Global demand for filters is projected to increase a healthy 7.6 percent
annually to $65.9 billion in 2015.  This growth rate is an
acceleration from the gains of the 2005-2010 period, reflecting in part the
reduced 2010 bases of the developed countries.  Economic recovery in
several key markets through 2015 will boost gains as the global recession of
2009 restrained manufacturing activity and capital investments.  These and
other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in
World
Filters, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a
Cleveland-based industry market research firm.  

Countries such as China, India, Indonesia and others with large,
developing industrial bases and nascent regulatory schemes are expected to see
the fastest growth.  Filter sales in developing areas will
be driven by rising per capita incomes, which will bolster key filter markets
such as motor vehicles and motorcycles.  Rising environmental standards
and increased attention paid to food and beverage safety regulations, along
with better enforcement, will require additional investment in filters. 
Fast growing economic activity in developing areas will result in the increased
need to tap poor quality water resources, and rising investment in modernizing
water, wastewater and power generation infrastructure, all to the benefit of
filter demand.  However, in many of the least developed countries,
especially in Africa and parts of Asia, growth will be limited by lack of
adequate funding and local corruption that impedes progress.

In 2010, the US was the largest national market with 20 percent of global
sales, followed by China and Japan, with 12 and 9 percent of
global sales, respectively.  China is projected to post the biggest growth
of any national market, with 22 percent of projected global filter gains
between 2010 and 2015. 

Filter demand in developed countries will be fueled by improving economic
conditions, higher income levels, and relatively stringent and
well-enforced environmental standards.  North America and Western Europe
will record similar gains through 2015, rebounding from low 2010 bases. 
Although representing mature markets, these regions will remain the most
intensive users of filters in per capita terms, reflecting the advanced nature
of their economies.  North America, Western Europe and Japan are fairly
comparable in terms of the maturity of their water and power generation
infrastructures, regulatory oversight, and the technological sophistication of
local manufacturing, all of which will boost sales of aftermarket
filters. 

The Freedonia Group is
a leading international business
research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry
research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook
and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product
segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats
and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and
company profiles.