Welcome

Welcome to the 2019/20 edition of AirUser - your independent guide to air powered systems. This is the 23rd edition of the guide and this year we are excited to bring you a mix of informative articles from leading experts in the compressed air field, complemented by a wide range of manufacturer and supplier profiles and an extensive directory that lists both manufacturers and distributors.

Despite these uncertain times it is a positive story for the compressed air sector where, in both number of units sold, and the KW capacity of those units, the market for new equipment has continued to grow to the end of the first quarter of 2019. Vanda Jones, executive director, The British Compressed Air Society, explains in the BCAS report: "For our manufacturing members, the market’s thirst for numbers of new compressors and the kilowatts of power that they produce has not seen a down turn."

It seems no area of manufacturing is untouched by Industry 4.0 which is now clearly starting to take effect, meaning compressed air users need to consider the opportunities it can present for improving performance, identifying inefficiencies and optimising equipment processes. According to BCAS the challenge for equipment suppliers now – and compressed air systems producers are no exception to this – is to move beyond the theory and the conversations to practical application.

Compressed air is often referred to as the fourth utility, with the electrical energy used to drive air compressors equating to approximately 10 per cent of all the electricity used in the UK so as ever energy efficiency is a key topic in this year's guide. A key challenge for operators therefore is to improve bottom line productivity by considering the total cost of equipment ownership over its entire life, rather than just its initial capital price - more on this in our key article about energy efficiency. 

Following the British Compressed Air Society’s (BCAS) publication of its ‘Filtration and Drying of Compressed Air’ best practice guide earlier this year, this year's guide also includes a very useful article outlining some of the key areas to consider when selecting the appropriate air treatment equipment for the application.

With the PSSR Regulations 2000 an ever popular topic, also not to be missed in this issue is our handy checklist for AirUser readers on the key areas of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR).

And don't forget to check out our regular myth busters feature where Roy Brooks, BCAS technical development officer sorts out the fact from the fiction. 

We hope that you enjoy the guide and as ever we are extremely grateful to all our contributors and supporters with a special mention for Vanda and the BCAS team. Your feedback and suggestions for next year's guide is always welcome.