The growth and development in the industrial process sector are in accordance with the upcoming Industry 4.0 technologies. This data-driven Industrial Process Market Outlook 2025 explores how the investment patterns, employment scenario, and startup landscape are supporting the developments. Further, it also covers the impact of major trends like CNC machining, 3D prototyping, and micromachining on the sector.
Artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), robotics, big data, human-machine collaboration, and digital twins are some of the key technologies influencing the sector. Industries like aerospace, automotive, energy, and manufacturing are majorly utilizing modern industrial processes to improve efficiency, predictive maintenance, automation, and precision.
Executive Summary: Industrial Process Market Outlook 2025
- Industry Growth Overview: The industrial process sector is growing at a rate of -0.89%. Despite the dip in the yearly growth rate, there are 360 900+ companies in the sector. Moreover, there are 4,600+ startups working to develop the industrial process domain. In 2023, manufacturers contributed USD 2.38 trillion to the US economy, which is approximately 12% of the US GDP.
- Manpower and Employment Pattern: The companies in the industrial process sector employ over 25.3 million people. Additionally, 982 800+ people joined the workforce last year.
- Global Footprint: The top countries with the highest industrial process sector activities are the United States, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China. The cities leading the sector’s development with the highest number of companies are Mumbai, London, New York City, Bangalore, and Melbourne.
- Grants and Patents: More than 419 100 applicants filed over 4 461 000 patents. Additionally, the sector received 25 400+ grants.
- Investment Landscape: Companies in the industrial process sector held over 71 600 funding rounds and raised over USD 31 million, which supported more than 27 500 companies.
- Top Investors: Key investors like the European Investment Bank, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, and more invest more than USD 17 billion in the development of the industrial process sector.
- Startup Environment: Emerging startups like Diodela (industrial laser system), Stoff2 (electrolysis technology for industrial green hydrogen), Rapidworks (no-code process management platform), Stream Sensing (industrial real-time rheology instruments), and Greendur (industrial heat decarbonization) represent the promising future of development of the industrial process sector.
What Data is Used to Create This Industrial Process Market Report?
Based on the data provided by our Discovery Platform, we observe that the industrial process market ranks among the top 5% in the following categories relative to all 20K topics in our database.
These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the short-term future direction of the market.
- News Coverage & Publications: In the past year, news outlets and publications published over 7600 articles about activities related to industrial processes.
- Funding Rounds: Our database records 71 600+ funding rounds for companies of different levels in the industrial processes sector.
- Manpower: The domain employs a workforce of 25.3 million. Additionally, 982 800+ new people joined last year.
- Patents: There are 4 461 000+ registered patents in the industrial processes sector.
- Grants: Government bodies have awarded 25 400+ grants to the industrial process sector, which contributes significantly to its development.
Methodology: How We Created This Industrial Process Report
This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered Startus Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 25 million companies and 20 000 technologies and trends globally, including detailed insights on approximately 5 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this extensive database, we provide actionable insights on emerging technologies and market trends.
For this report, we focused on the evolution of industrial process over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:
- Total Companies working on the trend
- News Coverage and Annual Growth
- Market Maturity and Patents
- Global Search Volume & Growth
- Funding Activity and Top Countries
- Subtrends within industrial process
Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.
Additionally, we reviewed external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the industrial process market.
Explore the Data-driven Industrial Process Market Report for 2025
Our database records an annual growth rate of -0.89% for the industrial process sector. However, the dip in the growth rate is countered by the 4600+ startups and 360 900+ companies, which are working towards making industrial processes more technologically advanced. Additionally, the companies in the industrial processes sector filed 4 461 000+ patents and received over 25 400 grants.
The sector’s continuous growth is evident in its substantial global workforce of 25.3 million. Additionally, 982 200+ employees joined the workforce last year. It is estimated that there will be 4.6 million more jobs in the manufacturing department in the next 10 years in the United States.
The United States, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China are the top country hubs for innovations in the industrial processes sector. China accounts for 28.7% of the global manufacturing output. At a city level, Mumbai, London, New York City, Bangalore, and Melbourne stand out as the leading hubs for research and development.
A Snapshot of the Global Industrial Process Market
The industrial processes sector recorded an annual growth of -0.89% last year. Despite that, there are 4600+ startups developing technologies to make industrial processes more sustainable, easy to use, and inclusive. There are 7400+ early-stage startups and 15 900+ more in the merger and acquisition stage.
Intellectual property within the industrial processes sector is evident by the 4 461 000+ patents filed by 419 100+ applicants. However, yearly patent growth showed a marginal decline of -0.15%. China leads in patent issuance with 1 193 800+ patents, followed closely by the United States with 952 600+ patents.
The industrial software supporting the industrial process market is projected to reach USD 46.6 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 16.7% from 2024 to 2029.
Explore the Funding Landscape of the Industrial Process Market
Over 36 000 investors from the industrial process domain participated in more than 71 600 funding rounds. These investments supported 27 500+ companies, indicating a broad distribution of capital. The average investment value stands at USD 31.2 million per round.
Who is Investing in the Industrial Process Market?
Top investors invested USD 17.3 billion in the industrial process sector.
- The European Investment Bank invested USD 4 billion in 24 companies.
- BNP Paribas contributed USD 2.3 billion to 19 companies. It also launched the Baroda BNP Paribas Manufacturing Fund in 2024 to support the expanding manufacturing landscape of India.
- Goldman Sachs spent USD 2.2 billion on 25 companies.
- Softbank distributed USD 2 billion across 26 companies. It also invested USD 150 million and partnered with Alat, a Saudi Arabian company to establish a joint venture for manufacturing industrial robots.
- Blackrock invested USD 1.9 billion in 21 companies.
- KFW IPEX Bank spent USD 1.8 billion on 5 companies. The bank also supported DAH Group in building a biogas platform for biomethane production.
- EnCap Investments distributed USD 1.7 billion across 10 companies. The
- Tiger Global invested USD 1.4 billion in 47 companies. It also provided Infinite Uptime with a series B3 funding of USD 18.85 million.
Top Industrial Process Innovations & Trends with the Discovery Platform
Discover the emerging trends in the Industrial Process market along with their firmographic details:
- CNC Machining is a growing trend in the industrial processes sector with more than 650 000 people working in 18 740+ companies. The sector is growing at a rate of 1.45% annually and hired 26 200+ people last year. High-speed machining and multi-axis machining are two prevailing methods of CNC machining. Currently, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, and more are used to ensure efficient and precise CNC machining.
- The 3D Prototyping sector employs 26 300+ professionals in 750+ companies. The domain further hired 1100+ people in the last year. The 3D prototyping field is growing at a rate of 8.48%. The sector is addressing challenges of sustainable manufacturing where waste reduction, material recycling, and upcycling are significant.
- Micromachining represents a growing niche in the industrial processes sector with more than 520 companies. These companies employ 29 100+ workers currently and hired 1200+ people last year. The domain is growing at a rate of 5.22% annually. Latest developments in this domain include laser micromachining, electrochemical micromachining, ultrasonic micromachining, and micro-electrical discharge machining.
5 Top Examples from 4600+ Innovative Industrial Process Startups
The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.
Diodela develops Industrial Laser System
Lithuania-based startup Diodela provides handheld and automated industrial laser welding and cleaning systems. This laser welding offers higher speed than metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG).
It requires minimal heat input, which ensures decreased oxidation, and minimal metal distortion, and reduces the requirement for additional processing of metals. The startup’s laser welds are easy to operate and produce welds with high consistency and strength.
Using these laser welding, industries like automotive, aviation, electronics, medical, semiconductors process metals, non-ferrous metals, plastics, and dissimilar materials.
Diodela’s laser cleaning is suitable for restoration, weld processing, materials texturing, surface sanitation, and paint removal of surfaces made of metals, stone, plastics, and compounds. The laser welding and laser cleaning technologies offer precision and efficiency and are suitable for modern manufacturing.
STOFF2 builds Electrolysis Technology for Industrial Green Hydrogen
German startup STOFF2 produces green hydrogen using a zinc intermediate step electrolyzer, Zinc Zwischenschritt Electrolyzer (ZZE). The electrolyzer produces and stores green hydrogen in the form of solid zinc metal, which saves resources and is safe. The process starts by drawing electricity at a high speed and storing the energy it contains.
It releases oxygen and deposits the energy as zinc metal on the electrode. As the zinc dissolves in the electrolyte, the energy stored in the metal on the electrode is released as green hydrogen, electricity, and heat.
The startup’s process uses renewable energy (solar or wind) for high-energy production. The hybrid functionality of the electrolyzer makes it suitable for energy storage. STOFF2’s electrolyzer is RED-II compliant, produces green hydrogen on demand, is less technically complex, and conveniently integrates into existing electricity and gas supply.
It also separates the time of power intake and hydrogen production. The resultant green hydrogen is suitable for industrial processes in industries like mobility, utilities, and chemicals.
Rapidworks designs No-Code Process Management Platform
Estonian startup Rapidworks builds software for process tracking in the manufacturing industry. The software offers complete transparency from all stakeholders and addresses the challenge of continuous status meetings, manual reporting, and missing out on important information. It also allows digital workflow modeling and innovation management.
It additionally offers automated reports and analytics, custom notifications, and detailed project plans, which ensures faster decision-making. The software is suitable for manufacturers to collaborate, simulate, transform, and develop workflow models.
Stream Sensing manufactures Industrial Real-Time Rheology Instruments
UK-based startup Stream Sensing builds rheology instruments for real-time rheology measurements. The instruments use electrical resistance sensing technology to evaluate the velocity profile of a fluid within the pipe.
The velocity profile uses the conductivity distribution of the fluid inside the pipe cross-section. The distribution is mapped at a few more places where the thermal stimulus fluctuates briefly.
The conductivity distribution also provides more quality control parameters like homogeneity and aeration of the fluid. The rheology measurements assist in monitoring, optimizing, and controlling the quality control process with real-time updates.
It is suitable for in-plant and opaque fluids, industrial-grade fluids (chemicals, paints, and coatings), and daily consumer use fluids (ketchup, shampoo, and fabric wash).
Greendur optimizes Industrial Heat Decarbonization
Spanish startup Greendur provides a thermal battery that stores energy and decarbonizes industrial heat generation. The startup uses a technological solution to store energy as a form of heat and release it when required. The thermal battery is flexible and multi-functional.
It is chargeable with renewable energy like solar energy, wind energy, electricity from the grid, local green energy, or waste heat from industrial plants. The battery is a plug-and-play solution, suitable for industries like paper, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverages, textile, plastic, and mining.
Gain Comprehensive Insights into Industrial Process Trends, Startups, or Technologies
The industrial processes report highlights how the current technologies ensure efficient and sustainable operations in various sectors like manufacturing, construction, aerospace, shipbuilding, manufacturing, and more. It also covers how trends like CNC machining, 3D prototyping, and micromachining are improving industrial processes.
The 2025 industrial process market report underscores the sector’s important role in supporting organizations to navigate complex regulatory frameworks while driving innovation and efficiency. As global markets evolve, the adoption of advanced technologies and data-driven approaches has become essential in addressing industrial process challenges and adding resilience.
Get in touch to explore all 4600+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting 360 900+ companies.
