Cleanroom Market Forecast of $4B by 2006
Maria A. Lester, Associate Editor -- Semiconductor International, 10/1/2002
McIlvaine
Co. (Northbrook, Ill.) recently published an updated Cleanroom World Markets forecast predicting that sales of cleanrooms will reach >$4B in 2006. The report stated that, although sales will be <$2.7B this year, the market will achieve double-digit growth over the next four years. Sales of cleanroom consumables will also set records in 2006, according to the report, with glove sales reaching $1.2B and disposable clothing sales climbing to $634M.
A number of industries will contribute to this substantial growth. The semiconductor industry will rebound and account for 37% of cleanroom sales in 2006. Flat-panel display manufacturers will be major purchasers along with the pharmaceutical/biotech sector. A leading factor in the growth will be expansion of cleanroom technology to new areas such as the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industry.
According to the report, the top 10 purchasers of cleanroom hardware in 2006 will be the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, the UK, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia and France. China is expected to become the world's 5th largest purchaser by 2006, and South Korea and Taiwan's combined sales will greatly exceed those of Japan by then.
For more information, visit www.mcilvainecompany.com/cleanroom.html.
For additional information on clean processing, go to www.semiconductor.net/clean.
