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Motors market weathers the storm

01 August, 2004

The number of LV induction motors sold in the past two years has remained steady, despite the difficult market conditions for other industrial products. This is the conclusion of a study by the market researcher IMS, which attributes the sector`s robustness mainly to the large number of motors that are sold as replacements. This insulates the sector from the ups and downs that affect other parts of the industrial machinery market, says IMS.

While the number of motors sold in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa - the EMEA region - over the past two years has remained fairly steady, the value of the market has declined by about 2.5%, indicating a downward pressure on prices.

IMS values the EMEA LV induction motor market at about $1.7bn last year, and predicts that it will grow to about $1.83bn by 2008. The market for large-frame IEC motors (sizes 80 and above) will grow by an annual average rate of about 1.3% to reach $1.38bn by 2008, while sales of smaller motors will expand by 1% to $373m. Sales of NEMA motors, although a small part of the EMEA market, will grow by 2.4% to reach $75m.

Sales of LV AC motors in the UK and Ireland were worth about $207m last year and are forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 1.3% to 2008.

In a separate study, IMS reports that packaging machinery was one of the few sectors of the European machine-building industry to grow last year. The sector, the second-largest after machine tools, is forecast to continue growing at about 6% a year for the next few years.

The study reports that the European market for automation components used in packaging machinery was worth around €1.5bn last year. Motors and drives - usually servos - account for about a quarter of this business.

IMS foresees strong growth in the robotics and semiconductor machinery markets in the next few years. Last year, European production of industrial robots grew by nearly 10% after two years of declining sales.




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