A new SBI report covering occupational safety and related markets, “Personal Protective Equipment in the U.S.,” was issued February 2008. The report classifies the PPE market into four segments: body and clothing protection, hand and foot protection, head and face protection and respiratory protection.

SBI estimates that the U.S. market for PPE reached $6.4 billion in 2007,

growing 7 percent over the 2006 level of $5.9 billion. In its PPE report, SBI said that “for the most part, growth was robust between 1997 and 2007.” Two categories – “Body Protection, Clothing, Other” and “Hand & Foot Protection” – accounted for more than two-thirds of the PPE market in 2007, according to SBI estimates.

Imports of PPE to the United States grew an estimated 10 percent in 2006

to top the $2 billion mark for the first time, said SBI analysts. One reason for increased imports was the fact that more companies were relying on cheaper production from overseas. For 2007, however, SBI estimated that imports grew only by 2 percent. The declining value of the dollar, said SBI, made many PPE imports less attractive. Some factors that SBI sees affecting the growth of the PPE market in the years

ahead include:

• OSHA’s long-awaited employer-pay-for-PPE standard that was

  issued in the fall of 2007.

• An aging workforce.

• Product innovation from PPE manufacturers.

• The slowdown in U.S. residential construction and other economic

  concerns.

SBI predicted that the U.S. market for PPE will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3 percent, and could reach the $7.2 billion mark by 2012. Growth in the PPE market in the United States, according to SBI, will be weak in 2008 and possibly 2009. By 2010, however, growth in the marketplace should begin to pick up again.

The Global PPE Market

The SBI report estimates that the worldwide market for PPE reached $16.1 billion in 2007, rising 10 percent over the 2006 level of $14.6 billion.

SBI used data from government reports and expert sources, trade associations and their publications, business journals, company literature and investment reports to develop its estimates.

While “Personal Protective Equipment in the U.S.” includes a competitive overview with information on recent mergers and acquisitions in the PPE market, other sections in the report that could be valuable to PPE manufacturers, marketers and distributors include: Distribution & Promotion Trends, Marketing & Promotion, End-User Analysis by Major Segments & Sectors, Marketing Trends and Category Analyses.

For more information, visit:

http://www.marketresearch.com/publisher/775.html

or

http://www.sbireports.com