This is marketing research on the Air and Gas Compressor industry and can include information on the background, market structure, definitions, competitors, trends and developments of air and gas compressors and is related to other topics such as gases, pumps, machinery, fans and blowers.

Table of Contents

[edit] Background

An Air and Gas Compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by shrinking its volume. As a result, the temperature of the gas increases. It works similar to a pump. Industrially, the category “Air and Gas Compressors” covers the compressors for general industrial use and non-agricultural spraying and dusting equipments. It does not include refrigerators and air-conditioning compressors, pneumatic pumps and motors for fluid power transmission, agricultural spraying and dusting equipments and laboratory vacuum pumps.

The world's first pump was perhaps the air pump built by Ktesibios of Alexandria about 270 B.C. The industrial revolution later revealed the spectrum of uses of the compressors. Around 1900, the stationary air compressor became a common tool in industrial use. The Air and Gas Compressor industry has developed significantly in the last 70 years and the oil exploration and drilling industry has significantly benefited from its use.

The different types of Air and Gas Compressors are as follows:

Dynamic

Centrifugal

Axial

Positive Displacement

Reciprocating

Single-Acting

Double-Acting

Diaphragm

Rotary

Lobe

Liquid Ring

Screw

Scroll

Vane

Compressor manufacturing is a small and mature industry within the industrial machinery sector. It accounts about US $5 billion per year in the U.S. Compressor products are used in the chemical industry, steel mills and blast furnaces as well as energy-related extraction industries.

Currently, about 270 companies in the U.S. manufacture Air and Gas Compressors and ancillary devices. They employed approximately 21,600 workers, of which 12,465 workers were in the production sector. The majority of Air and Gas Compressor manufacturers operated in small facilities with less than 100 employees. However, a relatively low number of larger facilities supplied the major share of output.

[edit] Market Structure

The major raw-materials used for the manufacture of compressors are as follows:

• Castings
• Aluminium
• Steel

Major finished and semi-finished components used air and gas compressors include:

• Bearings
• Crankshafts
• Switches
• Gauges
• Rotors
• Housings

Finished products for the industry include:

• Motors
• Starters
• Control panels
• Inter and after coolers
• Filters

Key types of capital equipment used in the manufacture of compressors include:

• Horizontal boring machines
• Vertical boring machines
• CNC machines
• Radial drilling machines
• 3-D measuring units
• Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
• Dynamic balancing equipment

A leading manufacturer of air and gas compressors is Atlas Copco AB of Sweden followed by Ingersoll-Rand of U.S. Leading countries of production have included Germany, United States, China, Japan, Italy and the UK. Much of the production of manufactured compressors has been custom made to a client’s specific requirements. As a result, manufacturing innovations have stressed flexibility and reliability. Emphasis has been on efficient, short-run, just-in-time manufacturing that facilitate rapid customization for evolving market needs. The value of U.S. industry shipments grew from $5.65 billion in 1997 to $6.26 billion in 2000.

[edit] Industry Definitions

• Pump - a device that moves liquids or slurries from lower pressure zone to higher pressure zone. A gas pump is called a Compressor.

• Fans/blowers - gas pumps creating very low air pressure are fans or blowers.

• Positive Displacement Compressors - compressors which trap air in a confined space and then lower the volume of that space to increase the pressure.

• Dynamic Compressors - compressors which use a fan or turbine mechanism to force the air or gas against the casing by centrifugal force.

• Centrifugal Force - the force that draws a body from the axis of rotation, caused by the inertia of body.

[edit] Market Metrics

Top Ten importers of the product group “Pumps (other than pumps for liquids), air or other 
gas compressors and fans; ventilating or recycling hoods incorporating a fan, whether or not 
fitted with” (value in US $’000):

	Country 	  2001	           2002	           2003	
1	USA 	       7,107,433	7,632,036	8,417,013	
2	China 	       2,114,921	2,763,329	3,521,060	
3	Germany	       3,458,451	3,263,983	4,075,035	
4	France 	       2,306,185	2,411,793	2,891,838	
5	Canada 	       2,476,075	2,367,753	2,391,845	
6	UK 	       1,976,245     	1,981,453          n/a			
7	Italy 	       1,739,252	1,800,072	2,199,886	
8	Mexico 	       2,413,481	1,871,610	1,913,378	
9	Japan 	       1,387,061	1,393,543	1,616,101	
10	Spain 	       1,143,549	1,250,937	1,595,906

Top Ten exporters of the product group “Pumps (other than pumps for liquids), air or other 
gas compressors and fans; ventilating or recycling hoods incorporating a fan, whether or not 
fitted with” (value in US $’000):

	Country 	  2001	           2002	           2003	
1	Germany        6,466,442	6,762,963	8,567,849	
2	USA 	       7,773,683	7,263,733	7,400,005
3	Japan 	       4,154,210	4,316,055	4,996,168	
4	Italy 	       2,964,836	3,134,299	4,021,252	
5	China 	       1,284,880	1,626,817	2,359,202	
6	France 	       2,494,804	2,797,004	3,624,001	
7	UK 	       2,330,573	2,309,987         n/a
8	Belgium        2,171,704	1,589,071	2,323,538	
9	Mexico 	         966,418	1,210,755	1,288,951	
10	South Africa 	 774,752	  980,463	1,223,211

[edit] Industry Players

Key global players in the Air and Gas Compressors industry include the following:

• Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan
• Cameron International Corporation, USA
• Man Turbo, Germany
• Atlas Copco AB, Sweden (World’s largest compressor maker)
• Ingersoll-Rand Co. Ltd., Bermuda
• Sundyne Corporation, USA
• Hokuetsu Industries Co. Ltd., Japan
• GE Oil & Gas (A divison of GE), Italy
• Dresser-Rand Group Inc., USA
• Demag, Germany
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Japan
• Ebara Corporation, Japan
• Borsig Membrane Technology, Germany
• Hitachi Ltd., Japan
• Sullair Corporation, USA
• Sulzer, Switzerland
• Gardner Denver Inc., USA
• Nordson Corporation, USA

By some estimates, Ingersoll-Rand is the largest U.S. producer and the world's second-largest. Another important US player is Thomas Industries of Louisville, Kentucky. Both Ingersoll-Rand and Thomas Industries are heavily dependent on international sales. Cameron International Corporation has focused on selling compressors and other pressure-control machinery to oil and gas mining companies.

[edit] Recent Trends and Developments

Market conditions for compressors varies widely by application and region. In the last decade, most markets, whether domestic or foreign, were difficult, demonstrating slack demand and rising international competition. For much of the 90s, the oil and natural gas markets were disappointing. Low oil prices made energy companies skeptical in investing after new equipments, but that has recently changed with the rising price of oil. For many compressor makers, selling after-market parts & accessories became more profitable than selling new compressors. Some firms in the industry also tried to cope with sluggish growth by creating economies of scope in after-market services. Portable air compressors have become one of the industry's fastest-growing products. In the late 90s, U.S manufacturers shipped almost 3 million compressors. Almost three-fourth of these, 2.20 millions, were portable models. Almost 90% of portable units were sold to equipment rental services.

[edit] Sources

Wikipedia

Answers.com (Business & Finance)

US Census Bureau

DSIR

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