Compressed Air Treatment Equipment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Filters, Dryers, Aftercoolers), By Application (Chemical, Food & Beverages, Pharmaceutical), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Report Overview

The global compressed air treatment equipment market size was valued at USD 8.38 billion in 2022 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.2% from 2023 to 2030. Compressed air also known as the fourth utility is used across diverse industrial sectors. The application areas vary from untreated blow-down air to completely oil-free, sterile compressed air for the food and pharmaceutical industry. Uncertainty regarding economic conditions is expected to affect the market drastically, especially due to the spread of the new COVID-19 strain which may force industries to impose a lockdown in the near future. Other factors affecting the market may include currency exchange rates, inflation, deflation, and credit availability.

Compressed air treatment solutions improve end-use machinery performance and reliability while lowering CO₂ emissions, energy consumption, and operational costs to deliver maximum manufacturing uptime. This has led to increased product adoption in several end-use industries, such as chemical, food & beverages, automotive, and aerospace & defense.

Compressed air treatment equipment is heavily used in manufacturing end-use industries, such as food & beverage, paper, chemical, and pharmaceutical. For instance, chemical industries usually face inefficient or disorganized storage. This issue can be resolved with storage and handling systems that are highly specific or customized toward the load.

The procedure of treating the air before it is used for the relevant application has a greater impact on the quality of compressed air than the compression itself. The equipment not only shields end-use gear from all types of impurities but also increases its performance and lengthens its lifespan by minimizing corrosion and rust, making compressed air treatment a wise decision when purchasing a compressor.

Innovation, global competition, and new technologies are the key driving factors behind the compressed air treatment industry's expansion and growth. Companies are increasingly investing in research & development to develop products that are technologically advanced, energy-efficient, and cost-effective. However, the advent of smart technologies that resonates with the Industry 4.0 revolution across the globe is anticipated to be the prominent driving factor for market growth in the next seven years. For instance, Kaeser Kompressoren has introduced the SIGMA AIR MANAGER 4.0, an advanced compressed air management system. The system helps in enhancing the reliability & efficiency of air treatment with the help of an adaptive 3-D Advanced Control system that calculates the perfect compressor combination to provide maximum energy efficiency.

Product Insights

The filters segment accounted for 39.3% in 2022. The filters segment is projected to gain traction as they are energy-efficient, easy to use, and offer safety and flexibility. Furthermore, the availability of high-performance filters that help reduce pressure loss by approximately 40% - 50% is expected to propel segment growth over the coming years.

Refrigeration dryers operate on the principle of condensation by compressed air cooling through a refrigeration circuit. These dryers are used to eliminate water vapor in several industrial applications including chemical, food processing & packaging, paper, semiconductor manufacturing, and pharmaceutical drugs. Furthermore, they are also used in the healthcare sector for several dental and surgical equipment.

An aftercooler is a heat exchanger used in turbocharged engines (after the compressor) to cool the compressed air off back to near ambient temperature as soon as it is discharged from the compressor. It uses ambient air to condense moisture in the compressed air. This condensation process also helps to cool the air. These aforementioned benefits of the aftercooler product segment are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

The others product segment includes condensate drains, and oil/vapor separators. Condensate drains help reduce the wear of the distribution network and attached compressed air equipment. Specially designed drain technology enables controlled drainage of condensate without any compressed air leak.

End-use Insights

The chemical end-use segment dominated the market and accounted for 22.1% in 2022. Compressed air treatment equipment is widely used in a variety of end-use industries such as chemical, paper, food & beverages, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and others. Chemical industries usually face inefficient or disorganized storage. This issue can be resolved with storage and handling systems that are highly specific or customized toward the load. Growing product demand owing to its high adoption in various chemical processes is expected to drive the demand. 

Food processing and pharmaceutical plants require clean rooms with zero impurities for product manufacturing. This has led to the emergence of industrial standards for compressed air treatment equipment. The most widely used standard in the market is ISO8573 which seeks to establish a method for classifying the purity of compressed air. 

The integration of humidity detection sensors in the air treatment system ensures the quality of end products. Growing product demand owing to the aforementioned factors is boosting their adoption across the pharmaceutical and food processing industries, thereby driving the overall sales for compressed air filtration products. 

Furthermore, the growing disposable income and rising Internet penetration have created shopping convenience online. This has urged the need to set up more warehouses, which would indirectly spur compressed air treatment equipment sales across the e-commerce industry. This in turn is expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. 

Regional Insights

North America region accounted for 27.7% in 2022 owing to the region’s rapidly expanding chemical and food & beverage sectors. Dry and clean air enhances machine life and improves product quality, lowering maintenance costs. As a result of these reasons, there has been an increase in demand in the aforementioned industries, which is likely to continue over the forecast period. 

The compressed air treatment equipment market in the Asia Pacific is likely to increase significantly in the future years as industrial facilities and infrastructure investment in India, China, and Japan expands. Furthermore, the increasing use of modern automation technology in various production units is likely to boost product sales. 

The regional food and beverage industry has been heavily impacted by compressed air treatment equipment due to the availability of leading manufacturers. The rapidly expanding industrial, pharmaceutical, and other end-use sectors are likely to drive significant growth in the compressed air treatment equipment market in Europe over the forecast period. Compressed air treatment equipment improves the efficiency of hospital equipment and decreases rust and corrosion of surgical instruments caused by polluted air. The expanding pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors are likely to drive the market demand for compressed air treatment equipment throughout the forecast period. 

The expansion of a number of food processing industries in Central and South America, coupled with increasing automation in the food and beverage sector, is likely to drive demand for compressed air treatment equipment in these industries. Additionally, the growing need for packaged foods and snacks around the globe as well as a rise in the use of clean, food-grade compressed air for tasks like bottle cleaning and spray painting are predicted to fuel market growth in this area. 

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The key players in this industry are Atlas Copco AB, Donaldson Company, Inc., Ingersoll-Rand, Mann+Hummel, Pentair plc, and Airfilter Engineering. To maintain market share, major players frequently engage in mergers and acquisitions as well as new product launches. These companies focus on R&D and integrate several advanced technologies to sustain themselves in a highly competitive environment. For instance, Atlas Copco AB acquired German-based compressed air services solutions providers named THN Druckluft and Produktions GmbH & Co.KG (THN). The acquisition allows the former to strengthen its market presence in Germany.

A few companies undertake vertical integration at the design and production levels to a large degree, although most manufacturers focus on only one aspect of the value chain. Furthermore, they focus on gaining a competitive advantage by expanding their local as well as international reach. Some prominent players in the global compressed air treatment equipment market include:

• Atlas Copco AB

• Airfilter Engineering

• Beko Technologies

• BOGE

• Chicago Pneumatic

• Sanmina Corporation

• Ingersoll-Rand

• Mann+Hummel

Compressed Air Treatment Equipment Market Report Scope

Global Compressed Air Treatment Equipment Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis of the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the compressed air treatment equipment market report based on product, application, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

  • Filters

    • Particulate Filter/Pre-Filter

    • Coalescing Filter/Oil Removal

    • Activated Carbon Filter

    • Others

  • Dryers

    • Refrigerated Dryers

    • Desiccant Air Dryers

    • Membrane Dryers

    • Others

  • Aftercoolers

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

  • Chemical

  • Food & Beverages

  • Automotive

  • Pulp & Paper

  • Pharmaceutical

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • France

    • UK

    • Italy

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

    • India

    • South Korea

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

    • Argentina

  • Middle East & Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • South Africa