IMS RESEARCH says its latest statistics find the worldwide market for motion controls will begin to recover in 2010, with revenues increasing 15.1% over 2009 levels to reach US $10.5 billion.
The motion controls market was the hardest hit industrial automation electronics equipment sector, with revenues declining by 25% in 2009, according to data from leading motion controls suppliers.
Part of the reason was the decline in machinery production, which fell 18.8% globally in 2009. The motion controls market relies heavily on global machinery production, with over 95% of motion control product sales going into machinery markets in 2009.
The recovery is also driven by machinery orders, which began to pick up during the last quarter of 2009 and in the first half of 2010.
According to IMS, the high technology sectors of semiconductor and electronics and electronics assembly equipment are leading the market out of the downturn. Increased demand for semiconductors during the first half of 2010 is driving high growth in the market for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which declined by over 40% in 2009.
Growth in the food and beverage and medical industries, as well as increasing personal income and consumer spending is driving packaging equipment market, resulting in packaging equipment becoming one of the fastest growing vertical markets for motion controls through 2014.