Frost & Sullivan research is offering a new report that provides insight to India’s welding equipment market, including total market values; percentage of revenues by end users for welding equipment and product segmentation; and forecasts for end-user industries, including automotive, energy, shipbuilding, construction and heavy machinery, among others. Welding equipment categories covered in “Strategic Analysis of the Welding Equipment Market in India” include arc welding, resistance welding, gas and other welding, and laser welding.

Frost & Sullivan is a global consulting and analysis service that offers in-depth research coverage of a wide range of industries.

As revealed in the 105-page report, manual welding is the predominant process used by India’s welding operators, though that situation is seen changing as a result of industries now demanding automated equipment capable of achieving their higher productivity goals. India’s fast-expanding shipbuilding, construction and energy, and wind power sectors are driving growth in India’s welding equipment market in the medium- and long terms.

Foreign direct investment in India is supporting capital projects in the nation’s oil and gas sector, offshore activities, and aerospace and heavy machinery industries; and several automotive OEMs have established manufacturing bases in India. All these factors have had a positive effect on domestic demand for welding equipment and consumables.

However, Frost & Sullivan determines that the recession has affected the rate of FDI in India, so demand for welding equipment is expected to decline over the short- term.

"While the financial meltdown has adversely affected most end user industries for welding equipment in India, energy, construction and shipbuilding sectors have, to a large extent, been recession-proof and have been generating moderate demand," according to a Frost & Sullivan analyst. "A key driver boosting market revenues has also been the gradual move from manual to automatic and semi-automatic welding equipment."

A high level of imported welding equipment and consumable supplies will be a challenge for the domestic Indian suppliers. The market share of domestic companies is declining in several consumer segments, especially automotive and transportation, shipbuilding, and the home appliance industries, the research finds.

Another challenge for Indian welding equipment manufacturers is a lack of organization. "To be competitive, welding manufacturers need to provide standardized goods with a focus on product differentiation," the Frost & Sullivan analyst reports. "With lower profit margins and intensifying competition, manufacturers have to improve on their service, performance and delivery."

Integrating distributors and dealers into “a complete solution model” will be a part of this process for the domestic suppliers, and the technical capabilities of distributors will be critical factors.

Also, "manufacturers should improve their service portfolio and broaden their market reach," according to the analyst. "They should increase their penetration into new end-user industries, such as wind and nuclear power, and traditional end-user industries, such as fabrication and automotives, as well as explore opportunities in other general industries which have only lately moved to higher automation levels."

The Frost & Sullivan report can be ordered < a HREF="http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/0380d4/strategic_analysis_of_the_welding_equipment_m">online.