Bishop and Associates has just released the new five-chapter research report analyzing the World Non-Automotive Transportation Connector Market. This comprehensive report provides detail on all aspects of the non-automotive transportation connector market by profiling the three major segments of the market and outlining the major product types, connector categories, and connector types. The report provides connector 2005-2006 sales data by region of the world, market segment, and includes a five-year forecast to the year 2011 for each market segment and region (including five-year CAGRs).

The world market for non-automotive transportation connectors covers a large variety of products and product markets.  Non-automotive transportation market ranges from a 50 cc motor scooter to a 160,000 ton ocean going cruise liner. The non-automotive transportation market segments analyzed in this report include:

Recreational and Off Road Vehicles - This growing segment of the market encompasses the so-called Power Sports or Off Road Vehicles such as ATV’s, snowmobiles, motorcycles and scooters, personal water craft, go-karts, golf carts and other personal recreational related vehicles. Small, medium and large recreational vehicles such as motor homes, travel trailers and fifth wheels complete this segment.

Aviation, Marine, and Rail - The Aviation industry includes airframes and finished products for commercial, general and private aviation. The Marine segment consists of ocean going ships, cruise ships and pleasure boats for both fresh and salt water.  The Rail segment provides connector demand for electric and diesel locomotives, rail cars and rail related vehicles.

Heavy Construction Vehicles and Farm and Garden - This segment includes the heavy construction related vehicles such as earth moving equipment, loaders, rock crushers, mobile batch plants, mobile road-pavers, forestry related vehicles and other general construction rolling stock. The Farm and Garden segment includes farm implements that are self propelled such a tractors, combines, threshing machines, smaller farm related vehicles, small tractors, riding lawn mowers and golf course maintenance vehicles.

A number of the non-automotive transportation products utilize the same major connector families and individual connectors as the Automotive Market particularly in medium and heavy trucks and buses, construction equipment, farm tractors and recreational vehicles.  The usage of some of these connectors is also carried over to the off-road Power Sports segment and in particular Motorcycles and ATV’s.

There are however, a number of different and specialized connectors found within all of the market segments.  The Aviation, Marine and Rail markets contain many specialized, ruggedized and application specific connectors that are unique to their equipment types that are found in the other market segments.

Commercial Aviation - Boeing has forecast that 27,000+ (including regional jets) planes will be built from 2006 to 2025, with an estimated sales value of $2.6 trillion or approximately $130 billion per year in sales.

Boeing and Airbus dominate the large commercial aircraft market. In the smaller regional jet arena, there are two major players that compete for the global market, Embraer of Brazil, and Bombardier headquartered in Canada. Bombardier also competes in the Business Jet market with nameplates such as Lear and Challenger. Embraer, is the largest supplier in this market.

2006-2025 New Commercial Aircraft Delivery
Forecasted Sales - $2.6 Trillion

The 747-400 has a redesigned "flexible" cabin interior that allows airlines to rearrange seats and class configuration overnight (in eight hours). They also permit 48-hour conversion times for changes in galley and lavatory locations.  This is possible due to the special wiring and connector configurations within the aircraft.

Airliner Facts - The Boeing 747-400 has six million parts, half of which are fasteners - 171 miles (274 km) of wiring and 5 miles (8 km) of tubing - in excess of 50,000 connectors.

The past five-year CAGR the non-automotive transportation markets has averaged approximately 4% to 5%. They are forecast to continue in that same 4% to 5% growth range in the next five-year period. The profile of the market will see more growth in the China, Asia/Pacific and the ROW regions with lower growth in the North American, European and Japanese markets.  We expect to see this growth profile mirrored in the connector market, with sales increasing faster in China, Asia/Pacific and the ROW regions.

2006 non-automotive transportation connector shipments were $1.6 billion. The five-year CAGR for connector shipments is forecast to be +4.7%.