Global motion control market contracts in 2012

According to a study recently published by IMS Research, Austin, sales of motion control products decreased in 2012 in China as a result of overcapacity, and the global motion control market is forecast to decline by 1.9% compared to 2011. But good news is just over the horizon, according to analysts. In 2013, the global motion control market is projected to rebound with revenue growth of nearly 5%, spurred by recovery of the Chinese market but limited by the continued Eurozone recession.

In recent years, the global motion control market grew briskly with revenues increasing by more than 20% in both 2010 and 2011 to reach an estimated value of $13.1 billion. However, 2012 presented a very different situation with the Eurozone recession and softening of the Chinese economy, causing motion control sales to fall well below expectations.

“The biggest surprise in 2012 was the extent of the contraction in the Chinese motion control market, where revenues are forecast to decline an estimated 16.5 to 18.5%. Reduced order rates have resulted from overcapacity concerns and conservative buying patterns from machine builders,” explains analyst Michelle Figgs.

Sales of low-end servo products in China have been most affected, impacting the Chinese and Japanese suppliers who rely heavily on this market. The market for high-end servo products is more stable. In the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, revenues from sales of motion control products are projected to grow by more than 5% in 2012.

“Growth will be driven by the Indian, South Korean, and Taiwanese markets,” notes Figgs. “However, the total Asian market, excluding Japan, is forecast to decline by nearly 10% because China accounts for the majority of revenues.”

The motion control markets in the Americas, EMEA, and Japan are projected to maintain revenue growth in 2012, though at much lower rates than what was observed in the prior two years. The American market is the fastest growing, with growth projected at 4.2%, followed by the EMEA market at 1.6%. Due to a struggling semiconductor industry, the Japanese motion control market is projected to grow only 0.5% in 2012.

IMS Research has studied the market for motion control products for more than a decade, with detailed analyses of the GMC and CNC markets for servomotors, servo drives, and position control hardware provided on an annual basis. A comprehensive set of statistics on the motion control market is presented in terms of revenues, unit shipments and average selling prices (ASPs). The 2012 edition of The World Market for Motion Controls includes extensive regional information, with segmentation by product type, industry sector, sub-region, and various technical analyses as well as market share analyses for EMEA, Americas, Asia, and Japan. The study uses 2011 as the base year with forecasts from 2012 to 2016.

For more information, visit IMS Research.