Cartridge Market Growth Driven by Membranes

The market for liquid cartridge filters will grow from just under $4.7 billion in 2003 to over $6.3 billion in 2008, according to the latest forecast in the continually updated online Cartridge Filters: World Markets published by the McIlvaine Company.

The biggest segment of the market is and will continue to be cartridges using membranes for filtration.

Cartridge Filters

($ Millions)
Subject                        2003                2008
Carbon                            274                 358
Membrane                   2,424              3,337
Metal                              145                  182
Non-Woven                 1,707               2,253
String Wound                 142                  181
Total                            4,692               6,311

Membranes provide efficient removal of very small particles. Non-woven cartridges are the second largest segment. Carbon cartridges are growing in popularity due to their ability to adsorb contaminants and compounds that affect taste. String wound cartridges are used for separating in production processes in the chemical and paint manufacturing industries. Metal cartridges are used when high temperatures are encountered. An example of this type of application is polymer filtration.A resurging semiconductor industry, growth in flat panel display production, steady expansion of the biotechnology industry, Asian investment in chemicals and petrochemicals, and the commitment to new coal-fired plants in China and the U.S. are growth sectors for cartridge suppliers. China will rise to become the fourth largest cartridge purchaser by 2008. Assuming India continues on its present high growth path, it will be the tenth largest purchaser by 2008. The top ten as predicted in the report are as follows:

($ Millions)

Country 2008United States 937Japan 339China 231Germany 169France 147United Kingdom 143South Korea 120Taiwan 99Italy 99India 90

Source: McIlvaine Co.