New Environmental Regulations Create Demand For Industrial Water And Wastewater Treatment Equipment
Singapore — Although the industrial water and wastewater treatment equipment markets in Hong Kong and Singapore are becoming increasingly saturated, demand from industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage will sustain market growth still, as these are the largest users of this equipment.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Industrial Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment Markets in Hong Kong and Singapore, finds that these markets earned revenues of $ 148.9 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $ 259.4 million in 2013.
These industries require large volumes of water for day-to-day processes and high levels of wastewater treatment of organic by-products. In the pharmaceuticals sector, the demand for membrane systems is high due to the need for ultrapure water.
"This has boosted the sales of ozone and UV systems in Hong Kong and Singapore, with the chemicals industry in both countries looking to upgrade conventional membrane systems to more advanced treatment equipment," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sundhar Parthasarathy. "Continuous price decreases in treatment equipment such as membranes, ultra, and nano filters from 2002 to 2006 have also boosted the uptake of these systems."
New environmental regulations and their increasingly strict implementation are perhaps the major drivers for the treatment equipment market. There are growing concerns in Hong Kong and Singapore about the rising health care and environmental clean-up costs associated with the harmful effects of contaminants in water supply. Both countries are eager to control this situation, and this has resulted in greater acceptance of advanced water treatment systems, as seen in Hong Kong's certification of new disinfection and clarification techniques for use in industrial plants.
The number of imports entering the market from countries such as the United States, Germany, China, the Philippines, and Japan has been steadily increasing. This is a major challenge for domestic manufacturers of treatment equipment, many of whom are likely to diversify into related areas such as production of spare parts and accessories for disinfection and instrumentation equipment.
The absence of a well-defined distribution channel for small-scale projects could hamper market development to some extent. In a majority of new projects, water treatment equipment are supplied through partnerships with system integrators that interface directly with the clients and end users. However, in the case of small-scale projects, the distribution is not as clearly defined, and end users may sometimes deal directly with suppliers or contractors that may also be system integrators.
This tends to complicate the roles typically played by suppliers and contractors and could lead to a loss of potential opportunities due to longer response and turnaround times.
"Due to the complex distribution chain, foreign suppliers, along with the local and regional market participants, provide very limited clarity to end users regarding the method of procuring treatment equipment," says Parthasarathy. "The impact of this restraint is likely to be high in the short and medium terms and medium during the long term of the forecast period."
SOURCE: Frost & Sullivan