Expansion of the worldwide uninterruptible power supply (UPS) market is driven by the growing need to protect sensitive electronic devices from grid power quality instability as well as by the decreasing acceptance of downtime. In addition, more IT infrastructure is moving into the data center with higher standards for computing and data storage reliability and protection. 

According to a new report from Pike Research, these trends, along with significant growth in emerging economies, will cause the global UPS market to expand from $7.2 billion in 2010 to $8.2 billion in 2011, a growth rate of 12.2 percent.  The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that the market will grow to $13.2 billion by 2015.

“Leading UPS vendors are addressing the evolving needs of the market by focusing on greater efficiency, including more transformerless designs,” says Clint Wheelock, Pike Research president. “Advances in battery technology are also benefiting UPS products by reducing cost and floorspace requirements.”

Wheelock adds that growth in unit shipments is anticipated to be somewhat higher than revenue growth, driven by a small decline in average sales value (ASV), especially in the small UPS segment.  The small UPS segment continued to generate the highest revenues in the global UPS market during the first half of 2011, but lost share to the fast-growing large UPS segment. 

Pike Research’s analysis indicates that, in the midst of this market expansion, a handful of well-financed global manufacturers will increase their lead in almost all major markets and are ready to make strategic acquisitions to hold or strengthen their position in key market segments and regions. At the same time, some focused niche players, particularly in the high end of the market, continue to see strong success. Chinese UPS manufacturers also continue to succeed as OEM or ODM suppliers, and are increasingly focused on branded products in their domestic and neighboring markets.

Pike Research’s report, “Next Generation Uninterruptible Power Supplies,” provides a comprehensive examination of the global market for uninterruptible power supplies including a focus on small, medium, and large UPS industry dynamics.  Emerging technologies and key industry players are analyzed in depth, and market forecasts for each segment and world region extend through 2015. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website at www.pikeresearch.com.