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When a business owner decides to invest thousands of dollars in a compressed air system, he is going to be looking for quality, dependability, and a manufacturer he can trust over the long haul. While Ingersoll Rand has had its ups and downs as a company, it has been in the compressed air system business for over a century, and it pretty much has the market cornered on portable air compressors. For the past few decades, it has dominated portable air compressor sales by 40 and 50 percent. The three other largest sellers of portable air compressors--Atlas Copco, Sullair and Sullivan*make up only around thirty percent of sales combined. Ingersoll Rand air compressors have made their way into markets as diverse as automotive, electronics, food and beverages, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and textiles. Ingersoll Rand not only manufactures air compressors, however, but also all the tools and technology used with them, and they provide a mind-boggling selection of compressed air system services ranging from installation to efficiency evaluations.

Even the United States government buys air compressors from Ingersoll Rand. The United States Army, for example, decided to pay almost $700,000 to have their old portable air compressors rebuilt in addition to buying air tools and padlocks from Ingersoll Rand. Over 1000 portable air compressor units manufactured by the corporation have been in use by the army around the world since the mid 1980s. The army, however, isn't the only government agency that buys Ingersoll Rand air compressors. The United States Air Force recently signed two contracts for portable air compressors that could equal as much as $16.5 million for the corporation over the next five years. They already bought close to a hundred portable air compressors and may end up buying as many as 1500. In addition to air compressors, the corporation will also sell the air force spare parts. The Air Force said in a statement made by Ingersoll Rand that they chose the corporation because of their reputation for quality and because of their commitment to service.

The United States government isn't the only government that buys Ingersoll Rand products in large quantities. The corporation is also supplying a variety of products for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Currently, over 50 portable air compressors are being used on construction projects for subways and roads in the capitol city. The Beijing Tunneling Construction Company and the Beijing Road Construction Company bought the compressors for around $1.5 million after hearing about Ingersoll Rand at an information session for construction companies working on projects for the Olympics.