The market for modular and PC based test instruments is riding a crest with customers increasingly investing in them for their portability and relative cost effectiveness, says a Frost & Sullivan report. Rapid growth in infrastructure and technologies such as 3G/4G augurs well for the Indian general purpose test equipment market, as the higher frequency, bandwidth, and number of applications spawns a parallel need for integrated test equipment.
New product development will be crucial in a market that is still feeling the aftereffects of the economic downturn. Tier 1 participants that could afford to invest in research and development (R&D) during the economic downturn have been able to respond quickly to customer requirements as the market improves, generating demand for new products and resulting in market growth.
“The higher speed of data transfer requires test equipment manufacturers to develop instruments that can test such data transfer, prompting them to focus on integrated test equipment,” says Frost & Sullivan Analyst. “The availability of a higher number of test instruments within a single box is essential to enhance productivity, especially at installation and maintenance sites.”
While demand for modular and PC based test instruments is growing, cautious customers are still reluctant to increase their capital expenditure and buy
high end general purpose test equipment, preferring instead to rent the equipment, particularly in cases where they are only required for one-time use for completing a project.
On the other hand, India is seeing a surge in R&D, owing to its robust and acclaimed education system. The country is no longer considered just an outsourcing destination for manufacturing.
“India’s educational growth is vital to the rise in R&D activity in the country,” notes the Frost & Sullivan Analyst. “Despite being recognised as a low cost manufacturing region, India is spurring its educational sector, which is compelling vendors to establish their R&D centers here and increase their competitiveness.”
This growth in the educational sector is expected to attract more R&D investments and spur growth of benchtop general purpose test instruments.
