The GMC market continues to remain highly fragmented.  The rate of acquisitions in the motion control market has slowed down significantly as the challenges associated with integrating diverse business cultures and product lines have proven to be more difficult than expected.  The majority of automation suppliers are now employing capital that may have been targeted toward acquisitions to invest in research and development, enabling them to stay on the leading edge, to expand product lines rationally, and to strategically target niche applications.
 
In 2006, motion control suppliers continued to make technological advancements to satisfy the demand for higher precision and faster machinery.  They also placed an equal or greater emphasis on power efficiency, form factor, application software, and machine control architecture.

One form factor change which has revitalized the GMC market has been the introduction of modular components.  During the initial design of the machine, component modularity factors into the overall reduction of the machinery’s footprint, reduced wiring, reduced component count, and lower commissioning costs.   Once the machinery is delivered to the production environment, it lowers maintenance costs and provides easier access and intelligent diagnostics.
  
Strategic Issues
Growth in the GMC market is due to the sustained purchase of new capital equipment in manufacturing, enabling performance to exceed the production and efficiency standards of the machines they replace. This study discusses key elements for success and growth drivers such as the:

• Use of digital packaging lines in food & beverage industries
• Modularization of motion control components
• Expansion into new regions by high GMC-use industries
• Mergers, acquisitions, and alliances reshaping the GMC industry
• Advancement of mechatronic technology
• Importance of software and services
• Application of lean principles to improve business performance