Keywords: Machine Safeguarding, Machine Safety Market, Non-Contact Sensors, Safety Interlocks, Machine Safeguarding Standards
According to a recent market study by ARC Advisory Group, growth in the machine safeguarding market continued to defy the hurdles occurring in many regional markets for general automation. The market for machine safeguarding solutions expanded through 2014. Unit growth continues to surpass revenue growth, as the installed base of machinery is being retrofitted and new machine shipments are being brought up to regulatory compliance. This amounts to relatively strong growth, considering that the machinery shipments in Europe and Asia were relatively stagnant during this period.
An increasing number of suppliers are entering the market as safety becomes a driving force across all industries and machine sectors. The second tier of market leadership in the machine safeguarding market has been in a constant state of change. The effect of regional adoption of safety standards, increasing product portfolio expansion, brand labeling, and acquisitions continue to create a degree of uncertainty regarding which supplier will attain a leadership position in any one market. “Moreover, as many niche machine safeguarding suppliers gain access to a broader range of customers through brand labeling agreements, there has been extraordinary growth in the lower tier of suppliers as they gain access to non-domestic markets,” comments Research Director Sal Spada, the principal author of ARC Advisory Group’s “Machine Safeguarding Solutions Global Market Research Study”.
Explosive Growth in Non-Contact Safety Interlocking
The introduction of innovative technology in several segments of the machine safeguarding market is also supporting the replacement of components in existing installations. Particularly, the emerging non-contact safety interlocking is experiencing explosive growth. This combined with electronic keying of the interlocks has driven the demand for these innovative solutions. These are much higher valued sales on a unit basis, but machine builders are justifying the additional cost because they can achieve higher PL (performance level) ratings and the final solutions are much more resistant to tampering and misalignment.
End Users Demanding More from Machine Builders
Best-in-class manufacturers are implementing safeguarding solutions that provide improvements to operational performance. End user requirements will drive machine builders to offer more than is expected in order to compete on operational performance metrics. As such, the selling point for safety will continue to shift to machine builders and system integrators, but the requirements will be established by the end users.
Safety Advisory Services Are Critical
The competitive climate in this market demands continued investments in technological innovations in conjunction with additional services. Safety advisory services have become critical to the selling process in the advanced economies. The introduction of new safety regulatory requirements are making it increasingly difficult for machine builders to stay technologically up to date. Automation suppliers that offer services are now able to build a revenue stream that combines risk assessment, safety system design, and component sales.
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