Published on Automation.com Website
January 9, 2014 – Global sales of motion control products recovered in 2013 to reach $12.2 billion. According to the latest IHS study on the market for motion controls, strong growth is forecast to return to the market in 2014, propelling market revenues to a new record high by the end of the year.
The motion control market reached a record level of $13.2 billion in 2011 following two years of market growth in excess of 20 percent. In 2012, the motion-control market suffered from the poor economic situation in the Eurozone, a weak semiconductor market in Japan, and the fallout from overproduction in China. Market revenues declined in all three of these regions, and the global motion-control market decreased by 8.3 percent. Conversely, the American market provided a bright spot for motion controls, growing over 5 percent in 2012.
In 2013, machinery production declined at the global level for the semiconductor and robotics industries and grew very little in the machine tool industry, according to the latest research from IHS on machinery production. Still, the motion-control market is estimated to have grown between 1.8 percent in 2013, as small declines in the machine tools and semiconductor machinery sectors were offset by growth in the rest of the motion-control market.
The outlook for 2014 is more optimistic. In the Americas, recovery of the semiconductor machinery market will boost growth of motion control revenues in 2014, while in Asia, the machine tool market is forecast to recover. Globally, the motion-control market is forecast to grow by over 8 percent to reach $13.3 billion in 2014, exceeding the 2011 record value by 0.6 percent.
Global Motion Control Shipments Grow 3.3% in First Quarter 2014
(Ann Arbor, Michigan – June 10, 2014) – Global shipments of motion control products grew three percent in the first quarter of 2014, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control Association (MCA), the industry’s trade group.
“We’re happy to see the continued growth and stability of the motion control market. This trend should continue as more companies invest in automation to stay competitive,” said Dana Whalls, MCA Vice President. “Global government initiatives, like the recently announced 2.8 billion Euro SPARC investment by the European Commission and Robotics should also contribute to industry growth.”
“The motion controllers category continued to be one of the hottest areas in terms of growth in the first quarter with orders increasing 29% over last year,” said Alex Shikany, MCA Director of Market Analysis. “Additionally, our most recent survey of industry experts has uncovered optimism that shipments of motion controllers, AC drives, AC motors, and actuators & mechanical systems will increase in the next six months.”
MCA summarizes market results in quarterly tracking reports and trend analysis reports. These reports examine orders and shipments by major product category with tables and graphics. Growth rates and book to bill ratios are provided as well for each product category.
MCA also provides an economic indicator report, which enables report users to interpret quarterly statistics from the standpoint of macro-economic indicators by individual manufacturing industry, as identified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).