U.S. Welding Consumables Market

Upcoming Jobs in U.S. Manufacturing Industry to Offset COVID-19 Losses of 2020

It is no surprise that the coronavirus pandemic has affected almost all industries, including welding. As manufacturing activities are surging in a staggered manner, companies in the U.S. welding consumables market are focusing on key industries such as construction, agriculture, and power to establish stable revenue streams. The inability for many workers to appear onsite has resulted in hurdles for welding manufacturers.

Stakeholders in the U.S. welding consumables market are improvising on their business activities to avoid shutdowns and maintain productivity. They are emphasizing on the urgency to formulate and mobilize teams to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies are assembling separate teams for crisis management, growth, and digital transformation developments. As such, the U.S. manufacturing industry is predicted to experience a boom in Q3 and Q4 of 2021 and upcoming years, which would offset losses incurred in 2020.

Digital Process Control, Automation Help Minimize Laborious Reworking Activities

Sailing enthusiasts, several water sports, and cruises are accelerating construction of different types of ships. However, welding imposes various challenges in shipbuilding such as rigorous inspection of steel plates and need for investment in the shipbuilding infrastructure. Welding manufacturers are adopting digital process control for inspection of welding components and automation to increase productivity that caters to improvement in bottom lines.

The U.S. welding consumables market is expected to exceed the volume of 1,925 kilo tons by 2031. Flexible range of digital process control functions and automation are helping to minimize laborious reworking activities.

High Performance Tandem Welding Gaining Popularity in Modern Mechanized Welding

Double filler wires are being used to improve productivity and raise welding speeds in various operations. On the other hand, the tandem welding method is being highly publicized in modern mechanized welding. However, this method can sometimes interfere through magnetic arc blow effect. Hence, welding manufacturers in the U.S. welding consumables market are using the twin arc method with pulsed welding, with pulses on each wire displaced out of phase with each other.

There is a growing need for awareness that double wire welding is the process where both wires share the same electrical potential, whereas tandem welding involves wires being applied with independent potentials. High performance tandem welding is being employed by manufacturers in the U.S. welding consumables market to achieve high welding speeds and large seam volumes.

Bead Cleanliness with Solid Wires Useful in Robotic Welding Applications

There is a growing demand for solid wires that cut down on post-weld cleanup so that workers spend less time cleaning and more time welding. Manufacturers in the U.S. welding consumables market are developing revolutionary solid wires that deploy process stability, weld integrity, bead cleanliness, and maximize uptime. These wires are gaining prominence in robotic welding applications.

Microelement control, robust geometrical properties, and smooth feedability of solid wires are being preferred in robotic welding applications. Such trends are translating into incremental opportunities for companies in the U.S. welding consumables market.

Deep Learning Tools Help Develop Hard-facing Welding Consumables with Cost Advantages

Machine learning (ML) is acting as a key driver of the U.S. welding consumables market, as it is helping to achieve significant improvement in the performance of hard-facing welding consumables. Welding Alloys Group is mainly focusing on ML to develop hard-facing materials that deliver drastic cost advantages even from the environmental point of view.

Wear is one of the most complex challenges faced by the heavy duty industry. This has created opportunities for companies in the U.S. welding consumables market to use ML and develop high-chromium cast iron-based welding consumables that comply with abrasion-resistant standards.

Analysts’ Viewpoint

The expansion of the welding industry is highly dependent on steel consumption. Due to the slowdown of the automotive industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders are estimating a positive outlook in construction, marine, and power generation sectors. The U.S. welding consumables market is projected to grow at a modest CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period. This is evident since metal core wires are demanding investment in automated and robotic setups to achieve high efficiencies in operations. Since the U.S. welding manufacturing industry has been slow in adoption of next-gen technologies, awareness about technological advantages are anticipated to drive investments in automation software and robotics.

U.S. Welding Consumables Market: Overview

• According to Transparency Market Research’s latest research report on the U.S. welding consumables market for the historical period 2020 and the forecast period of 2021 to 2031, expansion of the construction industry and rise in investment in commercial buildings are expected to boost the consumption of fabricated structural steel. Increase in consumption of fabricated structural steel is directly linked with growth in consumption of welding consumables, as welding consumables are employed as joining agents in fabricated steel structures. Thus, the welding consumables market in the U.S. is anticipated to expand in the forecast period.
• In terms of volume, the U.S. welding consumables market is projected to exceed 1,925 kilo tons by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period. Based on end use, the building & construction segment dominated the U.S. welding consumables market in 2020. Increase in spending in the construction of non-residential as well as residential projects in the U.S. is driving the demand for welding consumables in the country.

Expansion of Power Generation Industry: Key Driver of U.S. Welding Consumables Market

• Welding consumables are extensively employed as joining materials for the fabrication of major structural components and heavy equipment and machinery in power generation facilities such as rims/wheels, pipes, turbines, and pressure vessels
• Consumption of electricity in the U.S. increased from 4,093 TWh in 2000 to 4,408 TWh in 2019. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the electric power sector accounted for about 36% of total natural gas consumption in the U.S. in 2019. Led by the rise in focus to reduce the adverse impact of climate change, the country is also focusing on renewable energy sources such as hydropower, geothermal, municipal solid waste (MSW), landfill gas (LFG), biomass, solar, and wind in order to cater to the high demand for electricity. Addition of renewable energy in the U.S. increased from 11.6 GW in 2014 to 23.5 GW in 2020.
• According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity generator and power plant owners aim to add 39.7 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity generating capacity by the end of 2021. Significant development of renewable-based power generation facilities, especially wind, is being carried out in the U.S. Thus, growth of the renewable sector for electricity generation is estimated to propel the welding consumables market in the U.S. during the forecast period.

Technological Advancements in Welding Consumables

• Demand for cost-effective welding applications in key end-use industries such as automobile & transportation, building & construction, and power has been increasing since the past few years, especially in developed economies such as the U.S.
• Consumption of welding consumables is estimated to be high in assembling and manufacturing of boilers, pressure vessels, offshore rigs, and process piping in the industrial construction sector. Innovation of products (for instance, flux cored wires characterized by high deposition rates, flexibility, corrosion and temperature resistance, and good surface quality); and development of sustainable welding processes (decline in fume emissions and overall electricity consumption) are creating lucrative opportunities for welding consumables in industrial applications.
• Research regarding the usage of bio-based raw material sources for the manufacture of welding consumables has started to gain momentum due to the presence of stringent environmental regulations in developed regions. Epoxidized vegetable oils are considered suitable and sustainable ingredients for coated welding electrodes. These vegetable oils are used as binders to reduce the diffusible hydrogen content, which makes the electrode waterproof, thus eliminates the need of the drying step during the preparation of electrode. Thus, emergence of sustainable and high performance technological solutions for welding consumables are estimated to provide significant opportunities to the welding consumables market in the U.S. during the forecast period.

U.S. Welding Consumables Market: Competition Landscape

• Detailed profiles of providers of welding consumables have been provided in the U.S. welding consumables report to evaluate their financials, key product offerings, recent developments, and strategies
• Key players operating in the welding consumables market in the U.S. are
  • ESAB
  • KOBE STEEL, LTD.
  • Air Liquide
  • Illinois Tool Works Inc.
  • The Lincoln Electric Company
  • voestalpine Böhler Welding GmbH
  • Welding Alloys Group
  • Mitco Weld Products Pvt. Ltd.

U.S. Welding Consumables Market: Key Developments

• Key providers of welding consumables in the U.S., such as The Lincoln Electric Company, are focusing on designing advanced and cost-effective welding consumables to attract a high number of customers. Major developments in the U.S. welding consumables market are highlighted below:
  • In February 2021, The Lincoln Electric Company announced that advanced welding equipment will carry a standard five-year factory limited warranty. Advanced welding equipment covered under the new warranty include Power Wave Advanced Process Welders, PIPEFAB Welding Systems, AutoDrive Robotic Wire Feeders, Power Feed Advanced Wire Feeders, APEX Mechanized Controllers, and MAXsa Submerged Arc Controllers and Wire Feeders. In June 2020, The Lincoln Electric Company launched Lincore 420-HC-S, a high carbon metal-corded wire for caster roll rebuilding.

U.S. Welding Consumables Market – Segmentation

TMR’s research study assesses the U.S. welding consumables market based on product and end use. The report presents extensive market dynamics and progressive trends associated with different segments and how they are influencing growth prospects of the U.S. welding consumables market.