Global motion control shipments grow 13.6% to begin 2017

Global shipments for motion control products increased by 13.6% to $858.4 million in 2016, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA), the industry’s trade group.

“We saw the motion control market post its fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth to begin 2017,” said Alex Shikany, MCMA director of market analysis. “Leading the way were Actuators & Mechanical Systems, which grew 29.8% to $159.4 million in the first quarter. Sensors & Feedback Devices (20.8% to $34.6m), Motion Controllers (22.5% to $46.9m), and Motors (16.2% to $322.6m) round out the top five strongest statistical categories for the first quarter.”

There is also a sense of optimism fueling this market. MCMA’s latest survey of leading motion control and motor manufacturers revealed that 70% of respondents believe the market will grow in the next six months, while only 23% expect flat performance and 7% are predicting a decline.

“We’re seeing strong growth and in some cases, record growth in investment in automation technologies across all three of our industry groups – motion control, robotics and machine vision,” said Dana Whalls, VP of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), MCMA’s parent company. “More companies are using these technologies to reach into new markets, increase productivity and to provide good jobs for their workers,” added Whalls. A3 recently released a white paper that explores the jobs created by this increased demand for automation and how these skilled workers are benefiting, download ‘Work in the Automation Age: Sustainable Careers Today and into the Future’ whitepaper.

MCMA summarizes market results from suppliers and distributors in quarterly tracking reports and trend analysis reports. These reports examine orders and shipments by major product category quarterly and annually with helpful tables and graphics. Growth rates and book to bill ratios are provided for each product category. MCMA also provides an economic indicator report and pressure curves vs. key economic indicators, which enable report users to interpret quarterly statistics from the standpoint of macro-economic data by individual manufacturing industry, as identified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Reports are available free of charge to all MCMA members. Members providing data for the reports receive “full” versions of the reports, which are highly detailed examinations of order and shipment results. Non-participating members receive “abridged” reports, which contain shipment results. Members find the reports valuable as gauges of overall market performance and as benchmarks for assessing relative company performance. To learn more about MCMA, visit Motion Control Online.