Dedham, Mass. — AC drive business worldwide continues to expand rapidly, driven by a burgeoning North American market and ongoing expansion in Asia, according to the new AC Drive Worldwide Outlook by Automation Research Corp. (ARC). The combined markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMA) remain the largest regional segment, followed by Japan and North America.

ARC's report projects that North America will continue to expand at near double-digit annual percentage rates over the next five years. Likewise, despite Asia's recent economic crisis, regions such as China and India can also expect strong growth as new ac drive technology and continued price erosion inspires potential users.

By geographic region, the report found that current segments--in percent of dollars--of the worldwide ac drive market include: EMA (38.4%), Japan (27.3%), North America (21.3%), rest of Asia (11.6%), and Latin America (1.4%).

Interestingly, although the worldwide ac drive market still has many different facets and niches, ARC's report adds that it is increasingly coalescing into one global market. North America, Europe, and Asia can no longer be considered independent entities in which the leading suppliers expect competition from only domestic competitors. Consequently, major ac drive suppliers are seeking to become strong in all regions to thrive over the long term. They are forming more domestic and international strategic partnerships.

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