SEMI:Secondary Equipment Market Hits $6B
The secondary equipment market reached $6.0 billion in sales in 2010, a 77 percent increase over 2009, according to the Secondary Semiconductor Equipment Market Study conducted by SEMI and Semico Research.
At 13 percent of the total equipment spending, the study “confirms the growing importance of secondary equipment and services at both 300 mm and 200 mm fabs,” according to SEMI. The study, released today (April 13), was initiated by the Secondary Equipment, Services & Technology Group (SESTG) — a special interest group of SEMI, with participation from the secondary equipment market — from IDMs, foundries and equipment OEMs to finance and lease companies, refurbishers and brokers.
“Measuring the size of the secondary semiconductor equipment market presents challenges due to the complexity of the current market characteristics” noted Dan Tracy, senior director, Industry Research & Statistics at SEMI, “Secondary semiconductor equipment is refurbished and sold through a variety of different players — it is a highly fragmented supply chain. In addition to the original equipment manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, refurbishers, dealers and brokers also buy and sell equipment. One piece of equipment can change hands several times before it is put back into a production or research facility.”
The Secondary Semiconductor Equipment Market Study is based on a combination of primary research and secondary data analysis.
• SEMI/SESTG, in collaboration with Semico Research Corp., conducted surveys of the secondary equipment community. Participants included IDMs, foundries, OEMs (equipment suppliers), equipment brokers, dealers and refurbishers.
• Primary data was supplemented with information from company financial reports, company analyst presentations as well as Semico Research Corp.’s databases including capital expenditures, semiconductor fabs, and wafer demand.
The report is available for purchase from SEMI for $2,500 (SEMI members), and $3,500 (non-members).
Qualcomm, Micron and GlobalFoundries gained ground in the top 20 rankings in terms of sales in the first quarter of 2012, according to IC Insights. GlobalFoundries replaced Elpida in the top 20 rankings. The foundry vendor also jumped ahead of United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC). 
The IC business climate continues to improve in 2012, prompting various firms to raise their respective capital spending forecasts. Total semiconductor capital spending is now projected to hit $56.5 billion in 2012, nearly flat from the previous year and almost $6 billion higher than the January outlook, according to a new forecast from VLSI Research Inc.