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

The European non-destructive testing (NDT) market was valued at USD 2.82 billion in 2019, and it is projected to be registering a CAGR of 5.28% during the period of 2020-2025. Non-destructive testing (NDT) involves inspection, testing, or evaluation of components, materials, or assemblies. NDT involves examination for disparities in characteristics or discontinuities, primarily without hampering the serviceability of the product or part.

Key Highlights

• The current market trends in NDT equipment are robust live data capture and comprehensive capture, which require instant feedback in real-time. New sensors are being incorporated in non-destructive testing (NDT) devices, along with other smart and multifunctional components that are embedded and intelligent. The emergence of Big Data and IoT devices enabled equipment vendors to integrate improved reporting mechanisms, primarily as a value addition to gain a competitive advantage in the market.
• Non-destructive test methods can save substantial time by eliminating the need for disassembly or dismantling. For the maintenance of aircraft, 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.
• According to Eurostat, in Austria, the repair and maintenance costs related to aircraft in 2019 were valued at USD 64.03 million and are expected to increase to USD 81.1 million by 2024. With a significant increase in the number of component failures in the aerospace sector, the subsequent necessity of timely inspections and damage control are expected to drive the growth of the NDT market during the forecast period.
• The market for Europe Non-destructive testing has historically been subjected to moderate growth due to increasing spending in the end use industries. This is projected to bolster the growth of the market during the forecast period. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant decline in market growth as the pandemic restricts the supply chain and adoption due to severe disruptions to businesses and the global economy.

Key Market Trends

Power and Energy Sector to Dominate the Market

• Nuclear power is playing an essential role in generating electricity in many countries of the world. Ensuring a reliable and safe operation of nuclear power plants is the central problem of nuclear power engineering. In particular, it depends on the quality of nuclear fuel and process equipment for fuel manufacture. Solving this problem is directly connected to the application of non-destructive testing and diagnostics.
• The primary possible problems that can happen with a power plant are associated with Tube exchangers, turbines, or primary circuits . These problems can be avoided if the flaws that cause them are detected early enough. For this detection the role of NDT becomes important, analysts need high-quality inspection instruments that are portable and can penetrate hard-to-reach areas easily and efficiently.
• Nondestructive methods are very widespread in many applications such as fuel inspection. In this field, many techniques are used, like ultrasonics, eddy current, radiographic testing, and acoustic techniques. According to the IAEA studies, the fuel failure rate in the world is around 10-5, which means 1-3 failed fuel rods from 100 000 fuel rods in operation. With the implementation of NDT, the failure rate is decreasing.

Aerospace and Defense to Witness Significant Growth

• The European defense industry makes a significant contribution to the security and defense of its citizens. The defense industry is a major industrial sector that includes a variety of fields, such as aeronautics, land and naval systems, and electronics.
• The European aerospace and defense industry develops and manufactures civil and military aircraft, helicopters, drones, aero-engines, other defense systems, and equipment. The sector includes companies that provide support services, such as maintenance and training. It is also a world leader in the production of civil aircraft, including aircraft engines, helicopters, parts, and components.
• Investment in R&D and innovation is vital for the competitiveness of the EU aeronautics industry. RDI expenditures represent 10% of industry turnover, one-third of which was financed by the public sector.
• Increased complexity of equipment makes it essential for firms to conduct proper “fit analysis” before determining the feasibility of assembling complex machines. NDT is also used in the selection and fabrication of materials that are used for manufacturing complex machinery in the application areas in the aerospace and defense industry.

Competitive Landscape

The European Non-Destructive Testing market is moderately fragmented with various companies dominating the market share like Scanna MSC, Logos Imaging LLC, Zetec Inc, YXLON International GmbH among others. The companies keep on innovating and indulge into strategic partnerships in order to sustain their market dominance.

• March 2020- YXLON International collaborated with the Japanese company, Nagoya Electric Works (NEW). The collaboration includes the development and distribution of specialized X-ray systems. According to the company, the collaboration will help it to fulfill the growing demand from the customers, from the semiconductor and SMT industry, for analyzing continuously smaller features at high speed.
• May 2019- At the 2019 control trade fair held in Stuttgart, YXLON presented its latest innovations, for both the classic NDT and manufacturing electronics sectors. YXLON FF35 CT system, the new release of the Geminy-based, high-resolution computed tomography system family, was presented at this event.

Additional Benefits:

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