Beijing, China – According to a study published by GCiS, the market for industrial lasers in China grew by approximately 25% in 2010 to approximately RMB 11 billion (~$1.6B). Improvements in user-friendliness, a growth in applications, and increases in downstream industries such as photovoltaic are driving this growth.
Solid state lasers are the most widely sold technology due to the large quantities of lower specification lasers that domestic suppliers are producing. Gas lasers are also prominently produced, with CO2 lasers making up the bulk of this supply.
However, it is suggested that overcapacity threatens to inhibit this growth. Lasers are beneficial in reducing batch downtimes. But where factories are 20 to 30% underutilized, they don’t have the time and space constraints that justify spending the hundreds of thousands of RMB that a laser costs. Customers in China are also put off by these high price tags, especially as lasers have to compete against ultra cheap substitutes such as welding.
Nevertheless, lasers are helping local manufacturers by introducing higher quality and precision into the value chain. One supplier interviewed by GCiS claimed that “we are entering a golden age for industrial lasers in China.”
For a global view of the market, see the ILS 2010 Economic Review and Forecast.
The GCiS market study draws on a three month, in-depth primary survey of over 65 of the market’s supply side, channel players, and end-users. Major areas covered include: market size and shares, five-year projections, market structure, pricing trends, distribution, consumption, and an assessment of key suppliers.
GCiS is a China-based market research and advisory firm focused on business to business markets.