1、 Overview of the Laser Industry
Laser is an abbreviation for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, which means that stimulated radiation amplifies light. Laser is an electromagnetic wave with high directionality, brightness, monochromaticity, and coherence. Laser technology is a technique that utilizes the characteristics of lasers to process materials, including laser cutting, laser welding, laser marking, laser drilling, laser heat treatment, etc.
Laser technology is an important scientific and technological innovation that emerged in the mid-20th century, known as the "fastest knife" and "most accurate ruler". Due to its advantages of high efficiency, high precision, and low pollution, laser technology has been extended to various aspects of industry and even people's lives both globally and domestically. According to data from Shangpu Consulting Group, the global market size of industrial laser systems reached 26.72 billion US dollars in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 22.6%, setting a new historical high. Among them, China is the world's largest market for industrial laser systems, accounting for approximately 36%.
2、 Forecast of Laser Industry Market Size in 2023
In 2022, the market size of China's laser processing equipment industry reached 93 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. Among them, the market size of the laser cutting equipment industry reached 31.13 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.7%. It is expected that the market size of the domestic laser processing equipment industry will reach 105 billion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 12.9%. The market size of the laser cutting equipment industry is expected to reach 36 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.6%.
In 2022, the revenue of China's laser industry reached 147.4 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 30% compared to the previous year. It is expected that the revenue of China's laser industry will further increase in 2023, exceeding 169.5 billion yuan.
The market size of global motion control systems in 2021 is approximately 20.6 billion US dollars. It is expected that the global motion control market will maintain a compound growth rate of 5%, and the market size will reach $25.1 billion by 2025.
Based on the above data, we can predict that the global laser industry market size will reach about 35 billion US dollars in 2023, of which the Chinese market size will account for about 30%, reaching about 105 billion yuan.
3、 Analysis of the Competitive Landscape in the Laser Industry in 2023
The competitive landscape of the laser industry is mainly reflected in two aspects: lasers and laser processing equipment. Laser is the core component of laser processing equipment, which determines the quality and power of laser output. Laser processing equipment is the specific application of laser technology in various fields, covering a variety of processes and products.
From the perspective of the competitive landscape in the laser market, currently IPG, a fiber laser manufacturer from the United States, still holds the largest share of the Chinese fiber laser market, accounting for 28.1%. Next are companies from China such as Ruike Laser, Chuangxin Laser, and Jiepu Te, whose market share has increased in 2022, accounting for 27.3%, 18.3%, and 5.6% respectively. It is expected that the competitiveness of domestic enterprises will further improve in the future, and their market share will increase.
From the perspective of the competition pattern in the laser processing equipment market, due to the characteristics of regional and downstream discrete manufacturing enterprises, it is difficult for the laser processing market in the manufacturing industry to form a relatively centralized competition pattern, and the market competition pattern is relatively scattered. In 2021, DaZu Laser's laser processing equipment achieved a revenue of 11.178 billion yuan, with a market share of about 14%, while most other enterprises had a market share of less than 5%. It is expected that the market size of China's laser processing equipment industry will reach 95 billion yuan by 2023, but it is still difficult to form a strong competitive advantage.
4、 Analysis of Laser Industry Application Fields in 2023
With the increasing demand for industrial manufacturing automation and intelligence in China, laser processing control technology is constantly upgrading and iterating, and laser processing applications have been widely used in various fields due to their high-quality processing characteristics. At the same time, there are different requirements for processing materials, processing speed, processing technology, etc. in industrial manufacturing, and the application scenarios of laser processing are rich and varied.
From the perspective of downstream application market share, the industrial and information fields had the highest application share in 2021, at 62% and 22% respectively; Next are fields such as business, healthcare, and scientific research, with market share of 7%, 5%, and 4% respectively.
From the perspective of specific application fields, consumer electronics, new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, semiconductors, etc. are currently and in the future important and promising areas for development.
Consumer electronics: Laser surface treatment, precision drilling, surface marking, precision cutting, welding and other processes are widely used in the field of consumer electronics, covering mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
Smart wearables and other products. In recent years, with its vast consumer market, mature manufacturing capabilities, and cheap production factors, China has become the world's center for consumer electronics manufacturing. In 2022, the market size of China's consumer electronics industry will reach 1.8977 trillion yuan, with enormous market potential. With the recovery of the Chinese economy and the promotion of technological innovation, it is expected that the market size of China's consumer electronics industry will reach 2239.8 billion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 18%.
New energy vehicles: Laser surface treatment, cutting, welding and other processes have good applications in the field of automotive sheet metal processing. Not only does it gradually replace traditional processing techniques in the automotive industry, but it also has great growth potential with the development of the new energy vehicle industry. According to data from Shangpu Consulting Group, from January to November 2022, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 6.25 million and 6.07 million respectively, both doubling year-on-year, with a market share of 25%. According to Shangpu Consulting Group's forecast, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China will reach 8 million and 7.8 million respectively in 2023, with year-on-year growth of 28% and 28.5%, respectively.
Lithium batteries: Laser cutting, welding, drilling and other processes play an important role in the manufacturing process of lithium batteries, improving their performance and safety. In recent years, with the rapid development of new energy vehicles, 5G communication, intelligent terminals and other fields, the demand for lithium batteries has continued to grow. According to data from Shangpu Consulting Group, in 2022, China's lithium-ion battery industry maintained high-speed growth, with national lithium-ion battery production reaching 750 GWh, a year-on-year increase of over 130%, and the industry's total output value exceeding 1.2 trillion yuan. Lithium batteries have a strong demand in the fields of new energy vehicles, energy storage, etc. In 2022, the total installed capacity of new energy vehicle power batteries in China was about 295GWh, and the cumulative installed growth rate of energy storage lithium batteries exceeded 130%.
Semiconductor: Laser cutting, drilling, etching and other processes have important applications in the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips, improving the performance and quality of chips. In recent years, with the development of technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, the demand for semiconductors has continued to grow. In 2022, China's integrated circuit production reached 324.19 billion pieces, a year-on-year decrease of 9.8%. It is expected that China's integrated circuit production will reach around 370 billion pieces in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 14.1%.
5、 Outlook for the Development Trend of Laser Industry in 2023
Based on the above analysis, we can see that the laser industry has enormous market potential and development space both globally and in China. The future laser industry will face the following development trends:
Technological innovation: Laser technology is a constantly innovating and advancing technology. With the development of science and technology and changes in market demand, laser technology will continuously introduce new products and processes to improve the performance and efficiency of lasers, reduce the cost and power consumption of lasers, and expand the application scope and fields of lasers.
Industrial upgrading: Laser technology is an important technology that promotes industrial upgrading and transformation. With the popularization and application of laser technology, traditional industries will gradually be replaced or transformed by laser technology, improving the efficiency and quality of industries, reducing pollution and energy consumption, and enhancing the competitiveness and innovation of industries.
Market Expansion: Laser technology is a technology with a wide range of application scenarios and fields. With the development and innovation of laser technology, it will continuously explore new markets and fields, meet the needs of different industries and fields, and create new value and opportunities.
International Cooperation: Laser technology is a technology with international influence and competitiveness. With the development of global economic integration and technological globalization, laser technology will continue to strengthen international cooperation and exchange, promote the sharing and dissemination of laser technology, and enhance the level and status of laser technology.
