Robust growth forecast for batch process control market

The batch control market is in a robust expansion phase, reports a recent study by the ARC Advisory Group . According to ”Batch Control System Worldwide Outlook” , the global market for batch process control is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 6% over the next five years. At $2.8 billion in 2004, the market is forecast to be over $3.7 billion in 2009.

Batch process control market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 6% over the next five years. (Graph courtesy of ARC Advisory Group)

Said Asish Ghosh, ARC vice president and principal author of the study, “The Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region continues to be the largest market for batch control systems, followed by North America. However, their positions are increasingly challenged by the fast growing Asian market.”

Highlights from the study indicate that services will dominate the batch control market and constitute the largest part of a batch control system. Services include integration and maintenance services provided by control system suppliers, and third-party services provided by system integrators and other independent agents. Integration services provided by suppliers, says the report, will show the largest growth, followed closely by third-party services.

Services will dominate the batch control market, the study shows. (Chart courtesy of ARC Advisory Group)

In other areas, ARC believes the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative underway within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will encourage concepts of quality by design; use of computerized data gathering and evaluation techniques; and process and product monitoring methods through advanced instrumentation and data evaluation. ARC expects the PAT initiative to have a significant effect on drug manufacturing and the validation process, and lead to storage and analysis of a much larger amount of batch data than what is required today.

The ARC report also indicates the manufacturing industry in Asia is in a rapid growth phase, with China in the lead. ARC foresees a massive demand for life science products in Asia. As a result the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries are growing. For more from ARC on this topic, click here .

For related research from Control Engineering , see: “

Regulations, Quality Boost Batch Software

.”

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com

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