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Portable air compressors play a pivotal role in mining, infrastructure and construction applications. The mining application specifically, is a segment of paramount importance, looking at the number of aggregates, which is required for infrastructure and construction projects. Similarly, the extraction of minerals such as iron ore, manganese, coal, limestone etc with reliable portable air compressors with the lowest possible energy consumption is an important application under metal mining. Also, all the infrastructure and construction projects start with excavations where portable compressors are required and then the entire work chain starts.

India air compressor market is estimated to grow modestly at a CAGR of around 6.2 per cent during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the cohesive government policies in the country to promote the manufacturing industry of India. India is continuously working towards positioning itself as a major country in technological development and industrialisation. The industrial manufacturing of electrical and metal products, cement, building and construction material, machinery and equipment, rubber, and plastic products, and so on offers a major contribution towards the Indian economy.

The companies that are contributing to the growth of the India industrial air compressor market include Atlas Copco, Bauer Compressors, ELGi Equipments, Doosan Power, Hitachi, and Siemens AG, among others. The market players are considerably contributing to the market growth by the adoption of various strategies including new product launch, merger, and acquisition, collaborations with government, funding to the start-ups, and technological advancements to stay competitive in the market. 

According to a report from Off-Highway Research, the mobile compressor market is expected to grow at a rate of 8 per cent from 5,108 in 2017 to 5,500 in 2022. Demand has been consistently growing in the last two years and is expected to remain buoyant in the near future with the stable government is at the Centre.

In April 2019, ELGi Equipments introduced the AB Series, the smallest oil-free screw air compressor. This range offers solutions to the customers at nearly 8 to 10 per cent reduced lifecycle cost than the prevailing oil-free technology. With the ease of use and significantly lower maintenance, customers can have reliable, high air purity for sensitive industrial applications. This new series will enable the company to increase its customer base across industries, especially the pharmaceutical industry.

Says Tony Van Herbruggen, General Manager, Power Technique Customer Center, Atlas Copco India, 鈥淧ortable air compressors play a crucial role in providing consistent and reliable air in mining, infrastructure, and construction applications. The mining application specifically, is a segment of immense importance, looking at the number of aggregates which is required for infrastructure and construction projects. Similarly, the extraction of minerals such as iron ore, manganese, coal, limestone, etc. with reliable portable air compressors with the lowest possible energy consumption is an important application under metal mining. Similarly, all the infrastructure and construction projects start with excavations where portable compressors are required and then the entire work chain starts.鈥�

Ramesh Kumar G, General Manager 鈥� Portables, ISAAME (India, South Asia, Africa and Middle-east), ELGi Equipments, says 鈥淎ir compressors are used in a range of applications in construction and mining operations. Some key areas of usage include piling, road cleaning, rock anchoring, sandblasting, shotcrete, pigging, blue metal, coal mining, iron ore mining, granite mining, marble mining, and sandstone. Demand for air compressors is increasing consistently year on year on account of various Government initiatives in infrastructure development.鈥�

Dasika Ramarao, General Manager Sales & Marketing, Doosan Portable Power, says that mobile compressors play a significant role in road cleaning, breaking, rock anchoring, rock drilling, OB drilling, and sandblasting applications.

Innovations and new product development is a common strategy adopted by manufacturers in order to attain competitive edge over other suppliers. Players in the portable air compressors are bringing in a range of solutions in the market with breakthrough technologies at regular intervals. The focus is more on fuel efficiency, emission, noise reduction, adaptability to specific application needs of the market, optimised O&M cost, serviceability, and safety, which are the key buying factors of a customer. In the construction and mining industry, portable compressors are offered in the range of 180-1,000 cfm (volume of air)/ 100-300 psi (power capacity).

Adds Herbruggen, 鈥淥ur electric portable compressor E-Air range, including 45KW, 55KW, 75KW, 90KW, 110KW and 132KW offers the most versatile and full range of pressure and flow combinations so that our customers can experience the full power of electric! Atlas Copco aims to contribute to a clean environment with clean and green solutions and our E-Air range of compressors is the right step towards achieving this goal.鈥�

Doosan introduced state-of-the-art electronic engines, the first in the segment. These machines are focussed on low fuel consumption per foot with less carbon footprint and can easily be upgraded to the latest applicable emission norms. This is part of Doosan鈥檚 initiative to bring awareness and upgrade the customers to the advanced technology and solutions in the portable compressors business. The objective is to maximise the ROI and yet be environmentally friendly. Working on various alternate fuels along with the reputed engine manufacturers to get diesel-free engines.

Doosan air compressors are rugged and predominantly known for their low and high-ambient temperature handling features, sturdy performance with reliability, durability, and fuel efficiency faster drilling 鈥� with the innovative technology of cooling package, oil, and separation systems where quite improvements are achieved over a decade.

Says Ramarao, 鈥淪tate-of-the-art electronic engines, and highly efficient air end technology supported by the proven package solutions offer the lowest fuel consumption per foot. We are working on the global platforms to bring the advanced emission norms within our product range.鈥�

ELGi has recently launched its two high-performance and energy-efficient electric-powered PG 110E -13.5 and the diesel-powered PG 575 鈥� 225 portable air compressors that offer customers low maintenance costs, high energy efficiency, and high productivity. 鈥淎 highly efficient three-stage filtration system makes these portable compressors suitable for operations in various dusty environments, delivering unmatched performance under the toughest site conditions,鈥� adds Herbruggen.

The ELGi鈥檚 PG Series low noise electric-powered portable air compressors are powered by IE3 motors integrated with proprietary ?-V profile airends that are designed to maximise efficiency and minimise energy consumption. The ELGi鈥檚 PG series diesel powered portable air compressors are powered by reliable engines known globally and designed to provide the best fuel economy and low emissions in their class.

The future looks positive for mobile compressors. Almost every demand segment is progressing. The momentum in infrastructure creation and development of existing infrastructure has created new opportunities for construction activities in large numbers and with bigger scales. As the construction activities picking up, need for aggregates is on the rise which has opened up more growth opportunities for aggregate mining and quarrying. Requirement for limestone and granite is also on the rise, prompting more mining activity in these segments. With coal and iron ore mining on a revival path, more mining activities are expected in the coming years. With water level going down on the earth, there is an increased need for bore wells to source underground water effectively. All these are new opportunities for portable air compressors for various applications.

Says Ramarao, 鈥淲e are relying on self-resilience; strengthening our R&D and localisation of products are the future plans of action. Planning to add complementary products and technology to bring down the production cost. Gearing up for the upcoming BS-IV and V norms for construction equipment and further looking at the possibilities to export machines to NA & EMEA. Digital marketing and remote machine management are in pipeline.鈥�

Adds Herbruggen, 鈥淲e plan to increase our range of highly energy efficient, reliable, electric, and diesel-driven portable screw air compressors that provide low operation and maintenance costs to meet the evolving application requirements of our customers.鈥�

In spite of the stringent emission and pollution control norms, the market for mobile compressors is expected to grow in future owing to the development of the application markets.