The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., puts out quarterly index reports on shipments of various product categories from its electrical manufacturer members. The series of reports is a great reality check on where the electrical products market really stands in terms of overall growth and in the shifting roles of various technologies in the overall market mix. Here’s a roundup of the latest reports announced by NEMA.
Lighting systems up 4.9% year to year
NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index posted a modest increase of 2.4 percent on a quarter-to-quarter basis during the second quarter of 2013. This quarterly advance marked the LSI’s third consecutive increase. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments climbed 4.9 percent. Increased demand for fixtures, emergency lighting and miniature lamps buoyed the index by compensating for decreases in ballasts and large lamps.
T5 fluorescent lamps post fourth consecutive quarterly increase, T8s slow down, T12s drop 45.8%
NEMA’s T5 Lamp Shipments Index sustained a recent growth trend by posting its fourth consecutive quarterly increase during 2013Q2. The index grew by 2.6 percent compared to the previous quarter and 13.3 percent on a year-over-year basis. Shipments of T8 lamps during 2013Q2 retreated from a near record high posted in 2013Q1, decreasing by 5.3 percent. Still, the T8 index increased 15.7 percent y/y. The decline in the T12 index accelerated during the quarter showing a decrease of 45.8 percent y/y versus an average decline of 39 percent during the previous three quarters.
Market shares for the three linear fluorescent lamp types changed less than one percentage point from the previous quarter. T5 lamps posted a share of 10.8 percent while T8 and T12 lamps ended the quarter with shares of 74.1 and 15.1 percent, respectively.
HID lamps still hover near historical low
NEMA’s indices for high intensity discharge (HID) lamp shipments continued to hover near historical low levels during 2013Q2. The index for mercury vapor lamp shipments continued to track downward, declining by 8.2 percent on a year-over-year basis. Likewise, shipments of metal halide lamps fell 6.4 percent y/y, landing at the second lowest level in the series history. Sodium vapor was the lone HID index segment to show improvement. Following four consecutive quarters of y/y declines, the index stabilized during 2013 Q2 by registering a gain of 0.4 percent.
Shifts in in the market shares held by the each lamp type were marginal during the quarter. Sodium vapor lamps increased their share by 0.9 percentage points to 33.2 percent. Shares of mercury vapor and metal halide lamps decreased to 4.2 and 62.6 percent, respectively.
Incandescent and CF lamps continue decline, A-line halogens booming
Shipments of traditional A-line incandescent lamps, as measured by NEMA’s lamp shipment index, decreased for the third consecutive quarter in Q2 2013, reaching a low point for the series. Second quarter activity showed a decline of 8.6 percent from the previous quarter. Moreover, the index fell by 20.6 percent on a year-over-year basis. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), a popular substitute for A-line incandescent lamps, also posted a third consecutive quarterly decline during 2013Q2. The CFL index fell by 0.6 percent compared to Q1 2013 and 8.5 percent from the same period last year. Shipments of halogen A-line lamps remain robust, having registered a quarterly gain of 28.3 percent.
Incandescent lamps fell to a share of 64.5 percent during the quarter compared to 25.1 and 10.4 percent, respectively, for CFLs and halogen A-line lamps. While modest gains in the share garnered by CFLs have been consistent over the previous four quarters, the share of halogen A-line lamps is nearly 8 percentage points higher than last year.
Motors down month-to-month but up near record highs year-to-year
NEMA’s Motors Shipments Index decreased by 7.2 percent on a quarter to quarter basis during the second quarter of 2013. Still, the index is up 6.8 percent higher on a year-over-year basis and registered the second highest reading in the history of the series. Fractional HP motors continue to be the driving segment of growth in the index. Inflation adjusted shipments of fractional horsepower motors showed a gain of 13.0 percent, while integral HP motors dipped 1.9 percent compared to the same period last year.
Industrial controls up modestly
Sales of industrial control products and systems, as measured in NEMA’s Primary Industrial Controls Index, increased 0.3 percent on a month-to-month basis during the second quarter of 2013. The index registered a gain of 0.8 percent compared to the same period last year. A more comprehensive measure of shipments of industrial controls, the Primary Industrial Controls and Adjustable Speed Drive index, recorded a modest gain of 0.8 percent over the previous quarter. Sales growth improved on a year-over-year basis, as the index posted a 2.0 percent gain.