MEMS Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

Sensors for internal combustion engines: recent market trends and developments

The global market for sensors used in internal combustion engines (ICEs) is on the road of steady growth for the next few years, propelled by increasing utilization in engine management and exhaust aftertreatment, according to IHS.  Sensor shipments for ICEs will top 1.34 billion units in 2019, up from about 1.08 billion in 2013.  Overall, the projected six-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2013 to 2019 will equate to 3.6 percent.  "Shipments of ICE sensors are growing slightly faster than car shipments," said Richard Dixon, Ph.D., principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS.  "The main reason is that new concepts in emissions mitigation in the engine and in exhaust aftertreatment systems require advanced sensors for their operation. Added to that, emission legislation in some major markets of the world, such as China, is beginning to catch up with that of mature markets like the US, Europe and Japan, at least in the larger cities."

Knowles ships two million MEMS microphones for the hearing health industry

According to MEMS Journal's research, the market for hearing aids is approximately $14 billion in the US alone, with an estimated 9.5 million individuals wearing hearing aids today.  The cost of high quality hearing aids remains high at $2,000 to $3,500 per unit.  Inexpensive hearing aids can cost as little as $300 to $400, but their performance is quite limited.  The total hearing loss population is approximately 38 million in the US; in other words, most people who have hearing loss do not wear a hearing aid.  The hearing health industry started to adopt MEMS microphones in 2010, and Knowles reported that it surpassed the one million mark for distribution in November 2013.  The company says that it has now reached the second million unit milestone, four times faster than the fist million due to increased customer demand.  With the approximate cost of $10 to $20 per device, the MEMS microphone component represents a very small fraction of the overall hearing aid unit cost.  Nevertheless, the market is an attractive opportunity for MEMS device makers.

MEMS based sensor maker InvenSense acquires Movea, Trusted Positioning for $81 million

InvenSense, a provider MEMS based sensor solutions, announced this week that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Movea, a sensor fusion and context awareness software company, and Trusted Positioning (TPI), an indoor and outdoor location tracking software firm.  InvenSense will pay approximately $81 million for acquisition of both firms.  As of March 2014, InvenSense had approximately $117 million in cash and equivalents, so the transaction amount involved in these acquisitions will significantly reduce the company’s cash reserves.  On the other hand, some industry analysts have recently speculated that InvenSense may have won designs for the next generation of Apple’s products such as the iPhone 6, iWatch, and some of the new iPad business.  Interestingly, these two deals were announced just one week after Audience’s announcement that it is acquiring Sensor Platforms, another sensor fusion and context awareness software firm, for $41 million.

Automotive MEMS: an overview of the top ten suppliers

Bosch, based in Germany, was the top supplier in the world last year of automotive MEMS sensors, a market in which shipments continue to expand strongly, but where revenue was being squeezed by marked price erosion, according to a new report from IHS.  With revenues of $740 million, Bosch’s total amounted to more than three times the sales of its nearest competitor, Denso of Japan, which remained in second place, as in 2012.  Together the top ten automotive MEMS suppliers accounted for $2.18 billion worth of revenue, equivalent to 88 percent of the industry total of $2.47 billion. In 2012, the top ten suppliers also had an 88 percent share with the combined revenue of $2.12 billion, out of an industry aggregate of $2.40 billion.