In recent years, the overall scale of China's sensor industry has gradually expanded, and the market growth rate has exceeded 20%. However, high development speed and unfavorable factors coexist. In 2016, under the promotion of national favorable policy support and new technologies, how to break through obstacles, seize new market demands and apply growth points still requires the hardship of enterprises.

1. Development status: high-speed development and unfavorable factors coexist

The market for Chinese sensors has continued to grow in recent years, with a growth rate of more than 20%. The four major areas of sensor applications are industrial and automotive electronics, communications electronics, and consumer electronics.

In 2012, the overall scale of China's sensor industry development gradually expanded, and it was significantly used in the automotive industry. Applications include automotive tires, airbags, undercarriage, engine operation management systems, exhaust and air quality control systems, ABS, and vehicle travel safety systems.

In addition, Chinese sensors have new applications in other fields, such as industrial control, environmental protection, facility agriculture, and multimedia imaging.

Although the Chinese sensor industry is developing rapidly, there are also some unfavorable factors. For example, the product technology industry is weak in foundation, technology and production are out of line, product technology level is low, product types are lacking, and enterprise product research and development capabilities.

Despite this, the country's continuous development of strategies and policies for the development of the sensor industry, the rapid development of the whole machine system market throughout the year, and the continuous promotion of emerging technologies have all become favorable factors for the development of the sensor industry.

2. Industrial market: wide capacity and diversification

According to the survey and development trend analysis report (2016-2020) of China's sensor market released by China Industrial Research Network, with the support of the government, China's sensor technology and its industry have made great progress. Especially in the "double plus project", that is, under the guidance of the principle of “accelerating efforts and accelerating development”, China has established a production base for sensitive components and sensors in China.

At present, there are three major sensor production bases in China, namely: Anhui base, which is mainly to establish a strong and sensitive scale economy; Shaanxi Province sensitive technology industry group company, mainly to establish voltage sensitive, heat sensitive, automotive electronics economies of scale as the main target; Heilongjiang The base mainly establishes the gas and humidity sensitive economies of scale as the main target.

There are more than 1,700 companies engaged in the production and research and development of sensors in China, among which more than 50 are engaged in the research and production of microsystems.

At the same time, sensors are increasingly being applied to all areas of social development and human life. Such as industrial automation, agricultural modernization, aerospace technology, military engineering, robotics, resource development, marine exploration, environmental monitoring, security, medical diagnosis, transportation, household appliances, etc.

3. Geographical pattern: blooming everywhere

China's sensor manufacturers are mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta region, and gradually form a regional spatial layout dominated by central cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Xi'an.

Yangtze River Delta region: centered on Shanghai, Wuxi and Nanjing. It has gradually formed a relatively complete sensor production system and industrial support including heat sensitivity, magnetic sensitivity, image, weighing, photoelectric, temperature and gas sensitivity.

Pearl River Delta region: mainly in the central city of Shenzhen. The sensor industry system consisting of thermal, magnetic, ultrasonic and weighing is composed of foreign-funded enterprises in small and medium-sized cities nearby.

Northeast China: Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin. It mainly produces MEMS force sensitive sensors, gas sensors and humidity sensors.

Beijing-Tianjin area: mainly based on universities. Engaged in the research and development of new sensors, filling the domestic gap in some areas. Beijing has established a national micro/nano laboratory.

Central region: Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Taiyuan. The close combination of production, study and research has developed well in industries such as PTC/NTC thermistors, inductive digital liquid level sensors and gas sensors.

In addition, the sensor industry is accompanied by the rise of the Internet of Things, and has developed rapidly in other regions such as Shaanxi, Sichuan and Shandong.

4. Industrial problems: poor technology, small enterprises, weak innovation

First, the core technology is lacking and the innovation ability is weak. Sensors are very different in high-end, high-sensitivity analysis, component analysis and high-end applications. Nearly 100% of medium and high-end sensor products are imported from abroad, 90% of chips rely on foreign countries, and there are no new sensors, new devices and new materials in China. R&D and industrialization capabilities.

Second, key technologies have not yet broken through. There are big gaps in design technology, packaging technology, and equipment technology. There is no set of sensor design software with independent intellectual property rights in China. The reliability of domestic sensors is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than that of similar foreign products. The sensor package has not yet formed a series, standard and unified interface. The development and production of sensor technology equipment is monopolized by foreign countries.

Third, the industrial structure is irrational, the varieties, specifications, and series are incomplete, and the technical indicators are not high. Domestic sensor products often do not form a series, and the products have considerable gaps in measurement accuracy, temperature characteristics, response time, stability, reliability and other indicators.

Fourth, the company's ability is weak. More than 95% of China's sensor companies are small enterprises, with small scale, weak research and development capabilities, and poor scale benefits. From the current market share and market competitiveness index, foreign-funded enterprises still occupy a large advantage.

In response to this situation, China's sensor companies need to ponder: how to solve development problems step by step, how to improve comprehensive competitiveness, and gradually participate in international competition?

5. Market prospects: more growth points and larger growth scale

It is understood that by 2015, the overall market size of China's Internet of Things will reach 750 billion yuan, and the sensor industry will directly benefit from it.

Looking forward to the next five years, the Chinese sensor market will grow steadily and rapidly. Especially in the dynamic growth of the Internet of Things market, the size of China's sensor market is expected to reach 121.3 billion yuan in 2016.

In addition to industrial automation systems, large-scale key engineering packages, automotive electronics, and home appliance products, applications in modern agriculture, healthcare, environmental testing and governance, and food testing markets are invaluable.

It is worth mentioning that domestic water resources control systems and household appliances are in the development stage from traditional technology to energy saving, emission reduction and technology upgrading. Inverter air conditioners and household vacuum cleaners, washing machines, solar water heaters and large central air conditioners have opened up a vast space for various sensors in household air conditioners, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, home water supply systems, etc., and also constitute the sensor market in China. New needs and new application growth points.