June 24, 2009: As the economic downturn seizes up several nanoenabled product markets, growth has eroded all along the value chain to include nanointermediates and nanomaterials, according to a new report from Lux Research. The firm now projects sales from products incorporating nanotechnology should top $2.5T by 2015, but that’s -21% lower than what the firm had earlier predicted.
Basically, certain nanotechnologies will fare better or worse depending to their exposure to specific end markets — e.g. autos, construction, and electronics are faring worse in these sluggish times, while others — e.g. healthcare, life sciences — should “remain largely unscathed, and recover from the recession more quickly,” notes Jurron Bradley, senior analyst at Lux Research and lead author of the report, in a statement. The report is based on >1000 annual interviews and targeted talks with execs from 15 established companies and startups.
Key findings in the report:
Shocks to the output of nanoenabled products ripple thorugh value chains. (Source: Lux Research, “The recession’s ripple effect on nanotech,” June 2009)