Large Platform Machines in the Market
On average in the U.S. there are 9,175 small machining centers and 480 large machining centers sold per year. Although large machining centers only make up 5% of the total, the number of large machines sold each year has grown 190% over the last 4 years. Remarkably, this growth has been consistent during two manufacturing recessions. The initial assumption is that big manufacturers in the aviation, transportation, and agriculture industries are the primary buyers of large platform machines, but in fact, it is machine shops that own 45.6% of all the machines in the market. Statistically, a machine shop in your area will buy a large machine, likely with 5-axis capabilities. Will you wait for the competition to get ahead or will you become the competition?
As the number of owned large platform machines continues to grow, several opportunities within different industries continue to grow as well. Demand for more innovative and efficient manufacturing techniques has created opportunities within the mold and die, heavy equipment, agriculture, aviation, aerospace, oil, gas, power, and space industries. The mold and die industry have adopted progressive or hot pressing which can require large structures machined with perfect and seamless finishes which can be achieved with large platform machines.
Large five-axis platform machines like the Doosan HFP 1540 has introduced a unique way of machining large wing-like parts by utilizing a horizontal to vertical tilting table to optimize chip removal. Additionally, the semiconductor industry has continued to grow with increasing demands as the world continues to move into a more technologically driven world. Within the semiconductor industry, there are several opportunities from developing components critical for the manufacturing process, to utilizing large platform machines for mass production.
Large platform machines open opportunities for machine shops and manufacturers that were previously unattainable. Market analysis shows commercial aviation will return, space exploration will grow to $600 billion in the next 20 years, and reshoring of manufacturing will require more businesses to adopt large platform machines.
Large Platform Benefits
By diversifying your portfolio with large platform machines, manufacturers can achieve significant benefits to their productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage. Diversity in your portfolio and machining capabilities means more opportunity for your shop and lowers the number of shops you are competing against. Large platform machines will help you achieve:
- Increased productivity and throughput
- Expanded sales channels and access to higher valued parts
- Capture and retain more customers and contracts
- Increase in recurring orders
- Specialized manufacturing and machining knowledge
