Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Equipment Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The global non-destructive testing equipment market was valued at USD 2,058.7 million in 2020, and it is projected to be worth USD 3,042.3 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 7.23% during the forecast period (2021 - 2026). The introduction of stringent government safety regulations across different regions, due to an increase in failure incidents and the need for extending the life of aging infrastructure, is compelling the industries to employ testing across their manufacturing cycles.

Key Highlights

• Non-Destructive testing methods are used for safety assessment and quality control purposes. Their usage has wide advantages over applications, like in aerospace (inspecting the aircraft), automotive, maintaining quality assurance, and others. The method is based on the same principle as medical radiography in a hospital. It is widely used in chemical and petrochemical and building industries for radiographic inspection of pipes, boilers, and structures. It is employed to inspect metal welding, vehicle parts, aircraft parts, and, in the airport, to examine both hold luggage and carry-on hand luggage.
• The need for maintenance optimization for efficient operations and quality/safety assurance is further helping the adoption of NDT testing equipment. Moreover, factors, such as safety, increased service intervals, reducing tolerance to disruption, small emission targets, and innovative materials have further contributed to the rising demand for NDT techniques in the aerospace and defense sectors.
• But with the Covid-19 pandemic, the NDT equipment market is witnessing a demand decline in growth as end-user industries, such as automotive, oil and gas, and construction, have been impacted due to lockdown and other social distancing norms. According to the Ministry of Statistic and Program Institute (MOSPI) India, the impact of Covid-19 on gross value added on the construction, manufacturing, and mining sectors has accounted for -13.3%,-6.3%, and -14.7%, respectively. Thus, the decline in the growth of these industries has reduced the demand for the NDT activities that, in turn, are impacting the market growth.
• Among the technologies used in NDT testing equipment, the ultrasonic and radiography testing segments are witnessing high innovations, which are aimed at filling in gaps of existing market product offerings. Ultrasonic detectors, however, have significantly aided the demand for ultrasonic test equipment, with Olympus NDT and GE Measurement and Control Systems playing a crucial role in offering these advanced solutions.
• The equipment market is largely dominated by market incumbents with greater access to R&D and expansion funds. High barriers of entry for new players and high acquisition costs are expected to affect the long-term profitability of the market. Cost remains a major hindrance in this market, as inspection service providers are focusing on expanding their base rather than adopting new practices. High replacement costs are expected to deter the long-term growth of the market studied.

Key Market Trends

Power and Energy Generation Industry to Witness Strong Growth

• The NDT equipment market witnessed an increased demand from the power generation industry, as most of these plants established have aged and were designed and constructed using the standards, materials, and components, thus, meeting industrial practices prevalent at the time of construction. Exposure to operating and environmental conditions can cause damages to unforeseen. NDT serves that purpose to check any such flaws and help solve the problem before it elevates.
• The main scope of NDT applications in the energy and power industry is to help ensure the safety, integrity, and reliability of plant equipment, such as pressure vessels, boilers, heat exchangers, pipework, and pipelines. The inspection of concrete structures is a part of plant life assessment, as these materials often form an essential part of the construction of such plant equipment.
• North America has been the flag bearer for the NDT equipment market in the power generation sector and still has opportunities for advanced NDT applications. Recently, Asia-Pacific has experienced an enormous boom in power demand, mainly from China, India, Japan, and South Korea. This shift has created significant market opportunities for companies providing equipment and services in the NDT market for electricity generation. Due to emerging eco-friendly natural gas power plants, the demand for NDT equipment is expected to be higher in the APAC region.
• The utilization and adaptability of developing digital imaging technology added to the cost-effectiveness of the advanced NDT equipment methods. The capability of continuous data collection, storage, online inspection, advanced simulation of data in real-time, and interpretation of the information are also possible with new NDT equipment techniques. These techniques are creating greater opportunities in the market
• Additionally, the market is experiencing an increase in acceptance and applications in the power generation industry, due to the continuous evolution of traditional NDT techniques. These techniques, along with the increased assimilation with the technology, have made many NDT methods cost-efficient, allowing end users to cut down a part of the operations and maintenance costs.

Asia Pacific is Expected to Witness Significant Growth.

• Currently, China is the world's largest producer of electricity. The energy demand of the country is expected to increase, thereby provoking the growth in energy production. NDT application in the fossil fuel segment dominates the market. Also there has been an increased count in aging infrastructure in the country, making it essential for the use of NDT equipment to identify and secure the integrity of these structures. As a result, the NDT service in the country is expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period.
• India has the fifth-largest power generation capacity in the world. The country ranks third, globally, in terms of electricity production. The Indian national electric grid has an installed capacity of 382.15 GW as of March 2021. This implies that the current demand for NDT equipment is dominated by the fossil fuel sector, with nuclear energy-based NDT equipment slowly gaining momentum.
• With the Indian aviation sector witnessing a surge in consumption, supported by growing incomes and increasing affordability, the industrial consumption of the NDT equipment is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period. India is one of the fastest-growing markets for non-destructive testing (NDT) in the global market. The Indian NDT equipment market is currently ranked as the fourth-largest market in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is expected to almost double in size over the forecast period.
• In South Korea, Measuring Technology Co., a leading distributor of smart technology in the construction industry, adopted new measurement technologies related to construction and data processing and delivering high-quality products to its customers in the country using Giatec products. Giatec, along with MTEC Co., is providing non-destructive testing equipment for concrete construction.
• In Australia, non-residential building activity is expected to remain subdued, reflecting continued weakness in approvals building commencements across major commercial property markets. One of the most preferred NDT equipment approaches is ultrasonic testing in this end-user vertical.

Competitive Landscape

The Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Equipment Market is competitive in nature and consists of several major players. Top five companies make over 50% of the NDT Equipment Market share, thus market concentration is medium. The end-users demand is driven by safety and regulatory needs and the companies operating in the market are leveraging on strategic collaborative initiatives, to offer specialized solutions, to increase their market share and increase their profitability. The companies operating in the market are also into mergers and acquisitions that help in improving the served market portfolio.

• May 2021 - Nikon enhanced the Metrology’s industrial microfocus X-ray CT inspection solutions with a new offset CT reconstruction algorithm to deliver unrivalled scan speed and image resolution. Using X-ray CT for non-destructive quality control of larger components like aluminium castings or battery modules for electrical vehicles, it will shorten the inspection cycle times without compromising resolution. One prerequisite for achieving this is high X-ray intensity, or flux..
• Feburary 2021 - Controle Mesure Systemes developed a software called Probus. It collects information provided by NDT equipment in order to display signals, analyzes them, makes a sorting decision and creates inspection reports. Probus is the decision-making center of the Non-destructive Testing line. It centralizes all the sensor data and is able to control the actuators of the test bench. The main purpose of the Probus software is to ensure the traceability with the creation of either an individual product or a batch inspection report. They can list the detected defects and their locations and serve as proof of control.
• January 2021 - The company launched the innovative DP series cameras that share a suite of smart features and precise color accuracy to simplify industrial microscopy imaging. The DP28 camera offers 4K resolution to provide high-resolution images free from artifacts, while the DP23 camera’s full HD resolution is balanced with convenient features to provide outstanding value for almost any industrial imaging application.
• September 2020 - YXLON International launched VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4, the latest version of the analysis and visualization software for industrial CT data from Volume Graphics GmbH. YXLON International’s computed tomography (CT) systems were made directly compatible with VGSTUDIO MAX 3.4. It also planned to offer a new visualization option for deviations of geometric tolerances, as well as subvoxel-accurate defect detection.

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