The metal injection molding market in the Middle East & Africa was valued at US$ 134.45 million in 2019 and it is projected to reach US$ 226.34 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2020 to 2027. Various advantages offered by metal injection molding is the critical driver for the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market. The metal injection molding (MIM) process merges the design flexibility of plastic injection molding with the integrity and strength of wrought metals to provide cost-efficient solutions for highly complex part geometries. It is a proven and established manufacturing method for producing complex, small, tight-tolerance, and high-efficiency metal parts. Metal parts produced from the metal injection molding process are exploited across various industries due to the elimination of secondary operations, faster processing time, and better tolerance levels of final products. Exponential technological progress has fostered the development of a wide array of components that can be manufactured easily with differing sizes and high complexities using the injection molding process. Metal injection molding is a cost-efficient alternative to traditional methods such as machining, investment casting, and powder metallurgy as it lowers raw material usage, workforce, and inventory costs. MIM can produce features that cannot be achieved by investment castings, such as thin walls, small holes, and fine surface detail. Metal injection molding is highly effective for applications that require shape complexity and material properties, such as magnetic permeability, high strength, and corrosion resistance, which cannot be fulfilled by plastic and light metal alloys. MIM can easily overcome various design and economic constraints of traditional metalworking techniques. Metal injection molding offers production scalability that allows the manufacture of thousands to millions of parts quickly and efficiently. Metal injection molding is considered a green technology as it produces less material waste, and its consistency and repeatability features further augments its demand among end users.
Based on industry vertical, the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market is segmented into automotive, electrical and electronics, consumer goods, firearms and defense, medical and orthodontics, and others. The automotive segment dominated the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market, and it is also expected to grow at the fastest growth rate during the forecast period of 2020–2027. Metal injection molding is a new and innovative process conducted under a six-sigma controlled environment. It provides a cost-effective production method for the metal parts used in the automotive industry. The traditional metal injection molding application has been on small net-shaped parts that exhibit design and the economic benefit over the cast or wrought components. Metal injection molding is applied in various automotive applications, including the rocker arms, brake components, numerous fittings and connectors, and injector nozzles. The primary materials used in this metal injection molding system are stainless steel, low alloy steel, soft magnetic material, and other metal alloys. The metal injection molding also combines several cast and machine components into single cost-effective products, which further eliminates many manufacturing steps.
COVID-19 is anticipated to cause heavy loss in the Middle East & Africa economy. Saudi Arabia has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the Middle East & Africa region, followed by South Africa and the UAE. The UAE was the first country in the Middle East & Africa to report a confirmed case of COVID-19. Disruptions in supply chain impacted the market growth negatively.
The overall Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market. Arc Group Worldwide; CMG Technologies; Molex, LLC; and MPP are among the key players operating in the Middle East & Africa metal injection molding market.