Posted to News on 14th Feb 2013, 17:05
Integrated hydraulic equipment to offset impact of downturn
The global economic slowdown and the sovereign debt crisis of Europe have lowered capital investments in the European hydraulic equipment market for industrial and mobile applications. The most viable way to dispel the air of uncertainty in the market is to tap new end-user segments. Manufacturers are attempting to attract additional end users by developing integrated hydraulic equipment products that are cost effective, compact and user friendly.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, European Hydraulic Equipment Market for Industrial and Mobile Applications, finds that the market earned revenues of $11.54 billion in 2011, at a base year growth rate of 7.8 per cent. It is estimated that in 2016, the market will reach $14.78 billion, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1 per cent.
Hydraulic equipment's product integration with electronics has expanded its application scope to include markets such as entertainment simulators and renewable energy sectors. It will also help the market stave off competition from alternative technologies such as electric drives.
Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation and Process Control Practice Industry Analyst Sivakumar Narayanaswamy says: "Electronic products are more user-friendly and make it easier for hydraulic equipment products to integrate with new end-user applications. This integration has also expanded the product portfolios of current end-user segments, as customers prefer electronics-integrated products for its multi functionality."
Further, manufacturers provide streamlined customer service for their integrated products. They offer favourable maintenance contracts as part of the product purchase and absorb the costs of equipment installation. This ensures that the manufacturer becomes a one-stop point for the purchase, maintenance and servicing for the equipment.
Meanwhile, hydraulic equipment manufacturers for industrial and mobile applications are also responding to customer demand for higher efficiency equipment by investing more than 10 per cent of their revenue in R&D. In some product segments such as valves and pumps, manufacturers are looking to improve the product life cycle to more than a decade.
Sivakumar Narayanaswamy notes: "Energy-efficient hydraulic equipment products are also expected to become popular due to the EU's energy efficiency regulations and rising energy costs. To maintain efficiency standards, factory owners are likely to periodically replace their hydraulic equipment, generating revenue from the retrofit market."
These additional revenue streams will substantially improve the market's prospects and help it stay afloat in testing times. If you are interested in more information on this research, European Hydraulic Equipment Market for Industrial and Mobile Applications, please send an email to Julia Nikishkina, [email protected], with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.
