Global shipments for motion control products fell by 1% in 2012, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control Association (MCA), the industry’s trade group.
“While we saw a slight contraction in global motion control shipments in 2012, economic indicators are good moving into 2013,” said Jeff Burnstein, President of MCA. “We saw a slight year on year increase in the fourth quarter of 2012. Additionally, polls of our member companies show optimism that shipments will increase over the next six months, which is a good sign.”
“2012 MCA results were in large part a reflection of shocks to the global economy in 2012, such as the Eurozone crisis,” said Alex Shikany, MCA Director of Market Analysis. “We saw single digit contraction in motion controllers, electronic drives, AC drives, motors, and support services. Conversely, AC motors, actuators & mechanical systems, and sensors & feedback devices all posted positive single digit growth.”
MCA summarizes market results in quarterly tracking reports and trend analysis reports. These reports examine orders and shipments by major product category quarterly and annually with tables and color graphics. Growth rates and book to bill ratios are provided for each product category. MCA also provides an economic indicator report, which enables report users to interpret quarterly statistics from the standpoint of macro-economic indicators by individual manufacturing industry, as identified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
All reports are available free of charge to all MCA 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.
[info] www.MotionControlOnline.org [/info]