According to IMS Research’s latest study on the world UPS market, American Power Conversion (APC) achieved a 28.6% share of the global uninterruptible power supply (UPS) market in 2004. Best known for its low-power protection for servers and workstations, APC maintained its dominance of the world markets for UPSs in the <1-kVA and 1-kVA to 5-kVA power ranges, accounting for about half of all global revenues.
However, the study finds that the medium-power UPS market remains dominated by Powerware. In the 21-kVA to 100-kVA sector, Powerware achieved almost a one-third share of the market, significantly greater than that of closest competitor MGE UPS.
The world UPS market remains relatively well-consolidated despite emerging Asian suppliers. As yet, no Chinese or Taiwanese supplier has achieved a significant market share in the medium- or high-power markets. “Unlike in the low-power segment of the UPS market where price is of paramount importance, supplier reputation and brand recognition are the most important factors when choosing a larger UPS”, said Ash Sharma, a market analyst within IMS Research’s Power & Energy Group. The high degree of consolidation within the UPS market is particularly apparent within EMEA, with the top three suppliers accounting for more than half of the market and the top 15 suppliers accounting for more than 95% of all revenues.
IMS Research’s recently published report, “The World Market for Uninterruptible Power Supplies,” reveals that the world UPS market is continuing to recover well following several years of poor market growth, due to the 2000-2001 IT crash. The majority of the future growth is forecast to be seen within the medium and large UPS sectors, which remain largely impenetrable to emerging Asian suppliers. The low-power ‹1-kVA sector is forecast to achieve reasonable unit shipment growth but revenue growth will continue to be impeded by strong price erosion and an increasing transition to higher-powered UPS products.