NON-DESTRUCTIVE testing (NDT) is the process of inspecting, testing, or evaluating materials, components, or assemblies for discontinuities or differences in characteristics without altering the original attributes. It has the property to determine the discontinuities and differences in material characteristics.

NDT is broadly divided into NDT equipment and NDT services market. Key NDT inspection methods are ultrasonic testing, magnetic and electromagnetic testing, infrared (IR) thermography testing, shearography testing, radiographic testing, liquid penetrant testing, eddy current testing, and visual testing.

NDT is a testing of objects for their flaws and imperfections in accordance with some standard norms. The NDT market is, at present, witnessing a spree of mergers, partnerships, and acquisitions among market players, which is resulting in a wide range of challenges and opportunities.

GROWTH PROJECTIONS
According to a new market research report titled non-destructive testing equipment and services market by contact methods (ultrasonic, Eddy current, electromagnetic, liquid penetrant), non-contact (radiography, thermography, visual testing), services (inspection, rental, training, consultation), application and geography – analysis and global forecast to 2013 – 2020”, published by MarketsandMarkets, the non-destructive testing market is expected to reach $6.88 billion by 2020, growing at a cumulative accumulated growth rate (CAGR) of 8.96 per cent between 2014 and 2020.

Ultrasonic testing and radiography are identified as one of the emerging NDT methods and are expected to witness major technological innovations over the next few years. Phased array technology and guided wave type of ultrasonic testing methods are expected to gain maximum traction in the future and to be the major stakeholders for the NDT contact methods, under the umbrella of the NDT equipment market.

Ultrasonic testing has been the prime choice among the end users for fault determination as it is non-hazardous to operators or nearby personnel and does not affect the material being tested and provides instantaneous results and with the continuous innovation in the ultrasonic NDT testing.

Radiographic testing is likely to intercept conventional technologies in the near future, says another report.

On the other hand, traditional NDT methods, such as visual inspection and liquid penetrant testing, have been stagnated technologically over the last few years.

In the NDT services market, Eddy current testing is expected to hold the major share of the future NDT inspection services market. Eddy current testing is considered as one of the most effective NDT inspection services, since it can inspect a number of defects like welds, cracks, thickness, and so on even in the active phase of assembly line and has wide applications in petrochemical and gas and power generation industry verticals.

The demand for NDT equipment is growing due to importance given to quality control by industry players

The demand for the NDT equipment used in inspections and quality has observed a significant growth and is expected to grow due to the increasing importance for quality control among industry players across various industry verticals. North America holds the largest market size in the NDT equipment due to increasing use of NDT in maintaining and inspecting the ageing infrastructure and strict safety regulations implemented by the US government which forces manufacturers to regularly engage in inspection activities.

The key drivers for non-contact NDT market are strong government safety regulations, user friendly software, automation, and robotics.

ASIA PACIFIC DRIVES GROWTH
North America is the largest geography in terms of market revenue for the NDT market.  The Asia-Pacific region is expected to observe significant growth due to rapid growth in infrastructure and power generation in the countries such as India, China, and Japan. This creates an ample of opportunities for the NDT companies in these countries.

Apart from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the rest of the word (ROW) are also considered as promising markets, along with China, Japan, India, Germany, and the Middle East region which provide impetus to the growth.

Since the NDT equipment used are very complex in their kinematics and very expensive, and they not only differ widely but there is also lack of NDT equipment knowledge among the end users, all these are acting as a driver for the growth of NDT services market such as NDT inspection, NDT training, NDT renting services, and NDT consultation services are growing rapidly with high growth potential in the future. There is a lot of opportunity for the existing players and new entrants to innovate and differentiate the products range.

The competitive landscape of the market presents an interesting picture, where a large number of small players have become a force to reckon with. The market is witnessing a series of new product launch announcement and partnership across the value chain.

The major companies in the NDT market are Mistras Group (US), Olympus Corporation (Japan), GE Measurement & Control Solutions (US), Nikon Corporations (Japan), Ashtead Technology (UK), Magnaflux Corporation (US), Zetec (US), Sonatest (UK), Sonotron NDT (Isreal), Bosello High Technology (Italy), YXLON International (Germany), Fischer Technology (Germany), Eddyfi (Canada), and many more.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Meanwhile, emerging technologies are enabling smarter monitoring of asset and pushing industrial testing, inspection and monitoring market, finds Frost & Sullivan in a report.

Increased emphasis on product quality, reliability and safety has boosted investments in new testing and inspection technologies. The convergence of industries and products has also given rise to a range of innovative test solutions, it says.

This trend is further driven by the requirements of Generation Y, which is generally more inclined towards communication, media and digital technologies. As a result, product development strategies of test equipment vendors will cater to their needs, aiming incorporate emerging technologies like touch-screens, intuitive software, and even interactive voice response.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Impact of Mega Trends on the Mechanical Test Market, identifies and understands how key mega trends such as big data, emerging economies beyond Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and the rise of Gen Y will influence the mechanical test market in the years to come. The study covers NDT, condition monitoring, dimensional metrology and material testing.

New infrastructure projects in markets beyond Bric will be the biggest driver for capital expenditure-based industrial inspection and monitoring solutions. Potential game-changing countries include Indonesia, Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa. Markets will also see wide-scale adoption of big data platforms that enable continuous monitoring of critical and non-critical assets to maximize productivity and prevent costly shutdowns.

“Productivity trends in the consumer electronics industry, such as enhanced processing power, expanded memory, display technologies, lithium-ion batteries, and a shift toward touch-based devices, will directly impact tomorrow’s mechanical test equipment,” says Frost & Sullivan Measurement and Instrumentation programme manager Vijay Mathew.

“Equipment vendors are increasingly integrating these features into their devices as technologies continue to converge and solutions become more interactive, portable, connected and easy to navigate,” he adds.

Lack of skilled technicians and an aging workforce is a key challenge in the mechanical test industry. Though well-publicized infrastructure failures, aging infrastructures and growing investments in new infrastructure projects have incrementally increased demand for new technicians, the supply shortage continues. Coupled with shrinking budgets, end-user industries are compelled to outsource maintenance and inspection services.