Motion control shipments down in 2013

Motion control product shipments are down 5.4 per cent for the first nine months of 2013, compared to the same period in 2012, according to new statistics released by the Motion Control Association (MCA), the industry’s global not-for-profit trade group.

“Despite the contraction in the market, economic indicators are pointing in the right direction,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of the MCA. “The manufacturing industry in the United States has continued its expansion, and industrial production is up over the same period last year. Historically, that has been a good sign for the motion control industry.”

“For the first nine months of 2013, we have seen the strongest growth in shipments of motion controllers (up 18.3 per cent) and support services (up 2.7 per cent),” said Alex Shikany, MCA’s director of market analysis. “The motion controllers segment, in particular, has really started growing at an increased pace this year and is definitely a ‘hot’ product category,” Shikany added. “There is still a lot of optimism from industry experts in motion control. Our latest survey shows that the majority of manufacturers and distributors believe orders and shipments will increase in the next six months.”

MCA summarizes market results from suppliers and distributors in quarterly tracking reports and trend analysis reports. These reports examine orders and shipments by major product category quarterly and annually.

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