The Global Industrial Gas Business

Report Highlights

• The global industrial gas market was worth $29.2 billion in 2005 and $30.9 billion in 2006. Growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%, this market will reach almost $40 billion by 2011.
• Chemical and refining-related processing held the largest share of the market, worth just over 34.3% in 2006 ($10.6 billion) and 33.8% in 2011 ($13.5 billion).
• The electronics sector has the highest growth potential throughout the forecast period, with a CAGR of 7.2%. By 2011, this sector will be worth more than $6.9 billion.
• Europe is the largest geographical market for industrial gases, with 34% of the total global market in 2005, dropping slightly to 32% by 2011. Close behind Europe is North America, with 32% of the market in 2005 and 31% in 2011.

INTRODUCTION

This study of world markets for industrial gases provides a critical view of these markets, including demand scenarios. It assesses the role of industrial gases as a key factor in almost all major markets that account for more than 50% of the global gross domestic product. It quantifies demands for industrial gases by category, product type, application, purity, and technology, and the relationships between major consumers and producers.

Focus is placed on major challenges to long-term development of the industrial gas economy and various technologies. These include the various processing stages and how they relate to consumption and demand patterns. Another objective of this report is to provide a critical evaluation of the current status of industrial gas markets and how recent environmental legislation and technological breakthroughs will affect them.

SCOPE OF STUDY

This report contains:

• Detailed market analysis of the global industrial gas business, including coverage of chemicals and refining-related processing, metal manufacturing, electronics, medical, food, pulp & paper, and other product sectors
• An analysis of industrial gas market size and segmentation for the 2005-2011 time period The market is segmented by product type, type of end-user, application, production technology, purity grade, region, distribution channel and supply mode (e.g., pipeline, cylinder, etc.)
• A technology overview including important innovations and potential upcoming developments
• Discussion of government environmental and energy regulations as they applies to industrial gases along with descriptions of environmental regulation changes and agencies involved.
• A detailed patent analysis as well as profiles for all the major companies in the industry.

METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES

The findings and conclusions of this report are based on information gathered from industry sources, including manufacturers, distributors, and users of industrial gases. Interview data were combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary sources such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature, and online databases to produce the projections contained in this report.

The base-year for analysis and projection is 2005. With 2005 as a baseline, market projections were developed for 2006 to 2011. These projections are based on a combination of a consensus among the primary contacts combined with our understanding of the key market drivers and their impact from a historical and analytical perspective. The analytical methodologies used to generate the market estimates are described in detail in the section on Market Size and Segmentation.

All dollar projections presented in this report are in 2005 constant dollars.

ANALYST CREDENTIALS

This report is an update of an earlier report prepared by Edward Gobina, a research professor in Chemical and Processing Engineering who has over 15 years research and teaching experience in petrochemical reaction engineering, catalysis, and membrane technology. Dr. Gobina has published extensively, with over 80 publications in international scientific journals.

The analyst responsible for updating the report is Andrew McWilliams, a partner in the Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm, 43rd Parallel LLC. Mr. McWilliams is the author of numerous other BCC reports, including The Market for Thermal Management Technologies, Semiconductor/Microelectronics Cleaning, Nondestructive Testing, The Maturing ESD Market: Challenges and Opportunities for the Future, and Catalysts for Environmental and Energy Applications.