In its recently released report titled “The World Market for Rack Power Distribution Units,” IHS explains that global unit shipments were projected to grow 3 percent for the year that just ended, while global revenue for 2013 was projected to grow more than twice as fast—6.3 percent. “Forecasts for higher revenue growth are based on the assumption that intelligent units will continue to gain product share, therefore driving up average unit prices,” the research firm explained when announcing the report’s availability. “Intelligent units, which have the ability to connect to a network, can meter electricity consumption, switch outlets on and off, and even accommodate environmental sensors.”
IHS predicted that by the end of 2013, intelligent PDUs would account for 20 percent of unit shipments globally. Analyst Sarah McElroy said, “The market for intelligent rack PDUs is nowhere near saturated yet. The biggest opportunities still lie in Asia.” IHS estimates that fewer than 10 percent of rack PDU shipments in Asia are intelligent units. It also points out that within different areas of Asia, adoption of intelligent rack PDUs is occurring at different speeds. The Chines market remains predominantly non-intelligent, while Hong Kong is a more-mature market with a higher penetration of intelligence. “Other mature markets like Oceania and Japan have a higher penetration of intelligent units than the rest of Asia as well,” the research organization noted.
McElroy added, “The multinational suppliers have been active in the intelligent space for some time, but now we are starting to see some of the local Asian suppliers introduce rack PDUs with intelligent features. In Asia, relatively small local suppliers make up a large share of the rack PDU market, IHS explained. Traditionally, these companies have been recognized as agile competitors, manufacturing low-end basic products and competing on price. Their gradual entrance into the intelligence space foretells further growth in these product categories in Asia, as well as increased competition for international suppliers, IHS summarized.
You can find more information about IHS here and more information about the Rack PDU report here.