United States NDT Equipment Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

United States NDT Equipment Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The United States NDT Equipment market is expected to register a CAGR of 8.12% over the forecast period (2021 - 2026). 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. Also, according to the report released by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, infrastructure projects totaling more than USD 9.6 billion have been delayed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 16 US states announced project delays or cancellations worth USD 5 billion, while another 20 local governments and authorities scratched or put off projects worth USD 4.54 billion.

Key Highlights

• The International Code Council (ICC), which engages in the formulation of safety measures, introduced a set of model building codes known as international codes. These codes were devised for use in the United States, but they are also widely employed in other regions.​ The ICC 1704 standard mandates the need for gaining NDT certification in the welding category to ensure structural integrity. However, in the United States, regional bodies are given autonomy for framing their own technical and industrial standards.
• According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the 200,000+ aircraft in the United States must undergo periodic safety inspections using NDT. Also, the military equipment is subjected to Department of Defense NDT standards. These standards are often made using the information provided by independent testing associations, such as the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT).
• According to the US Energy Information Administration, US crude oil production averaged 9.9 million b/d in February 2021, which was down by 1.2 million b/d from January. IN THE FORECAST, the US crude oil production averages 11.3 million b/d in the fourth quarter of 2021 and then rises to an average of 11.8 million b/d in 2022. The need for more pipeline transportation capacity and increasing crude oil production have propelled the expansion of crude oil pipeline infrastructure. According to EIA, around 23 petroleum pipeline projects in the United States are currently in the construction phase, including new pipelines such as the Keystone XL Pipeline Project by TC Energy and expansions of already existing pipelines. Eight projects have reached completion between January and July 2020. This is expected to boost the adoption of the NDT testing equipment over the forecast period.
• The United States is one of the major markets for NDT when it comes to the manufacturing industry. According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the United States has over 250,000 manufacturing firms and has over 14,000 member companies from across the country, in every industrial sector. The manufacturers in the United States account for 11.39% of the total output in the economy.

Key Market TrendsUltrasonic Testing will Observe a gradual growth

• Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) is an effective non-destructive testing method for quality control of concrete materials and detecting damages in structural components and growing construction sector in the United States from past few years is augmenting the sales of equipment. After the presidential election, a particular emphasis on building new infrastructure and repairing existing capital assets that are raising safety concerns is expected to take place. Additionally, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are expected to increase to carry out large-scale infrastructure projects.​
• For instance, Pipeline construction projects, such as Pecos trail Pipeline Project, Penn East Pipeline Project, and Atlantic Coast Pipeline, are some of the projects that are destined to be completed in the next few years. These projects are expected to create considerable demand for Ultrasonic non-destructive testing equipment in the country over the next few years.​
• Moreover, the country is the world's largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30% of the global nuclear generation of electricity. According to the World Nuclear Association, the United States has 93 operational nuclear reactors with a combined net capacity of 95.5 GWe. Nuclear power generated about 19.7% of the country's electricity in 2020. ​
• In 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced its plan to build two new prototype nuclear reactors within seven years. The reactors would be the centerpiece of DOE's new Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which will receive USD 230 million in 2020. Each would be built as a 50-50 collaboration with an industrial partner and ultimately could receive up to USD 4 billion in funding from DOE.
• According to the United States Census Bureau, the value of new commercial buildings has recovered to pre-recession levels, with USD 79.9 billion expected in 2020. In 2022, the value of construction starts in the United States is expected to reach USD 135 billion. Private offices were the most popular forms of commercial construction started in the United States in 2019. Private offices, warehouses, and shopping/retail facilities are expected to be popular in the coming years. The increasing growth in the construction sector may boost the market for Ultrasonic NDT testing equipment in the United States.

Automotive and Transportation is Observing a Significant Increase

• New R&D initiatives are transforming the industry to respond better to the opportunities of the 21st century. For instance, according to the Auto Alliance, the US automotive industry spends USD 18 billion per year on R&D. Therefore, this is driving the companies worldwide to invest in R&D to stay competitive in the market.
• It is estimated that more than 113 million light automobiles are likely to be produced annually by 2023. To cater to this increase in demand and supply, the requirement of NDT equipment in the automobile industry is also expected to increase.
• While most R&D activities happen in Europe and North America, the Asia-Pacific region has become the largest producer of automobiles by consequently driving the region's market. Production and quality measurement techniques play a crucial role in the automotive industry. The need to avoid defects and obtain accuracy in dimensional measurement of complex geometries renders NDT a viable solution. In an automobile, parts that require flaw detection include brakes, driveshafts, steering components, connecting rods, wheels, engine mounts, pistons, and cylinder blocks. For instance, an innovative x-ray solution, VisiConsult, recently completed the installation of several fully automated inline CT systems at an automotive supplier. The solution is expected to benefit from a 100% inspection without any waste of time.​
• The automotive industry must meet the requirements of increased safety (product liability), tightened regulations concerning environmental protection, and car drivers' requests for more luxury features. Expensive recall actions, ever-increasing demands on quality management, and the changing legal framework drive the industry, especially with the competitive conditions in the automotive industry. NDT technologies such as penetration testing method, radiographic inspection method, eddy current detection method, magnetic particle inspection method, ultrasonic inspection method, and laser holographic inspection method are used in the Automotive industry.​
• The industry requires new test techniques to determine the current quality of automobile parts, which is expected to influence the whole process by corresponding measured variables positively.​ For instance, Toshiba developed an ultrasonic testing device called Matrixeye, a 3D SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing technique) inspection equipment with a phased array function. Matrixeye allows welds to be inspected non-destructively and inspection to be performed automatically by robots in the automotive industry.

Competitive Landscape

The United States NDT Equipment market is Moderately Consolidated, with many market players cornering a very minimal share in the market. The development of regional markets and increasing shares of local players in foreign direct investments are the major factors promoting the fragmented nature of the market.

• April 2021: Bureau Veritas acquired Bradley Construction Management, a US-based provider of construction management services for the renewable energy sector. This acquisition will strengthen both Bureau Veritas’ diversification and growth in the renewable energy sector in the United States.
• March 2021: Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business (formerly GE Inspection Technologies), announced the introduction of its first phased array ultrasonic testing machine for small diameter metal bars and wire in the 6-25mm diameter range. By driving the inspectable diameter down by 40%, the new Krautkramer ROWA Ux 400 mini meets the increasing demand for the inspection of pre-material for evermore lightweight, high-strength steel parts.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned

Baker Hughes
Triumph Group
Mistras Group, Inc.
NDT Global LLC
Applied Technical Services
TEAM, Inc.
NVI Nondestructive & Visual Inspection
Innerspec Technologies, Inc.
TesTex, Inc.
National Inspection Services LLC

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