World Mining Equipment Demand to Reach $92 Billion in 2015

The world market for mining equipment is projected to climb 8.5 percent annually through 2015 to $92 billion.  Demand will be stimulated by a pickup in mining output growth as global manufacturing activity and construction expenditures accelerate in a generally favorable economic climate.  Commodity prices are also expected to remain high by historical standards, contributing to a rise in resource exploration and development activity, and associated mining machinery sales.  These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in World Mining Machinery, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.  

In a continuation of recent trends, the Asia/Pacific region is forecast to register the strongest market advances through 2015, fueled by robust increases in mine production and related machinery sales in China, India and Indonesia.  China alone will account for 57 percent of all new mining equipment demand between 2010 and 2015, even though growth is expected to slow significantly.  Central and South America will post the second fastest gains, supported by a pickup in manufacturing and construction activity, leading to higher demand for mined materials.  The Africa/Mideast region will record the next strongest market advances, followed by North America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe.  Mining output and associated machinery sales in all of these regions will be spurred by high commodity prices and generally healthy economic growth.  In addition, equipment suppliers will benefit from the implementation of Tier 4 emissions standards in the US and Canada and the adoption of Stage IIIB and Stage IV emissions standards in the European Union, raising average product prices and contributing to overall dollar demand.

The market for mining machinery used in metals mining operations, which account for the largest share of world sales, is projected to expand at the strongest pace through 2015, spurred by price-driven increases in resource exploration and mine development activity.  Coal mining equipment demand is expected to climb nearly as fast, stimulated by an acceleration in primary metals manufacturing growth, bolstering industrial furnace and oven coal use.  The world market for nonmetallic minerals mining machinery will rise at a somewhat slower rate, stimulated by increases in construction expenditures and ongoing population growth, boosting farming activity and consumption of fertilizer minerals like phosphate rock and potash.

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.