Press Releases

Global shipments of volt/VAR Optimization (VVO) control electronics used in smart electricity grids are forecast to double during the next five years, according to a new report entitled, “The North American Market for Smart Grid Volt/VAR Optimization – 2013,” from IMS Research, now part of IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Nearly one-fifth of all remote controls will feature wireless radio frequency (RF) technology by 2018 that enable many advanced technologies not available with current remotes, including voice and gesture control,  according to insights from IMS Research. Approximately 450 million RF remote controls will ship between 2013 and 2018, with the percentage of RF remotes reaching up to 18 percent of all such devices by 2018.

Annual shipments of remote access and control thermostats that allow consumers to adjust temperature in homes via a smartphone and tablet will quadruple within a five-year period ending in 2017 as consumers aim for increased comfort in their residence, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS (NYSE: IHS).  

Although global capital spending this year in the photovoltaics (PV) supply chain is expected to fall to its lowest level since 2006, indications signal that the downturn in investment has hit bottom and that purchases of equipment may soon rebound.

Capital spending among PV companies is set to drop to $2.3 billion in 2013, down 36 percent from $3.6 billion in 2012, according to the PV Manufacturing & Capital Spending Tool from information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS).

The anticipated fall will represent the lowest level of spending since $2.4 billion in 2006. It also marks the second year of decline after the market peaked in 2011, as spending plunged by 75 percent in 2012. However, capital expenditures are expected to rebound in 2014, rising 30 percent to $3.0 billion.

“Companies across all nodes of the PV business have been lowering utilization rates and letting manufacturing lines go idle for the past year and a half,” said Jon-Frederick Campos, solar analyst at IHS. “PV firms have been doing this in an effort to counter overcapacity and mitigate declines in average selling prices (ASP). This phenomenon resulted in a major plunge in spending on new manufacturing equipment in 2012 and so far in 2013.  But with prices stabilizing and manufacturing on the rise in some segments of the PV market, signs are appearing that that the drop in capital spending may be coming to an end.”

Global revenue for light-emitting diode (LED) drivers used in general lighting applications will more than triple from 2012 to 2015, as the market for solid-state illumination booms, according a new report entitled “LED Driver ICs – World – 2013” from IMS Research, now part of IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Average pricing for Chinese-manufactured photovoltaic (PV) solar modules could surge by 45 percent in June, cutting some solar project IRRs to below 7 percent and further dampen demand in Europe as a result of the preliminary antidumping duties imposed in the European Union, according to IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Chinese modules carried an average price of $0.66 per watt (W) in March, and were expected to increase to $0.67/W in June, based on a forecast from the IHS Solar Module Price Index. However, with EU commissioners planning to impose import duties on solar modules from China, average pricing could surge to $0.97/W in June.

The market for industrial gearboxes and geared motors in the collective region covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is expected to decline by 4.2 percent this year as economic troubles continue to take their toll, according to the new report entitled “The World Market for Gearboxes and Geared Motors” from IMS Research, now part of IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Would live support be helpful in Automated Teller Machines (ATM) for thorny transactions such as credit-card payments, even if the cash-dispensing stations were originally built to be free of any human intermediaries to speed up operations? And could such a structure then cannibalize local bank branches and render them ineffectual?

Such are the vexing questions now confronting banks and the financial industry in the wake of Bank of America’s announcement in early April to roll out its new Teller Assist ATMs, according to insights from “ATMs – World – 2013 Report” by IMS Research, now part of IHS (NYSE: IHS).

The Chinese audio and video door phone market—including indoor units, outdoor units and accessories—was estimated to be worth $577 million in 2012. A total of 10.9 million audio and video indoor units were estimated to be shipped, with video units accounting for more than 80 percent of them, according to a new report published by IMS Research – now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS).

The supplier base for photovoltaic (PV) inverters further fragmented in 2012, with the total market share of the 10 largest suppliers falling by more than 4 percentage points, according to the latest quarterly report from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS).  

This was partly due to strong growth in demand from China and Japan, where most of the Top 10 largest suppliers have limited presence. SMA Solar Technology’s share of global revenue fell for the third consecutive year to slightly more than 25 percent—as the PV market continued to fragment and demand for its products weakened in its core markets. A flurry of recent M&A activity, including Advanced Energy’s acquisition of REFUsol and ABB’s purchase of Power-One, also has had little impact on the competitive landscape and has resulted in only minimal changes to the supplier rankings.