Automation Industry Market Report

Transcription

1 Automation Industry Market Report The Global Industrial Automation Industry After weathering a difficult economic recession, the global automation industry is once again on the upswing, with many industry experts predicting positive growth rates over the next few years as manufacturing firms throughout the world return once again to prerecession production levels. The industry performed strongly in 2010 following an estimated drop in revenue of more than 14 percent at the height of the global financial crisis in First quarter 2010 growth was 25 percent over 2009 levels, and orders and consequent backlogs increased uniformly across all sectors of the industry throughout the remainder of the year. Global automation shipments experienced robust growth in many developing countries throughout 2011 as well, and even in debt- and unemploymentridden developed regions, the industry returned to moderate health as many suppliers experienced positive growth in their aftermarket businesses. The global automation index also witnessed sizeable gains between 2010 and 2011, as both the global and US indices jumped 21 percent while the Asian index and the European index increased 21 percent and 14 percent respectively. Such high year-on-year growth figures were largely the consequence of relatively weak 2010 results, however, and growth in the global index, while still positive, is increasing at a decreasing rate. Automation Spending Outlook Over the Next 12 Months Source: Control Engineering/Morgan Stanley 2010 Global Automation Industry Outlook The global manufacturing economy was on track to return to pre-recession shipment levels in 2011, which boded well for the industrial automation industry given that machinery production output drives the demand for nearly half of the industrial automation market. Yet many risks for future growth still remain, including high oil prices caused by growing demand in emerging economies and political instability in the Middle East, high rates of unemployment in the United States and other advanced economies, and economic uncertainty stemming from the European debt crisis.

2 Despites these risks, the global industrial automation market is expected to grow 9.5 percent to $159.8 billion in 2012, with much of this growth being driven by relatively strong markets in the United States and China. While austerity measures in Europe and the United States have dampened public investment in the automation equipment market, a recovering private sector and healthy economic growth in other regions of the world will cause the global industrial automation market to exceed $200 billion by 2015 according to IHS, Inc. a leading business information service company. The U.S. economy has improved substantially since the financial crisis, and both machinery production and end equipment markets posted impressive first quarter 2012 results. New orders for industrial machinery in the United States in the first four months of 2012 were up 6.1 percent over the same period in 2011, and both North and South America are positioned for strong growth in industrial automation in 2012 and beyond. Bolstered by the ever-growing Chinese economy, sales in the Asia-Pacific region grew nearly 10 percent in 2010, and spending is expected to reach $64 billion in 2012, representing 40 percent of the global industrial automation market. The Asian market is the world s largest consumer of industrial automation products, and the Americas and Asia Pacific regions account for 65 percent of the global industrial automation market. Although China s economy is expected to grow only 8.2 percent in 2012, its lowest level in years, government policies targeting the country s industrial automation sector as well as a continued economic recovery worldwide is expected to fuel substantial growth in Asia s automation industry. Industry Trends Micro-Level Trends The recent turnaround in the global automation industry suggests that budgets have already bottomed out at most firms since the financial crisis, with 69 percent of respondents to a global automation industry outlook survey released by Morgan Stanley and Control Engineering in early 2010 claiming that there budgets were expected to rise or stay flat in the coming year compared to 31 percent of respondents who expected their budgets to continue falling. In the same survey, increasing demand and the need to replace aging equipment were listed as the top two reasons for rising budgets while delayed servicing activities to preserve cash reserves and excessive capacity were listed as the primary reasons for declining budgets. Buyers in the food and beverage, automobile, and chemical sectors were most confident about their growth prospects while buyers in the general manufacturing and pharmaceuticals sectors were less optimistic. Financing was still an issue for the majority of buyers and sellers in the industrial automation industry, however, with 74 percent of respondents citing it as a business constraint.

3 Near- to Mid-term Spending Outlook by Sector Source: Control Engineering/Morgan Stanley 2010 Global Automation Industry Outlook Prices are expected to stabilize in the near term, and competitive price wars are unlikely as only 12 percent of buyers expect prices to fall in coming months. According to the Morgan Stanley/Control Engineering study, near-term buyers cite operating expenditures and maintenance requirements as primary drivers of investment in the near future, followed by replacing aging equipment and improving productivity, while greenfield capacity additions and upgrades in energy efficiency, both of which are characterized by high upfront costs, were deemed the least likely targets of investment in the near term. Buyers ranked reliability, safety, and technology as the most important factors in choosing a supplier while local presence, breadth of products, and relationship with a sales representative were deemed the least important factors. Many buyers have also expressed a strong loyalty to their suppliers: according to the survey, only 17 percent of buyers were very or somewhat likely to switch from their current supplier. Macro-Level Trends Frost & Sullivan, a global strategy consulting and research firm, cites a number of key areas of growth for the industrial automation industry in coming years. First, sustainability is expected to be a major focus for the global manufacturing industry in the near future, as firms will continue to seek energy-efficient solutions and technologies in both discrete and process industries. Energy efficiency will be a salient issue in the electric motors market, especially given the expected growth in demand for electric vehicles in coming years. Improved wastewater treatment and handling pumps, greener factory-scale HVAC systems, and specialized products for the oil and gas industry will likely dominate the pumps, valves, and compressors sector, while the automotive industry s growing emphasis on weight reduction methods will lead to the growing importance of new technologies like automated laser welding. The continued growth of

4 renewable energy infrastructure will also offer opportunities for automation firms to become involved in new power grid integration processes. The growth of smart technologies is a second trend that is expected to play a major role in shaping the industrial automation industry in coming years. In response to the constant drive for greater productivity and efficiency, many firms are adopting cloud computing, cyber-security, and mobile communications technologies to enhance the interaction between the factory floor, end users, and other components of the enterprise. Flexible manufacturing techniques are expected to further drive this factory-enterprise integration, leading to even more opportunities for automation and customized service in industrial processes. The BRIC countries as well as other emerging economies worldwide are also expected to be drivers of growth in the global industrial automation market in the near future, with the strongest growth expected to occur in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. Potentially profitable opportunities related to the renovation and modernization of old infrastructure in more developed economies in North America and Western Europe will be available. Furthermore, flexible manufacturing practices are expected to facilitate regional customization by aligning the product portfolio provided by automation suppliers with local market demands. The South Korean Industrial Automation Industry South Korea s industrial automation industry is estimated to be worth $15.2 billion, making in the 8 th largest market in the world. Korea produces 3.3 percent of all automation output worldwide, and the country is the source of 5 percent of the world s automation buyers, behind only much larger markets like the United States, China, Germany, and Japan. The domestic measuring instruments and machinery sector, which is valued at $5.7 billion, is the 5 th largest in the world, while Korea s production machinery sector, which is expected to experience 8 percent annual growth in coming years, is valued at $5.1 billion. The expansion of solar energy systems, secondary cells, organic LED, and other renewable energy technologies is expected to fuel growth in Korea s sensors sector. With the fifth-highest concentration of robot use in manufacturing in the world, Korea s industrial robots sectors also faces positive growth prospects in coming years. Sources: ARC Advisory Group. Automation Expenditures for Process Industries: Five Year Market Analysis and Technology Forecast through December 9, Butcher, David R. Top Three Trends in Industrial Automation. ThomasNet News. June 12,

5 Frost & Sullivan. What Hot in the Industrial Automation and Process Contrl Industry. May Greenfield, David Global Automation Industry Outlook. Control Engineering. December 1, Sultan, Sarah. Global Industrial Automation Market to Surpass $200 billion by IMS Research. Press Release. May 30,