Electrostatic Discharge Technologies

Report Highlights

• The U.S. market for electrostatic discharge (ESD) technologies was $1.1 billion in 2007. It is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2012, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3%.
• Packaging products, worth $368.8 million in 2007, have the largest share of the market and will be worth $621 million by 2012 with a projected 9.9% CAGR.
• The U.S. remains the largest producer and consumer of ESD goods.

INTRODUCTION

While there has been much interest in ESD, it is often difficult to get solid information on how these ESD products are being sold and where. Since ESD products are so diverse, there is only a very loose ESD industry per se. Most firms offer ESD products as part of a larger product line, rather than being dedicated to the production of ESD goods. As a result, sales of ESD goods are often "buried" in company-wide sales data, assuming that a particular company makes its sales public. Due to this paucity of information, it is clear that many ESD market estimates have been based more on wishful thinking than careful calculations.

SCOPE OF STUDY

This report contains:

• Descriptions of various types of electrostatic discharge (ESD) technologies including those used for packaging, static control polymers, furniture, apparel, flooring and electronics
• The current U.S. market status for ESD products, with trends and forecasts for growth over the next 5 years
• Technological issues including the latest trends and a thorough patent analysis
• Analysis of the ESD industry, both from a market and application perspective
• Company profiles.

METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES

The data in this report were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Executives, engineers, managers, researchers, and salespeople from companies and research institutions involved in the development, production, and/or usage of ESD materials were interviewed. Other data were obtained from an exhaustive review of patent literature and government databases, as well as scientific, trade, and business journals. BCC newsletters, reports, and conferences provided additional information.

ANALYST CREDENTIALS

The author of this updated report is Andrew McWilliams. Mr. McWilliams is, a partner in the Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm of 43rd Parallel, LLC. In addition to being one of the co-authors of the original report on ESD technologies, Mr. McWilliams is the author of several other BCC Research studies of advanced materials and technologies, including The Market for Thermal Management Technologies (SMC024D); The Market for Nanostructured Materials: Electronic, Magnetic, Optoelectronic (NAN017F); High-Performance Ceramic Coatings: Markets and Technologies (AVM015D); and Advanced Ceramic and Nanosized Ceramic Powders (NAN015E).