Market studies herald process market recovery
8 Nov 2010
Wellingborough, UK - Recovery is on the cards for many suppliers of equipment to the process industries, if the findings of two recent IMS Research reports – on the industrial Ethernet and operator terminal markets – are anything to go by.
Around 4.7 million new Ethernet nodes were installed in industrial automation networks in 2009, 10.7% lower than in the previous year, estimates an IMS Research report.
However, the figures were not such bad news, noted John Morse at IMS. The decline, though significant, was far less than that in product shipments, he explained.
“This indicates the continuing growth in the use of Ethernet-based communication technologies in industrial applications,” said Morse, who forecasts average annual growth of 7.2% from 2008 to 2014.
Indeed, the UK-based researcher went on to point out that IMS’ forecast for annual growth from 2010 to 2014 of 11.6% was “a better indicator for the rate of recovery from the recession.”
The report, said Morse, forecast differences between the three main regions; with Asia recovering the fastest from 2010 at an estimated growth rate of over 14% per year, and EMEA and the Americas growing at 11.1% and 10.3% respectively.
Even better news for recession-hit suppliers of operator terminals, who, says IMS, are now benefitting from a global migration to renewable energy sources, particularly within the utilities sector
In 2009, approximately 130,000 operator terminals were adopted in the utilities sector worldwide. In 2014, IMS expects this figure to reach almost 220,000, driven primarily by increasing numbers of renewable energy generation sites.
The utilities sector has benefited from government stimulus packages and subsidies, particularly in the US and Western Europe, aimed at increasing green energy supply, notes IMS market analyst Mark Watson.
“This has increased the adoption of operator terminals in applications, such as wind turbines and solar farms,” said Watson. “The global trend to green energy solutions is projected to drive operator terminal sales to the utilities sector through to 2014”.
Open operator terminal adoption is forecast to be the fastest growing of all operator terminal types, as they are well suited to adoption in wind and solar farms. These applications typically require remote accessibility, one of the key functions of open operator terminals.
