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Discrete automation market heads for $30bn

01 November, 2003

The future for automation products used in discrete manufacturing looks rosy, according to a new market study*. The ARC Advisory Group forecasts that globally, this market will grow at a compound annual rate of 6.1% over the coming five years to reach more than $30bn by 2007.

"There are still many pockets of reliable growth in the discrete automation business," says the report`s principal author and ARC senior analyst, Himanshu Shah. "Industries such as building automation, electronics and semiconductors, automotive and plastic machinery, will continue to perform well."

As the global economy picks up, ARC expects a combination of factors to drive the discrete market. For a start, it says, the effective use of automation technology can improve the performance of manufacturing plants, cutting their costs and boosting their productivity. Another driving factor is the need to reduce energy consumption both in factories and in offices.

The automation market will benefit, in particular, from advances in semiconductor and electronics products, says ARC. And automotive manufacturers will adopt automation technologies more widely to cut their costs and to raise quality.

However, ARC predicts that demand from the manufacturing sectors will remain weak in North America - and even weaker in Europe and Japan. The highest growth rates will come from Latin America and the developing regions of Asia.

* Total automation business for discrete industries worldwide outlook. Price $4,900.