Sep 21 2010
Following a period of decline due to the economic downturn, the optical coatings market is forecast to witness steady growth over the coming years as economic conditions improve.
Growth in the market is expected to be driven by innovative coatings, featuring new applications and benefits. In addition, future prospects in the optical coatings market are also presented by applications in lasers and advanced telescopes. Consolidation is one of the key current trends in the coatings industry, with small companies finding it hard to operate under difficult economic conditions. As a result, the industry is witnessing a spate of acquisitions and mergers. Coating houses with an innovative edge are expected to fare well.
The US constitutes the largest regional market for optical coatings, as stated by the new market research report on Optical Coatings. Growth is mainly expected to emanate from European and Latin American markets. Anti-Reflective Coatings represents the largest and the most common type of high-volume low-margins coatings, used widely in lenses and optical components. These are less profitable and used in large volumes. Due to their low costs, Asia is the manufacturing hub of antireflection coatings, with increasing number of manufacturers in the Chinese market. Growth-wise, filters and other coatings, including electrochromic and infrared coatings, are expected to register the fastest growth over the ensuing years. Demand for filter coatings is forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 4.0% during the analysis period.
Major players profiled in the report include AccuCoat, Inc., AFE Technology Coatings Ltd., Applied Coatings Inc., Dynavac, EMF Corp., Fosta Tek Optics Inc., Optic Balzers, ISP Optics Corp., Metavac Inc., Newport Thin Film Laboratory Inc., Opco Laboratory Inc., Barr Associates, and many others.
The report titled “Optical Coatings: A Global Strategic Business Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of the optical coatings market, impact of recession on the industry, current trends, growth drivers, overview of global coatings industry, raw material overview, new product introductions, recent industry activity, and focus on major and niche global market players. The study analyzes market data and analytics in terms of value sales for the global market by the following regions - US, Europe, Asia-Pacific (including Japan), and Rest of World. Key product segments analyzed include Anti-Reflective or Transmissive Coatings, Transparent Electrodes, Reflective Coatings, Filters, and Others.