Quality Mag share 22nd Annual Quality Spending Survey Results

WHAT TO BUY

We’ve looked at the timing and the reasons for the investments, but now let’s look at what respondents plan to buy.

General-use test/measurement/inspection equipment, test/measurement/inspection services, and/or gages/gaging systems top the list of purchases for fiscal 2023.

The list goes on. Other planned purchases include: product testing equipment, software, consulting and training services, optical inspection and measurement equipment, materials test equipment, nondestructive test equipment, form and surface measurement equipment, CMMs, and color and coating thickness measurement. Ninety-six percent of respondents said they plan to purchase at least one of these items.

Let’s look into these product categories more closely, starting with one of the quality workhorses—a CMM.

Seventeen percent plan to purchase a CMM, and CMM spending looks set to increase. Almost half of respondents predict their company will spend $100,000 or more on a CMM in 2023, which is higher than budgets set in this category for 2022.

In terms of form and surface measuring equipment, the budget is less than $5,000 for almost a third of respondents. Spending for 2023 is predicted to remain the same.

Gages are a staple of a quality program and the budget reflects this. Budgets for gages and gaging systems for 2022 and 2023 look similar, with the majority of respondents budgeting under $60,000. Handheld gages lead the gaging budget with 27% slated for them. Custom/specialty gages, a new category in 2021, jumped from 7% to 13%, making them the number-two category. Fixture and special tooling gages, thread gages, plug and ring gages, thickness gages, bore gages and depth gages are next. Air gages, turnkey and in-process gaging systems, fixed limit gages, snap gages, gear and spline measurement, and ball gages round out the list.

Forty percent of respondents budgeted less than $10,000 for optical inspection and measurement equipment in 2022. Fifty-nine percent expect this year’s budget for this equipment will remain the same, and 35% expect an increase. Twenty-four percent of this category will be spent on machine vision systems.

The budget for color and coatings thickness equipment is anticipated to be similar to 2022. Three-fifths of respondents’ companies budgeted less than $10,000 for this equipment in 2022, and spending for 2023 looks like it will follow this trend.

Material testing equipment looks poise for a jump. One-third of respondents expect to see an increase in spending on material testing equipment next year, which is higher than last year’s predictions. Hardness testing leads this category at 17%.

In terms of nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment, the majority (77%) expect their spending to remain the same. For about half of respondents, the 2022 budget for this equipment was $10,000 or less, and this looks set to continue this year. Ultrasonic testing lead the category with 17% of the NDT budget.

For general-use test, measurement and inspection equipment in 2022, three-quarters of respondent companies budgeted less than $60,000. For most, 2023 will bring a similar pattern. Calibration equipment dominates the category, taking up half of this budget.

Nothing gets done without software, and more than half budgeted less than $20,000 for this item. This looks set to continue in 2023.

For consulting and training, the majority of respondents expect no changes; Seventy-nine percent anticipate the 2023 budget will remain the same. Twenty-eight percent of this budget will be spending on certification/registration. Quality management and process improvement are slated for nearly one-third of this budget.