating advanced embedded systems and Internet of Things technologies. For instance,

• A team at Northwestern University, U.S., developed a smart PPE facemask. The facemask uses battery-free sensors to measure the proper fit and monitor the wearer's health.

Integrating technologies in respirators allows the creation of smart approaches to improve working environments.

By Industry Analysis

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Rapid Adoption of Technological Devices across the Healthcare Industry to Boost the Market Growth

Various industries in the U.S., such as healthcare & medical, construction, oil & gas, chemicals, military, and others, are adopting smart PPE products to monitor and report workers' safety and mitigate real-time risks. From the analysis, healthcare & medical segment generated the maximum revenue in 2022 and is estimated to grow with a high CAGR during the forecast period due to the rapid adoption of smart PPE products to deal with increasing viral and highly spreading diseases. In healthcare, the pandemic and continued health and safety measures in the industry are expected to drive up sales of products such as smart respirators.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS:

Players are Developing Advanced Technology Based Cyber Securities to Expand Market Opportunities

The U.S. smart PPE technology market share has many players, such as Vuzix Corporation, JBT Corporation, 3M, MSA, Corvex Connected Worker, Guardhat Inc., Uvex Group, Kenzen, Realwear, Inc., and Gales Inc., which aim to deliver advanced technology in PPE.

List of Key Companies Profiled:

• Vuzix Corporation (U.S.)


• JBT Corporation (U.S.)


• 3M (U.S.)


• MSA (U.S.)


• Corvex Connected Worker (U.S.)


• Guardhat Inc. (U.S.)


• Uvex Group (U.S.)


• Kenzen (U.S.)


• Realwear, Inc. (U.S.)


• Gales Inc. (U.S.)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• April 2023: MSA Safety, Inc. declared that its wearable LUNAR Connected Device will be used with FirstNet to offer firefighters a solution to recover incident response. The LUNAR is a rescue device and wireless search for firefighters that doubles as a personal thermal imaging camera and is the first device to operate on the FirstNet network.


• March 2023: 3M partnered with safety software company Guardhat to integrate 3M's Safety Inspection Manager (SIM) into the company's Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform to increase product development. The partnership is expected to accelerate SIM improvements while evaluating new connected PPE to protect more frontline workers.


• March 2023: Uvex Group announced the launch of cutting-edge safety shoes suitable for various work environments. The 14 new models were integrated with the latest Uvex technology to improve comfort, ensure quality and maximize sustainability.


• March 2023: 3M collaborated with Guardhat, a connected security software company. The collaboration between the two firms combines 3M's protective equipment expertise with Guardhat's major worker-centric software platform to create connected safety opportunities to protect more frontline workers.


• February 2023: Vuzix Corporation announced that the demand for smart glasses would grow within the communications service provider industry as more devices leverage 4G and 5G networks to provide low-latency remote support. The upgrading of the 4G and 5G networks via Vuzix smart glasses increases productivity and collaboration, streamlines workflows, and increases customer satisfaction.

REPORT COVERAGE

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The market research report highlights insights into the latest industry and market developments and enhanced technologies used rapidly across the country. It also highlights some driving factors, restraints, and market size to help the reader understand in-depth market knowledge.

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