News
Motion Control Orders Jump 30% in 2010
POSTED 02/22/2011
Ann Arbor, Michigan – New orders for motion control products jumped 30% in 2010, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control Association (MCA), the industry’s trade group. Gains were particularly strong in the fourth quarter, rising 42% over the same period in 2009.
“The recovery in 2010 was evident across all product categories that MCA tracks, including motion controllers, electronic and AC drives, motors, actuators and mechanical systems, sensors, other ancillary components, and support & services,” said Jeff Burnstein, President of MCA.
“The 2010 results stand in strong contrast to 2009, when the motion control market contracted by nearly one-third,” said Paul Kellett, MCA’s Director of Market Analysis. “The improvement in the overall economy helped fuel the gains in purchases of motion control as well as robotics and machine vision, as companies resumed investments in technologies that help them compete in the global marketplace.”
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 both 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. To learn more about MCA, visit www.MotionControlOnline.org.
Don't Miss These Industry-Leading Events!
Motion control will be one of the key technologies explored at the upcoming Automate 2011 event in Chicago, March 21-24. In addition to several exhibits featuring motion control products, the conference will provide in-depth sessions on designing motion control systems, new motion control technologies, advanced drive technologies, new developments in step motors, energy efficient motion solutions, high speed motion systems, and communication protocols for motion systems. Full details can be found at www.automate2011.com.
The Motion Control Association (MCA) is a global not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting the understanding and use of motion control technologies and developing business opportunities for mechanical and electronic (mechatronics) motion control companies. Its members include manufacturers of complete motion control systems, component manufacturers, system integrators, distributors, end users, consulting firms, academic institutions and research groups directly involved with mechanical and electronic (mechatronics) motion control around the world.
MCA is part of the Automation Technologies Council, an umbrella group serving some 575 global automation companies involved in robotics (Robotic Industries Association, www.robotics.org), machine vision (Automated Imaging Association, www.machinevisiononline.org), motion control and related technologies.