This Thomas Index Report is sponsored by Compressed Air Systems in Tampa, Florida, a leading distributor of industrial air compressors and equipment since 1963.
Hello. In this week’s Thomas Index Report, we’re going to take a look at sourcing activity for Air Compressors by users of the Thomasnet.com platform. Our data shows that over the past 12 weeks, sourcing activity in this category is up 38% over its historical average.
Our firmographic buyer data shows that three of the top industries driving this trend are Construction, Manufacturing, and Food and Beverage.
Almost every industry uses compressed air. It can be used to power construction tools, drive pneumatic actuators on production lines, form blow molded plastic components, sort pharmaceuticals for packaging, clean electrical components, make artificial snow for resorts, enable oil and gas drilling rigs, and power the paint spray guns for body shops. With such a wide array of applications, it’s no surprise that the global air compressor market is expected to exceed $37B by 2022.
Our data shows that much of the growth we are seeing in the sourcing of air compressors is being powered tangentially by the growth of the food and beverage industry we have reported on recently.
Standard air compressors, like the portable one you might have in your garage, cannot be used for the production of edible products. This is due to the oil and contaminants that are in the exhaust. At a rate of two parts per million carryover, an oil-flooded 100 hp compressor operating for one year will introduce over four gallons of lubricant into a compressed air system. While this is not an issue for many applications, mandates on food safety and health requirements dictate the need for cleaner systems. The requirements are covered by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act and ISO 8573.1 2010. Oil-free air compressor systems are sealed to eliminate the expulsion of oil and other contaminants into the surrounding air, making the food and drinks being produced safe for us to consume.
Kyle Randall from Compressed Air Systems shared, “With industry standards and guidelines becoming more strict, the need for clean, uncontaminated air has given us the opportunity to provide our customers with oil-free compressor products and solutions to help them with compliance.”
The demand for oil-free systems is increasing rapidly as older systems are replaced with these safer, more efficient models and more players enter the food and beverage market.
Moving on from air compressors, here’s a look at the top 10 industrial product and service categories being sourced on the Thomasnet.com platform over the past four weeks.
- Steel
- CNC Machining
- Printed Circuit Boards
- Injection Molded Plastics
- Metal Stampings
- Lumber
- Tube Fabrication & Bending Services
- Metal Fabrication
- Plastic Bottles
- Contract Manufacturing
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Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week.