Amidst the backdrop of tremendous advancements in separation technology on a global scale, separation machinery market has become one of the most challenging yet remunerative business spheres in recent times. Due to immense competition and constant technological breakthroughs, separation machinery industry is replete with plethora of innovative approaches that have the potential to disrupt the overall market dynamics. Deploying this technology across a plethora of industrial sectors has become mandatory as on today, given the zero-emission battle taken on by manufacturing companies that is soon to become highly technology intensive.
U.S. separation machinery market size, by application, 2013 - 2024 (USD Billion)
Separation technology has lately become an indispensable part of process engineering, which has in consequence has allowed separation machinery industry to witness a meteoric rise and become a subject of discussion at international platforms. FILTECH, the largest filtration exhibition across the globe, is an apt instance validating the aforementioned statement. FILTECH 2018 for instance, has shed a positive light on the growing popularity of separation equipment, with a participation count of around 380 exhibitors and 14,000 contenders from 73 nations across the world. The event was held alongside a three-day conference encompassing 534 filtration and separation research giants.
If reports are to be relied on, the 2018 event witnessed an increase of 8% in exhibitor attendance and 16% in participant attendance from what it recorded last year. Not just by the increment in the number of partakers, the event turned out to be huge success in terms of variation in the separation machineries’ portfolio being showcased by the giants as well. FILTECH is undeniably a classic precedence that validates the vast expanse of the competitive scenario of separation machinery industry and the underlining developments this business vertical is presently characterized by.
The growing global awareness regarding water scarcity, changing demographics and the increasing necessity of waste water treatment has significantly impacted separation machinery market share. In fact, as per the latest market assessment report, water & waste water applications, having accounted for 20% of separation machinery industry share in 2017, emerged as the dominant application segment in the same year. With world’s population expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, it is undeniable that water demand would continue to rise. In fact, according to estimates, global water demand is likely to reach almost 5.5 cubic kilometers by 2020.
It has been also speculated that the agricultural water productivity will increase at 0.8% per annum, while industrial water usage is forecast to increase by 0.5% annually. This humongous consumption of water in consequence, may result in 40% shortfall in water supply by 2030, with severely degraded water quality, cite experts. Quite overtly, waste water treatment has been gaining an increasing importance among water utilities, which has substantially augmented the commercialization matrix of separation machinery industry.
As per the estimation of 2017, countries experiencing high disposable incomes treat approximately 70% of the wastewater generated, whereas the ratio falls to 38% in upper middle-income countries and 28% in the lower middle-income countries. With the growing demand for advanced separation equipment that can effectively filter out contaminants, it is rather overt that waste water sector is a lucrative investment spot for separation machinery industry players. Regional governments of various countries have also enforced regulatory norms for sustainable waste water management, which by extension has also left a remunerative impact on the marketplace. For instance, under the SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act), the U.S. EPA has established various treatment techniques and mentioned the maximum contaminant level that can be present in drinking water. Aided by the legislative pressures circumventing the regional business space, North America separation machinery market procured 32% of global share in 2017 and is likely to emerge as a highly lucrative investment hub in the years to come.
Backed by a barrage of research projects toward developing hi-tech separation equipment, the business space stands to gain much over the ensuing years. Major players partaking in separation machinery industry have also been extensively backing on strategic partnerships to ensure an enhanced product portfolio through collaborative approaches.
Separation machinery market is presently defined by two major challenges including high price trends and the shifting of end-use industries from the developed countries to the developing economies. However, aided by the efforts undertaken by industry giants to bring forth product innovations that can be conveniently utilized across diversified domains, the price constraint factor is expected to fade in the near future. As the demands of the manufacturing and engineering sectors increase on the grounds of having to maintain an emission-free environment, separation machinery market trends are expected to undergo a dynamic change in the ensuing years, with the global industry forecast to register a CAGR of 4% over 2018-2024.