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iPump
12
June
2009
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Dusseldorf; May 26, 2009: Currently automation suppliers are seeking for the “low hanging fruit” and, of course, the problem is to find them. A product market that certainly belongs into this category is the one for intelligent pumps, where a combination of market requirements, government stimulus, and external development will certainly create a robustly rising demand.
Intelligent pumps use the synergistic combination of electronics, mechanics, and computing to enable more efficient operation and reduce energy consumption. The worldwide market with a volume of $286.2 million in 2008 is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% over the next five years and this without any clear dent in 2009, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
Certainly the key advantage of intelligent pumps is energy saving and predictive maintenance, since around 30 percent of the lifecycle costs of a pump are caused by energy consumption and 50 percent by maintenance. Variable speed controls and high efficiency drives reduce energy consumption by up to 30 percent. “Energy savings is the attribute most closely associated with intelligent pumps, but they have more to offer. More efficient operation also enables improved process control and intelligence allows predictive asset management,” according to Sr. Analyst Paula Hollywood (phollywood@arcweb.com), the principal author of ARC Advisory Group’s “Intelligent Pump Worldwide Outlook” (http://www.arcweb.com/Research/Studies/Pages/default.aspx).
Even though these advantages would benefit heavy process industries a lot, the one of the key vertical market is building automation, where end users benefit from the energy savings in e.g. climate applications. Additionally the building automation market in the US will benefit from government programs that also include US$ 4 .5 million to reduce energy consumption in public buildings.
Heavy process industries are currently reluctant to use intelligent pumps due to higher initial costs and the increasing complexity of the system. Certainly, the current economic downturn has impacted capital project spending, but the work culture in these industries may be the greatest challenge to intelligent pump growth. Another reason is that the full impact of intelligent pumps is reached in variable processes that are characterized by disturbances, caused by either load changes, set point changes, or discontinuous operation.
ARC Advisory Group GmbH & Co. KG
Stadttor 1
40219 Germany
Telephone: +49 2104 286 98 89
web: www.arcweb.com |
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