Global commercial smoke detector market to grow through 2020

The global commercial smoke detector market could hit $2 billion in revenue by 2020, according to a new report from Technavio.

The research firm’s report, entitled “Global Commercial Smoke Detector Market 2016-2020,” foresees increased investments in the construction industry as the primary driver of growth.

“The Americas dominated the global commercial smoke detector market in 2015,” Anju Ajaykumar, a lead analyst at Technavio for tools and components research, wrote in the report. “However, APAC is expected to report the fastest growth rate during the forecast period. Growing awareness of the availability and importance of smoke detectors and an increase in investments in quality commercial infrastructure facilities in APAC are key factors that will aid the growth of the market in this region.”

The report categorizes the global commercial smoke detector market into four major segments based on types of sensors. The three biggest are as follows:

PHOTOELECTRIC

This market is expected to grow exponentially during the forecast period. The fast response of this smoke detector to smoldering fires is a major reason for its growing demand. The support from both local as well as international organizations such as International Association of Fire Fighters, along with ordinances passed by local authorities like in the state of Ohio will further propagate the use of these smoke detectors.

The low number of nuisance alarms by the photoelectric smoke detectors is another reason for their growing popularity.

“The growth of the global commercial construction industry fueled by the rise in GDP across many countries will further support the growth of this segment in conjunction with the factors mentioned above,” Anju said.

DUAL SENSOR

The demand for dual sensor smoke detectors is expected to grow at a rapid rate during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to their high efficiency in detecting various types of fires, whether smoldering or fast flaming. The dual sensor smoke detectors combine the features of both ionization as well as photoelectric smoke detectors.

Various test studies like the National Research Council of Canada test series suggest dual sensor smoke detectors have a shorter response time than other types of smoke detectors in case of a typical fire. Advances in technology in dual sensor smoke detectors, as well as their decreasing prices, will further support the growth of the segment.

GLOBAL COMMERCIAL MARKET BY IONIZATION

Although this segment dominated the global commercial smoke detector market until 2010, with more than 70% of the market share, the market has experienced a significant and drastic shift in terms of technology. The demand for ionization smoke detectors has suffered significantly due to the growing demand for photoelectric and dual sensor smoke detectors.

The key reason attributed to the decreasing use of ionization smoke detectors is their susceptibility to cause a high number of nuisance alarms. Thus, users deactivate these alarms by removing the battery or completely disconnecting the smoke detector system. The other major reason for the declining use of ionization smoke detector is its long response time to smoldering fires.

In addition, the disposal issue of ionization smoke detectors due to their radioactive content such as Americium-241 has prompted regulatory bodies to adopt stringent regulations on the use of ionization smoke detectors. U.S. states, such as Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa, have banned the use of ionization smoke detectors in buildings.

Top vendors highlighted by Technavio’s heavy industry research analysts include Apollo Fire Detectors, Gentex, Honeywell, Siemens and Tyco.