Report: Motion control and motor market down 0.2% in Q1 2019

June 26, 2019 – The global motion control and motor market saw a 0.2 per cent decline in shipments in the first quarter of 2019 versus the same period last year – down to $952.3 million, according to the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA).

However, the organization says shipments were up 0.6 per cent ($6 million) compared to the fourth quarter of 2018. MCMA, founded in 2006 to advance the global understanding and use of motion control and related automation technologies, is part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). A3 is the umbrella group for the MCMA, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA – Advancing Vision + Imaging and A3 Mexico.

RIA, AIA, MCMA and A3 Mexico combined represent over 1,200 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms around the world.

“While the year-over-year numbers show a slight decline, it’s promising to see the increase from Q4 2018 to Q1 2019 and hear positive projections for the months ahead from the member companies we polled,” says Dana Whalls, A3 vice-president, in a release. “Motion control and motor technologies play a substantial role in growing automation worldwide, and if what we’re hearing is any indication, we expect both sales and shipments to continue to increase over the next six months as these tools get smarter, more capable, and more productive.”

During Q1 2019, the largest categories within the overall market were motors (39 per cent shipments), actuators and mechanical systems (18 per cent shipments), and electronic drives (17 per cent shipments). From Q1 2018 to Q1 2019, motor shipments were down 1.8 per cent, actuators and mechanical systems were down 8.9 per cent, and electronic drive shipments were flat.

From Q4 2018 to Q1 2019, motor shipments were up 0.6 per cent to $373.6 million, actuators and mechanical systems were down 0.4 per cent to $174.6 million, and shipments of electronic drives were up 1% to $161.1 million.

According to the latest MCMA survey of industry experts, 69 per cent of member companies surveyed expect higher shipments, and 23 per cent expect orders to remain flat.