London, UK: According to a report by Frost and Sullivan, end-users are driving the global metalworking fluids market. Analysis from the company found that the market earned revenues of US$8.83 billion in 2013 and estimates this to reach US$12.09 billion in 2020.
Particularly in China, India, Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Southeast Asian countries where industrial production is on the rise, regulations on waste water treatment and disposal are compelling end users to optimise the use of mineral-oil based metalworking fluids.
Regulations on wastewater treatment will also be a major driver in Europe and North America. In addition, the burgeoning Asian automotive industry and niche applications such as medical machining will boost sale volumes.
This is expected to increase the adoption of semi-synthetic and synthetic metalworking fluids that offer good balance between cost and performance. In turn, the metalworking additives segment will grow rapidly as synthetic-based metalworking fluids require a stronger additive package.
Nonetheless, challenges exist in the face of growth. Srinivas Venkatesan, Chemicals, Materials and Food research associate at Frost & Sullivan, believes that to a certain extent, the replacement of metals with plastics and composites in several applications will slow down demand for metalworking fluids.
"For instance, the automotive and aerospace industries use plastics and composites for light-weighting. Similarly, the preference for cartons over beverage cans is likely to impact the demand for metalworking fluids from the packaging industry," he said.
In addition, the development of technologies such as minimum quantity lubrication, high pressure machining, and near-net-shape casting could replace conventional metalworking processes, thereby reducing the demand for metalworking fluid. Advancements in 3-D printing could further hamper uptake as materials processed through laser sintering technology have good mechanical properties and an excellent surface finish.
In the face of these challenges, product differentiation is essential to succeed in the market. Metalworking fluid manufacturers must undertake research activities in collaboration with customers to develop cost-effective solutions that can satisfy constantly changing end-user requirements.
"Extending support services such as troubleshooting and periodic reports on health of metalworking fluids will enhance consumer loyalty," Mr Venkatesan added.
As established manufacturers look to broaden their portfolios, mergers with and acquisitions of regional vendors possessing specialised capabilities and a strong customer base will gain pace in the global metalworking fluids market.
Read more...Toulouse, France: According to Airbus’ 2014-2033 Global Market Forecast, new deliveries of passenger and freight aircraft for China will be 5,363 over the next 20 years, including 3,567 single aisle aircraft, 1,477 twin-aisles and 319 very large aircraft. With a total market value of US$ 820 billion, this represents 17 percent of the global demand for more than 31,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years.
With passenger traffic in China growing well above the world average, it is set to become the leading country for passenger travel in both domestic and international markets. The country is expected to overtake the US in 2023, in terms of the number of passengers, and in 2027, in terms of Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPK). Domestic air traffic in the country will also become the world's number one in 10 years.
In the next 20 years, the forecast average annual growth rate for the domestic Chinese market is 7.1 percent but will grow even faster over the next 10 years at 8.3 per cent on average per year. By 2033, the domestic Chinese market will remain the largest flow, representing 11.9 per cent of world traffic in terms of RPK.
During the period between 2013 and 2023, the average annual growth rate for international traffic from/to mainland China will be 8.1 percent. Four out of the 20 largest flows (RPK) will be from/to the country. The average annual growth rate for markets between emerging Asian countries and China is 7.5 per cent, 6.6 percent for China-US routes, and 5.6 percent for routes between Western Europe and China.
One of the reasons for the country's dynamic air transport growth is its long-term economic development. The average annual economic growth in the country is forecast at 7.4 percent between 2013 and 2023, and it will become the world’s biggest economy in 2023, with its GDP accounting for 19 per cent of the world’s total.
This economic growth is in turn, spurred by the country's urbanisation. While the urban population in China’s mainland was 711 million in 2013, representing 54 percent of the total population, this will grow to 1.014 million in 2033 to represent 71 percent of the population.
Average wages in China have increased five-fold in the past decade and they will continue to rise in the years ahead, fuelling higher levels of disposable income and private consumption, which is expected to account for 41 percent of Chinese GDP in 2023.
Read more...Dublin, Ireland: With an estimated CAGR of 6.18 percent from 2014-2020, the global laser processing market is set to reach US$17.36 billion by 2020. Revealed in a report by Research and Markets, much of this impetus is driven by the increasing adoption of fibre lasers in the medical sector, as well as the growing need for advanced processing tools and techniques in industries such as oil & gas, automotive, and machine tooling.
Marking and engraving applications for ICs (Integrated Circuits) and chips in the semiconductor and electronics industry is also driving the market for laser processing. The different laser technologies include gas lasers, solid-state lasers, fibre lasers, and semiconductor laser. Amongst these, gas & fibre lasers are the most common type of lasers used for laser processing and marking, due to their high output power capabilities.
Demand has been rising for different types of lasers used in material laser processing that have a drastically reduced laser size, high wall plug efficiency, low power consumption, and less cost. Due to technological advancements pertaining to semiconductors, fibre laser materials, and mounting technologies, it is anticipated that the laser processing market would continue to expand at a steady rate, in the next seven years.
Fibre lasers and disk lasers would continue to play a significant role in energy storage for pulsed systems. Meanwhile, emerging new optical combination schemes are also expected to boost the market further. All these types of laser technologies provide high precision cutting, welding, and drilling with less damage to the material. This has encouraged manufacturers in different industries including automotive, aerospace, and original equipment manufacturers (OEM), among others, to utilise laser technology in material processing.
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Singapore: Jörg Ellerkmann will be appointed the new MD for Trumpf Asia Pacific on January 1, 2015. He succeeds Dr Hans-Peter Laubscher, who will relocate with his family to Germany after his stint in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Mr Ellerkmann joined the company in 1998 and was previously holding the position of head of national sales at the company’s headquarters in Ditzingen, Germany.
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Tokyo, Japan: Mitsubishi Electric India will build a factory to produce electrical equipment for rolling stock, aiming to expand its transportation-systems business in the Indian market. Construction is planned to finish in September 2015, followed by the start of production in December that year.
The factory is expected to cost around US$8 million and will occupy some 4,605 sq m. Located in the suburbs of Bengaluru, it will produce traction inverters, motors and other electrical equipment for rolling stock, and it will also have equipment-maintenance facilities.
Takahiro Kikuchi, executive officer and group president of Public Utility Systems of Mitsubishi Electric, said: "The Indian market is growing rapidly, fuelled by the country's increasing population and rising demands for eco-friendly mass transportation systems. Several major infrastructure projects are under consideration in India, including some with yen loan, and we plan to support them in an effort to expand our transportation-systems business."
The factory launch is a part of a growth strategy under which Mitsubishi Electric aims to achieve transportation-systems annual revenue of US$2.7 billion, by 2020.
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Tokyo, Japan: Honda Motor has reached the 300 million-unit milestone for its cumulative worldwide motorcycle production in September 2014.
The milestone was reached in the 66th year since the company began motorcycle production in 1949 with the Dream Type-D. Production outside of Japan began in Belgium in 1963 and the company has been expanding its local production to many countries around the world since.
The company is currently producing motorcycles at 33 plants in 22 countries and will continue to offer products to its customers around the world.
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Indonesia: The second edition of indometal is set to return from December 11 - 13, 2014 at the Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Indonesia. The organiser says some 300 exhibitors from 30 countries are expected, registering an increase of 15 percent in exhibition space across three halls compared to its first staging last year. They add that 70 percent of the exhibitors will be coming from overseas. Some of these exhibitors will belong to various national pavilions supported by industry authorities. These national pavilions hail from Austria, China, Germany, Italy and Taiwan.
All in all, the organiser says the event is expected to attract over 8,000 trade visitors across various job functions and they will witness key technologies for the metal and steel markets across major end-use sectors such as building and construction, manufacturing, automotive, power and heavy machinery. Finally, there will also be two seminars on technological developments.
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Rock Hill, South Carolina & Givat Shmuel, Israel: 3D Systems Corporation and Cimatron have announced a definitive agreement under which 3DS will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Cimatron.
The combination of Cimatron’s products with 3DS’ portfolio, strengthens the latter’s position in the fast-growing 3D design and manufacturing space. The transaction adds complementary products and technology and extends 3DS’ direct and reseller sales coverage globally.
“We believe that the perfect strategic fit between our businesses, combined with expanded capabilities in product development, channel coverage and marketing, could present sizeable synergies that together offer significant long-term customer benefits and shareholder value,” commented Avi Reichental, president and CEO of 3DS.
Cimatron is a provider of integrated 3D CAD/CAM software products and solutions for manufacturing. Its products are used by a growing number of companies worldwide for their 3D production moulds, tools and dies in a wide variety of functional end-use manufacturing applications.
“We are delighted to combine our 3D CAD/CAM software products with 3DS’ expanding design and manufacturing digital thread,” said Danny Haran, CEO of Cimatron. “We have always been focused on providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles and shorten product delivery time, and as part of 3DS we can substantially accelerate our progress and extend our reach and impact.”
The companies expect the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2015.
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Zhuhai, China: Embraer forecasts that 1,020 new 70 to 130-seat jets will be demanded by the Chinese regional aviation market by 2033, representing 16 percent of global deliveries of jets in that segment. The projection is for 300 (70 to 90-seat) jets and 720 (90 to 130-seat) jets. Some 87 percent of new deliveries will be deployed to support market growth, while 13 percent will replace old aircraft in the current fleet, which includes 50-seat airplanes.
As forecasted, in the coming two decades, air travel in China will increase 6.8 percent annually, fostered by the country’s sustained economic growth, with an expected 5.5 percent annual GDP growth rate.
Regional aviation, supported by civil aviation policies over the past decade, is experiencing rapid development and playing an irreplaceable role in the air transport system. With the launch of the ‘Essential Air Service’ program, the improvement of incentive policies, and more regional airports coming online in central and western China, the regional aviation sector is assured a promising future.
“Consensus has been reached that regional aviation plays a significant role in improving the connectivity, fostering economic advances, and enhancing the social welfare of China’s remote areas. Development of regional aviation is also important for building China into an aviation powerhouse,” said Guan Dongyuan, senior VP Embraer and president of Embraer China. “As the world’s largest manufacturer of jets up to 130 seats, Embraer has been, and will continue to be committed to the development of China’s regional aviation, jointly with our industry peers.”
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Beijing, China: Infiniti starts local production in Xiangyang, China. The premium sports sedan is Infiniti's first localised model in China dedicated to Chinese consumers.
"Today we are here to witness Infiniti's big step forward in China. We continue to expand our business in China and develop Infiniti as a truly global premium brand," says Dr Daniel Kirchert, president of Dongfeng Infiniti Motor and MD of Infiniti China.
With commencement of local production at the Xiangyang Plant, China has become the third country for the company's global manufacturing footprint in addition to Japan and the US. It marks the next step in the company's global growth plan to expand the brand's portfolio while establishing a broader global manufacturing footprint.
The Xiangyang plant is a manufacturing complex jointly established by Dongfeng Motor Corp and Nissan Motor. It boasts an annual production capacity of 250,000 vehicles, 60,000 of which are dedicated for Infiniti production.
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