Amid a faint hum, robotic arms achieve precise positioning, sensors silently gather data, and systems automatically
analyze and adjust—behind this seemingly simple operation lies the industrial automation and test &
measurement technology upon which modern manufacturing relies.
In today's era of intensifying global competition and rising quality demands, industrial automation and test &
measurement solutions have become indispensable core components of manufacturing.
With continuous technological advancements, the test and measurement equipment market is experiencing
significant growth. Forecasts indicate the global market size will expand steadily from approximately $40.5
billion in 2025 to nearly $54.5 billion by 2032, maintaining a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 4.3%.
This data fully reflects the urgent demand across industries for precision testing and automated measurement.
01 Market Trends: Testing and Measurement Industry Enters Period
of Rapid Growth
The intelligent transformation of manufacturing has created unprecedented development opportunities for
industrial automation and test and measurement solutions. Market research indicates the global test and
measurement equipment market is projected to grow from approximately $37.7 billion in 2025 to $65 billion
by 2035, achieving a high CAGR of 5.6%.
Concurrently, the test services market is expanding even more rapidly, reaching $58 billion in 2024 and
projected to grow to $102 billion by 2031.
The Chinese market demonstrates particularly robust activity, with the domestic electronic measurement
instrument industry expected to reach approximately RMB 46.5 billion by 2025.
This growth is primarily driven by rapid advancements in automotive intelligence and electrification, 5G
communication technology, aerospace, and other sectors. Combined with national policy support for
technological innovation, this creates a favorable development environment for the industry.
02 Technological Innovation: Intelligence and Automation
Become Mainstream
The industrial automation and test measurement sectors are undergoing profound technological
transformation. Traditional testing and measurement primarily relied on manual operation of individual
instruments, resulting in low efficiency and high error rates.
Modern automated test and control systems, however, are integrated solutions comprising sensors,
transmitters, controllers, and measurement instruments. These systems enable automated measurement,
data processing, and result output through computer control.
Currently, test and measurement technology is advancing toward greater intelligence and precision:
Non-Destructive Test (NDT) platforms perform complex inspections on products via non-contact methods,
simultaneously processing signals from dozens of measurement channels. These signals encompass diverse
parameters including noise, vibration, magnetic flux, and more.
High-precision online measurement technology has achieved nanometer-level accuracy. For instance, new
white-light interferometers can measure coating thicknesses from 1µm to 100µm with linear errors below
±100 nanometers and measurement rates up to 24kHz.
The integration of artificial intelligence and IoT technologies further accelerates the intelligent evolution
of test and measurement. AI-driven testing solutions automatically generate test patterns, compressing
months of test development into days.
03 Application Scenarios: Comprehensive Coverage from
Production Lines to Quality Control
Industrial automation and test measurement solutions are now widely deployed across diverse sectors. In
manufacturing, measurement and automation units can operate independently or integrate into machine tools,
forming production line systems with corrective control loops or standalone post-processing inspection systems.
These systems enable dynamic workpiece handling, identify positions on conveyor belts, and prepare for
conveyor tracking—particularly suited for 100% inspection of small components.
In the semiconductor industry, automated testing solutions have revolutionized testing methods for analog
and mixed-signal integrated circuits. Cutting-edge technologies automatically generate test patterns, achieving
over 95% defect coverage while reducing test time by a factor of 100.
Industrial automated testing systems are also extensively deployed in scenarios such as new energy battery
inspection and thin-film thickness control. By replacing time-consuming and subjective manual operator controls
with high-speed automated equipment, they significantly enhance production efficiency and product quality
consistency.
04 Future Outlook: Convergence and Innovation Driving the Next
Wave of Development
The future of industrial automation and test measurement will feature heightened convergence and innovation.
Test measurement equipment will deeply integrate with industrial IoT platforms, forming a truly intelligent
manufacturing ecosystem.
Within this system, test measurement transcends its role as a quality control function to become a vital data
source for predictive maintenance and process optimization.
Industry experts have observed that modern test platforms not only execute testing tasks but also detect drift
in the measured parameters of products under test. This drift may stem from production equipment wear,
changes in input attributes, or variations in production processes, providing direction for continuous improvement.
With the rapid advancement of cutting-edge technologies like 5G/6G, quantum computing, semiconductors, and
new energy, demands on test and measurement technology will continue to rise. Higher precision, faster speed,
and smarter test and measurement solutions will become the cornerstone supporting next-generation industrial
automation systems.
Automated test and measurement systems are no longer merely quality checkpoints on assembly lines; they
have evolved into the nerve centers of entire manufacturing ecosystems. By collecting and analyzing production
data in real time, these systems not only determine product compliance but also trace the root causes of quality
issues, predict equipment maintenance windows, and even optimize production processes.
Looking ahead, as more enterprises embrace Industry 4.0, smart factories integrating test and measurement
with automated control will become standard configurations across the manufacturing sector.