To prevent the North American reciprocating and rotary vacuum pumps market from being relegated to the position of a commodity market, manufacturers will have to differentiate their products. Research and development is the way forward for this market, since it is becoming increasingly difficult for participants to tell themselves apart on the basis of pump design.
The latest analysis from Frost & Sullivan, North American Reciprocating and Rotary Vacuum Pumps Market, reveals that the market earned revenues of $484.5 million in 2005 and estimates this to reach $584.2 million in 2012. The lack of innovative products has compelled the participants to compete on prices. However, to stave off such a situation, manufacturers are offering engines that are more energy efficient as well as improved customer care from the time of initial contact to even after installation.
Participants are also promoting their products' lower servicing and maintenance requirements as well as sophisticated controls and diagnostic systems. Some participants are also marketing the reduced size of their equipment as a significant product benefit.
These efforts of manufacturers are being backed by government initiatives such as strict environmental regulations regarding emissions and contamination control. These laws compel end users in chemical processing and other industrial sectors to replace equipment that does not comply with industry standards.
"A growing number of industries are avoiding risks of contamination by switching from older oil filled pumps to dry pumps," notes Frost & Sullivan research analyst Alok Tiku. "Dry vacuum pumps, although priced at a premium, have relatively low maintenance costs as there is no need for oil changes or associated maintenance."
Dry rotary pumps are becoming increasingly popular in end-user sectors where high purity is vital. This low-contamination equipment is in great demand in hospitals, pharmaceutical facilities, laboratories and certain chemical-processing environments. Reciprocating vacuum pumps also score over other pumps in the area of equipment efficiency, since these devices maintain optimum efficiency throughout its lifetime. This considerably reduces maintenance needs as well. "This efficiency is being particularly valued in the semiconductor market, which has been a major end-user segment of the reciprocating vacuum pumps market," notes Tiku. "An improving economy and a resurgent semiconductor industry have ensured that the market revenue gains a boost in the near future."
The aerospace and defense sector has also contributed greatly to the market's expansion, since government agencies have invested a part of the hiked defense budgets in the reciprocating and rotary vacuum pumps market.
