Hearing protection devices market

Hearing Protection Devices Market – Insights

Hearing protection devices are devices worn in or over the ears to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. There are several types of hearing protection devices such as earmuffs, earplugs, hearing bands, and others. Earmuffs are devices worn over the ears to provide hearing protection by reducing noise levels, while earplugs are inserted in the ear canal to protect the ear from loud noise, water intrusion, foreign bodies, dust, or excessive wind. Ear muffs can be used at industrial and manufacturing sites, mines, music concerts, war (defense sector) and others.

The global hearing protection devices market was valued at US$ 1,509.3 million in 2018 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period (2019 – 2027)

Figure 1. Global Hearing Protection Devices Market Share, By Product Type (%)

Source: Coherent Market Insights Analysis (2019)

Increase in launches of hearing protection devices is expected to drive the global hearing protection market growth

Increasing demand for hearing protection devices has led manufacturers to develop and launch innovative products. For instance, in January 2017, 3M launched PELTOR Sport Tactical 300 and PELTOR Sport Tactical 500 electronic hearing protectors at The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) in Las Vegas, U.S.

This product of 3M works on self-monitoring analysis and reporting (SMART) technology that automatically adjusts noise frequency according to the given working environment and type of firearm for customized hearing protection.

Increasing prevalence of hearing loss has led to an increase in demand for hearing protection devices, which is expected to drive growth of the global hearing protection devices market over the forecast period.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), in March 2019, one among every ten people in the U.S. suffer from hearing impairment, which can deteriorate an individual’s ability to recognize and understand normal speech. Exposure to intense sounds is one of the primary causes of impaired hearing. According to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2019, 466 million people across the globe have disabled hearing, among which 34 million are children.

Moreover, a large number of hearing loss cases are reported at manufacturing sites. For instance, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 2018, globally around 46% of workers at manufacturing sites were exposed to hazardous noise, among which 18% of the workers developed hearing difficulty, and about 11% of the workers have tinnitus (a perception of noise or ringing in the ears). Increasing prevalence of hearing loss is expected to drive demand for hearing protection devices and boost the global hearing protection devices market growth.

Noise-induced hearing loss led to increase the demand of hearing protection devices to prevent people from hearing impairment.

Hearing impairment is not a life-threatening health concern, however hearing loss has major impact on an individual’s quality of life. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), in 2016, around one in eight people in the U.S. (13%) aged 12 years or older, suffered from hearing loss in both ears. In the U.S., around 12% of the total population suffered from hearing impairment caused due to loud noise. Such increasing prevalence is rising the demand of hearing protection devices to prevent noise induced hearing loss. This is expected to drive global hearing protection devices market growth.

Key players are focusing on inorganic strategies to enhance and expand their product portfolio, which is expected to propel growth of the global hearing protection devices market

Increasing demand for hearing protection devices has influenced major players to expand their product portfolios by adopting inorganic growth strategies such as mergers and acquisitions with other firms to expand their offerings. For instance, in December 2018, Amplifon acquired GAES, a privately-owned specialty hearing care retailer. This acquisition helped Amplifon to expand its presence in the global hearing care retail market.

Global Hearing Protection Devices Market- Regional Analysis

Regional segmentation of the global hearing protection devices market includes North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

Europe is expected to witness significant demand for hearing protection devices market owing to increasing product launches by major players in this region. For instance, in July 2019, CENS Digital launched the ProFlex DX Series of hearing protection earplugs, including DX1 & DX3, for shooters. In October 2019, CENS Digital announced the availability of 0% finance options for all its electronic hearing protection earplugs. Customer has to spend US$ 307.5 (£250) on CENS Digital’s website to qualify for interest-free finance options to make CENS Proflex more affordable to customers.

Asia Pacific is expected to show significant growth owing to increasing prevalence of disabled hearing among the geriatric population over the forecast period. For instance, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), around one third of the people over the age of 65 have disabled hearing. For instance, according to WHO in 2015, South Asia accounted for around 27% of the global incidence of hearing impairment, and East Asia accounted for 22%. This growing prevalence is expected to drive the Asia Pacific hearing protection devices market growth.

Global Hearing Protection Devices Market - Restraints

Factors such as lack of awareness about hearing protection devices, and improper maintenance of the device before and after use which can cause discomfort and itching to the wearer. Also hearing protection devices such as electronic hearing protection devices may show heating (device get warm) issues or pain in ear canal after prolonged use, this is expected to restrain the global hearing protection devices market growth.

Figure 2: Global Hearing Protection Devices Market Share (%), By Region, (2019 & 2027)

Source: Coherent Market Insights Analysis (2019)

Key Players

Key companies covered as a part of this study include 3M, Starkey Laboratories India Pvt. Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., Hellberg Safety Ab, Amplifon., Dynamic Ear Company, Centurion Safety Products Ltd., Sonomax Technologies Inc., Siemens Healthcare GmbH, ADCO Hearing Products Inc., Elvex Corporation and Moldex-Metric Inc.