Motor soft starter is a device that controls the voltage and protects the motor from damage by limiting the high inrush current when the motor is started. The motor soft starter gently ramps up the mains voltage for a smooth start and allows gradual attainment of full speed. The motor soft starter may be used for soft stop function as well.

The global motor soft starter market is very competitive with the presence of many major global and regional players. This segment highlights the key growth strategies adopted by them in recent years. Market players adopted various strategies to expand their regional presence and increase their market shares. New product development and mergers & acquisitions were the most popular strategies adopted by them to achieve growth in the motor soft starter market.

Vendors who fall into this category generally receive high scores for most evaluation criteria. They have strong and established product portfolio and have a very strong market presence and strong business strategies.

They are established vendors with very strong business strategies. However, they have a smaller product portfolio. They generally focus on a specific type of technology related to the product.

Innovators in the Vendor DIVE Matrix are vendors with demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. They have very focused product portfolio. However, they do not have very strong business growth strategy.

They are vendors with niche product offerings, starting to gain their market positions. They do not have very strong business strategies as compared to other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and require some more time before gaining significant traction in the market. The global motor soft starters market, on the basis of application, has been segmented into pumps, fans, compressors, and others. Other applications include conveyors, crushers, mills, and bow thrusters. Soft starter is a simple device that controls the initial inrush of current to the motor, protects it from shock, and allows a smooth startup. This in turn increases the durability of motors, ensuring the whole process is hassle free. Pumps are critical for many industrial processes. Industries, such as water and wastewater, oil and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, cement, and paper and pulp involve processes that require pumping, and damage to motors driving these pumps may prove detrimental to the whole process. The pumps segment dominated the motor soft starter market in 2016, due to various pump applications, such as chilled water pumps, cooling tower pumps, utility pumps, process pumps, and offloading pumps among others in industries mentioned above. To keep the functioning of motors driving these pumps robust and protect them from wear and tear, soft starters play a very important role. Majority of pumping applications require no speed control coupled with long serving duration, making them the ideal technology for pumps. With a larger share of pump applications within the industry and rising thrust on employing these devices for start and stop applications, the global motor soft starter market is expected to grow at a higher rate than other applications. Fans and blowers are used to provide a continuous flow of air or gas in industrial processes, such as aeration, cooling, drying, combustion, ventilation, particulate transport, and transport of exhaust or flue gases. Different types of fans, such as cooling tower fans, exhaust fans, induced draft fans, and forced draft fans are used in the oil and gas, water and wastewater, mining, chemicals and petrochemicals, cement, and pulp and paper industries. The water and wastewater industry involves movement of large volumes of air for key processes, such as aeration. The cement industry requires process fans capable of functioning in environment with high abrasion materials, excessive dust build-up, and high temperatures. The chemical industry involves usage of fans for boiler, incineration, exhaust and emissions control systems, and for handling toxic, corrosive, and unstable fluids in equipment in variety of processes. Axial fans and centrifugal fans are used for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning in HVAC applications. Oil and gas companies require fans for ventilation, refrigeration, and gas cleaning systems. Thus, all these applications of fans are likely to boost the motor soft starters market in the fans application segment. Industrial compressors are one of the few important equipment that are vital to processes in many critical industries. Compressors are being increasingly adopted in mining, oil and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, and various other industries. Compressors are employed for both fixed and variable speed applications. Although applications requiring speed control are increasing, due to higher energy savings, applications of compressors without speed control form a major market share, thus creating huge opportunity for soft starters in the compressors application segment.