NEWS RELEASE                                   DECEMBER 2011

World Cartridge Market to Exceed $15 Billion in 2012

The market for cartridges to purify liquids will be just under $15.3 billion in 2012.  NAFTA will be the leading region with purchases of $4.5 billion.  This is the latest forecast in Cartridge Filters: World Markets published by the McIlvaine Company.

Cartridge Revenues ($ Millions)

World Region                        2012

Africa                                        428

CIS                                            441

East Asia                                3,787

Eastern Europe                          312

Middle East                               639

NAFTA                                  4,554

South & Central America           745

West Asia                                  549

Western Europe                     3,828

Total                                     15,285

Cartridges are utilized in a wide range of industrial, commercial and residential applications. They include tiny carbon block filters to purify the water in the ice making machine installed in a home refrigerator and the larger point-of-entry filter which may purify all the water entering the home.

Cartridges are used to purify products in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. They are used to purify juices and wines. Cartridges are used to assure ultrapure water in power and semiconductor plants. Cartridges are common in hospitals and medical devices.

The filtering media is classified into the following segments: carbon, nonwovens, membranes, string wound and metal.  Carbon is used to improve taste.  Membranes provide the most efficient removal of small particles.  Nonwovens provide a range of capabilities depending on fiber diameter and other parameters.  Metal cartridges are used where high temperatures are encountered.  Examples would be refining and petrochemical industries.

NAFTA is the leading regional purchaser due to its share of the residential, commercial and pharmaceutical segments.   Western Europe is the second largest market.  East Asia has surpassed NAFTA in semiconductor, chemicals and metals.

The markets in Africa and South America are relatively small but are weighted toward mining.

Thousands of companies make cartridges.  However, only four companies can claim sales of over $500 million annually.  The numbers of media manufacturers is much smaller.  Nonwoven media is typically supplied by companies who have larger sales in non filtration applications. Membrane suppliers have narrower markets.

For more information on Cartridge Filters: World Market, click on:  http://www.mcilvainecompany.com//brochures/water.html#nO24