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

The Asia Pacific non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment market was valued at USD 2,058 million in 2020, and it is projected to be worth USD 3042.3 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 7.23% during the 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. 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. Also, the companies operating in the NDT equipment market are facing operative issues due to the absence of site access and disruption in the supply chain, which will affect the growth of the market during the pandemic.

Key Highlights

• Safety breaches, such as Volkswagen’s diesel emission scandal and the Chinese milk scandal (melamine found in infant milk formula), led to more stringent regulations in developing economies. Such breaches demonstrate the significance of independent inspection and certification services. It resulted in tougher and more complex regulations and standards and increased the dependability on third parties, primarily for assessment, thus, providing scope for independent TIC companies.
• NDT devices can save substantial time by eliminating the need for disassembly or dismantling. For instance, the maintenance of aircraft and the examination of internal structural components (like wing ribs), carried out by removing (and replacing) the outer skin, may be accomplished by radiographic inspection equipment.
• The current market trends in NDT equipment are robust live data capture and comprehensive capture, requiring instant real-time feedback. New sensors are being incorporated in NDT devices, along with other smart and multifunctional components that are intelligent and embedded.
• Furthermore, the power and energy sector uses NDT equipment to test several components of plants. The increasing number of plants and power units across the world is expected to drive the demand for NDT instruments. For instance, according to the World Nuclear Association, as of April 2020, China had 47 operable nuclear plants, and the country is planning to establish additional plants, along with in-line inspection and plant operation inspection services.
• Further, vendors in the market are expanding their foothold through the merger and acquisition strategy. For instance, in February 2020, Eddyfi/NDT acquired NDT Global. The combination of Eddyfi Technologies and NDT Global is an innovative and private test and measurement technology group that focuses on NDT. The group is composed of high-end technology business units operating in two different segments, such as NDT equipment and application-specific integrated inspections.

Key Market Trends

Stringent Regulations Mandating Safety

• Several governmental agencies and regional bodies across the world formulated stringent measures, primarily for assuring the safety of buildings. These measures have mandated the use of NDT and other evaluation techniques for conducting fitness checks.
• This is important for gaining building clearances from concerned authorities for infrastructural projects. These checks include structural strength evaluation, fire safety, and emergency protocol compliance tests.
• 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.
• NDT is of paramount importance in high-grade applications, such as defense and aerospace. In these sectors, the scope for error is close to zero, so governmental agencies adopted ASTM and ISO standards to mandate NDT techniques during the development and maintenance of infrastructure.
• Key areas, like energy, material science, and space, widely use NDT for ensuring the structural integrity of components. The role played by world-renowned private organizations, like ASTM, ISO, and NAS, cannot be overlooked, and these bodies have framed NDT industry-level policies for stipulating the set of practices and procedures to be followed by NDT service and equipment firms.

Ultrasonic testing

• Ultrasonic testing is a volumetric testing method that uses high-frequency sound waves to measure geometric and physical properties in materials. The high-frequency sound waves are introduced into the material to detect surface and sub-surface flaws.
• Using ultrasonic testing, the presence and location of flaws can be detected, and information about the type of flaw can be obtained. The flaws are detected from energy by the metal gas interfaces/metal liquid interfaces, the time of transit of the sound wave through the test piece, and attenuation of the beam of sound waves.
• This testing is used for quality control and materials testing in all major industries for the testing of castings, forgings, extruded components, weld joints, manufacturing and production of steel, fabrication of structures such as pressure vessels, bridges, motor vehicles, machinery, and jet engines.
• The major advantage of ultrasonic testing is that it only requires access to one side of the material being tested and is mainly used for the inspection of pressure equipment, tanks, and piping systems. Ultrasonic testing is the best method to detect critical planar breaks, such as cracking and incomplete fusion.
• This testing technology has deep penetration ability. Ultrasonic testing is a sensitive method for the detection of linear discontinuities. Ultrasonic testing is faster and economical compared to radiographic examination. It has applications such as wall thickness measurement, corrosion mapping, lamination testing, flaw detection, density measurement, and hardness measurement.
• Ultrasonic testing can also be used to measure the thickness of metal sections during manufacturing and maintenance inspections. Ultrasonic testing is used to measure wall thickness, detect hidden cracks and other abnormalities affecting structural integrity. The widespread use of ultrasonic testing in construction components has augmented the importance of ultrasonic testing for industrial quality control.

Competitive Landscape

The Asia Pacific NDT Equipment Market is highly competitive due to the presence of many domestic and international players. The market is fragmented, with the players competing in terms of price, product design, product innovation, etc.

• March 2021- Intertek announced the expansion of its Building and Construction business line to the Caribbean with Intertek-PSI opening in Tao Baja, Puerto Rico. From this facility, the Company will provide geotechnical services, environmental consulting, and construction materials testing throughout the Caribbean, bringing services to the region that have previously only been available through offices on the U.S. mainland and in Canada.
• April 2021- Nikon Corporation (Nikon) has acquired Morf3D Inc., a valued pioneer in metal additive manufacturing (AM) specializing in AM and engineering for the aerospace, space, and defense industries, for an undisclosed amount.
• May 2021- Nikon enhanced Metrology’s industrial microfocus X-ray CT inspection solutions with a new offset CT reconstruction algorithm to deliver unrivaled scan speed and image resolution. Using X-ray CT for non-destructive quality control of larger components like aluminium castings or battery modules for electric vehicles will shorten the inspection cycle times without compromising resolution. One prerequisite for achieving this is high X-ray intensity or flux.
• April 2021- Bureau Veritas joined the Science-Based Targets project, a coalition of major companies committed to achieving the highest degree of climate commitment and paving the way to a net-zero future. Bureau Veritas commits to aligning climate goals to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels as a member of this organization.

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