ANN ARBOR, MI, June 23, 2014 – CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm announces the release of the 2014 CIMdata NC Market Analysis Report (MAR), the twenty-third annual study of the global numerical control (NC) market. CIMdata estimates that based on end-user payments, the worldwide NC software and related services market grew by 5.4% in calendar year 2013. The estimated end-user payments grew from $1.56 billion in 2012 to $1.64 billion in 2013. The market growth rate reflects solid overall NC spending, continuing the recovery from the downturn in the global economy. CIMdata projects that in 2014 growth in manufacturing will continue and end-user payments for NC software will increase by 6.3% to $1.74 billion.
Since 2002, the NC software market has shown modest but steady growth as global economies generally improved. There has been worldwide growth in the sale of machine tools and manufacturing output; greater emphasis has been placed on the efficient operation of machine tools as manufacturing firms have strengthened their competitive positions; and the overall PLM (product lifecycle management) market, of which CAM software is a component, has continued on a strong growth path during this period. CAM software purchases are related to all of these factors – particularly machine tool sales.
The size and growth of the NC software and related services market based on end-user payments is shown in the chart below. It can also be seen that approximately one-third of the end-user payments result in reseller revenues and approximately two-thirds of the revenues are payments made directly to software suppliers.
Mr. Stan Przybylinski, CIMdata’s vice president of Research commented, “2013 was a mixed year in manufacturing, with some areas of the globe still struggling. Machine tool consumption was down, which is a big driver of NC software sales and adoption. That said, mergers and acquisitions continue in this segment, showing its financial attractiveness and potential.” Mr. Alan Christman, CIMdata’s chairman and long-time author of the NC Market Analysis Report continued, “2013 was a solid year for most providers of NC software. Many firms saw good growth in 2013, and CIMdata expects this growth to continue in 2014 and beyond.”
The 2014 version of the NC MAR is a 120-page report containing 22 charts and 39 tables of data detailing the worldwide NC market along a number of dimensions. It also includes a discussion of trends in the CAM industry and updates on the top CAM solution providers. The 2014 CIMdata NC Market Analysis Report is available for purchase at: http://www.cimdata.com/en/research/plm-market-analysis-report-series.