The materials and communications test equipment market is thriving thanks to the advancements in telecommunications, biomedical, nanotechnology, and other technologies in the market today.
According to a recent report from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), the material testing equipment market has earned revenues of $495.6 million in 2010. The report estimates the material testing equipment market to reach $591.1million in 2015. This growth is significant considering the loss the industry sustained during the economic downturn.
The growth indicates that the material testing market is undergoing a period of recovery and stabilization. The growth is fueled by the demand from traditional end-user markets. Although the impact of the downturn continues to linger, the recovery has been remarkable, the research noted.
"2009 was one of the most difficult periods for the material testing market," said Frost & Sullivan program manager Vijay Mathew, in a statement. "However, demand from traditionally strong users of material testing equipment such as automotive, aerospace, primary metals, and plastics have helped the industry bounce back."
The material testing market is characterized by lack of competition. Frost & Sullivan found that a significant amount of the market is occupied by the top three participants. They drive critical parameters that define this market, such as price points and regulatory and standardization trends, making it difficult for emerging participants to gain a foothold.
The dominance of key players has also limited the business opportunities for smaller participants. This would prevent the wider adoption of new technologies and opportunities in this booming sector, according to the report.
To overcome this challenge, small vendors should focus on emerging opportunities from geographical, technological, and application perspectives. They should explore opportunities from customers who prefer working with local test equipment vendors rather than multinational organizations.
Meanwhile a recent report said global mobile backhaul test equipment market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.1 percent over the period 2011-2014. Key vendors dominating the mobile backhaul test equipment market space include Ixia, Spirent, EXFO (News - Alert), and JDSU.
Edited by Stefanie Mosca