The Role of Compressed Air in Manchester’s Advanced Manufacturing – and Why It’s Now a Strategic Priority

From being the first industrial city in the world to a high-tech centre of the Northern Powerhouse, manufacturing in Manchester has always been synonymous with innovation. 

In the aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, and many other sectors where Manchester excels, there’s no room for inefficiency, mistakes, or unnecessary costs. Instead, high precision, reliability, and efficiency are the key factors. A little-known fact about all these modern manufacturing operations is that compressed air is the hidden lifeblood. 

This article will explore why managing your “fourth utility” is a strategic and business-critical operation for modern manufacturers in Greater Manchester.

Key Takeaways

• Local Expertise: A local expert can respond quickly when service is urgent. They also bring access to world-class technology and funding, delivering fast, professional support when it matters most. They will also gain an understanding of Greater Manchester manufacturers.
• A Critical Utility: Although compressed air is the “fourth utility” in advanced manufacturing, it can make up 10-30% of a factory’s overall electricity bill.
• High Stakes: Downtime in your system can exceed $200,000 per hour, and poor air quality can lead to contamination and damage to your brand reputation.
• Proven Solutions: With today’s technologies, such as VSD compressors, energy recovery, and intelligent monitoring, energy savings of up to 60% can be achieved.

💡 Want to know where your system is underperforming? A professional compressed air audit from Search Air will tell you – with data you can act on.

The Fourth Utility: An Essential Asset with a Hidden Cost

Compressed air is often called the fourth utility. Sitting alongside electricity, water, and gas, high-tech factories can’t run without it. Pneumatic tools rely on it. So do CNC machines. Even the robotic arms of Industry 4.0 automation are powered by compressed air.

If it’s suddenly cut off, it’s not just a breakdown: it’s a complete production stoppage. With costs for machine and operator downtime totalling more than £200,000 per hour, the plant manager is not a happy person.

However, there is another cost associated with compressed air that most people overlook: it is typically the second-largest power bill, after motors, accounting for 10–30% of total electricity consumption. 

It’s not just a utility: it’s a mission-critical system for uptime, quality, and profit margins. The air must also be clean and dry, as oil, water, and particulates can contaminate products, ruin entire batches, and damage brands.

Sector-Specific Demands Across Greater Manchester

Different applications have unique requirements for compressed air across the regions’ key sectors. 

Systems need to be customised and built for absolute reliability to serve demanding sectors such as:

• Aerospace & Defence: Compressed air powers high-torque assembly tools, automated positioning systems, and surface preparation for advanced coatings – all areas where reliability is non-negotiable. The air has to be clean and free of contaminants that could compromise the structural integrity of components.
• Automotive: Pneumatic tools power high-speed robotic welding, lifting, and fastening – core steps in a fully automated production line. Vehicle painting demands the same precision. A flawless surface is only possible with large volumes of Class 0 certified, dry compressed air to prevent imperfections.
• Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences: This industry has some of the strictest requirements anywhere in the world. Processes like tablet coating, fermentation, and aseptic packaging all demand ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certified oil-free air compressors – offering zero contamination risk and full GMP compliance.
• Advanced Materials: In advanced material research and production – such as graphene – compressed air is essential. It powers high-precision lab equipment with clean energy. It also serves as an assist gas in processes like laser cutting, where absolute purity is critical.

The Energy Challenge in Compressed Air Systems

While indispensable, compressed air is also one of the most energy-intensive utilities. Energy typically accounts for around 80% of a compressor’s total lifecycle cost. 

Three primary sources of waste drive this cost:

1. Air Leaks: In an unmanaged system, leaks can waste 20-30% of the total compressed air output. A single 1.5 mm leak in a pipe can cost a business over £1,000 annually in electricity.
2. Artificial Demand: When faced with a pressure drop at a specific tool, a common but wasteful reaction is to increase the pressure setting for the entire system. Every 1 bar of over-pressurisation increases energy consumption by approximately 7-8%.
3. Inefficient Control: Fixed-speed compressors are typically sized to operate at 100% of their capacity all the time. When demand for air is low, the unit is placed in an “off-load” mode, where it uses no energy to produce air, but still can consume as much as 40% of the full-load power.

Technology-Driven Solutions for Modern Manufacturing

Digital technology now exists to combat these problems and transform a significant operating expense into a sizable asset.

Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Compressors

The answer to variable air demand is the VSD compressor. This is a motor whose speed can be varied continuously while running to meet the precise requirements of the plant, eliminating wasteful off-load running. Purchase of efficient air compressors with VSD can result in average energy savings of 35-50%, with the very latest Atlas Copco equipment capable of 60%.

Energy Recovery & Sustainability

Up to 94% of the electrical energy expended in compression will be converted to heat. Rather than being wasted, this thermal energy can be recovered to create hot water used in space heating or an industrial process. It also decreases the facility’s fuel bill and carbon footprint. 

A return on investment is typically achieved within one to three years.

Smart Monitoring & Flexible Systems

Connecting to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) makes true data-driven management possible. Some tools take it further. SMARTLINK, Atlas Copco’s IIoT-enabled platform, gives you round-the-clock remote access to compressor performance data.

Monitoring systems go further. They combine sensor data with advanced analytics. This helps to predict failures before they lead to costly, unplanned downtime.

Digital monitoring also produces verifiable data. This is needed for compliance with SECR and Climate Change Agreements (CCAs).

For manufacturers short on space or planning to scale, modular AIRCUBE containerised systems provide a plug-and-play solution. They can also be fitted with built-in monitoring and drying features.

The Role of Compressed Air in Manchester’s Advanced Manufacturing – and Why It’s Now a Strategic Priority

Your Local Partner for Optimisation: Search Air

Search Air has been supplying and servicing compressed air systems in Manchester for over 78 years. We are a local business backed by world-class technology. 

As a Premier Distributor for Atlas Copco, we combine global expertise with local knowledge. Our engineers are locally based and factory-trained. They understand the pressures that manufacturers across Greater Manchester face, allowing them to respond quickly and effectively when you need us most.

For one of our customers in Trafford Park, the installation of Atlas Copco VSD technology saw an energy reduction of 35% and is projected to save over £45,000 every year, with an ROI of 18 months. 

It’s a clear example of how the right equipment, when correctly specified, professionally installed, and expertly maintained, can produce measurable results. We offer comprehensive Air Compressor Service in Manchester, from system audit to 24/7 breakdown support.

Accessing Funding & Financial Support

Investing in energy-efficient technology is more accessible than ever for businesses in the region. Several initiatives are available to de-risk the investment:

• Made Smarter North West: Offers match-funding grants for manufacturing SMEs adopting industrial digital technologies, including innovative compressors.
• Green Economy: Offers grants of up to £5,000 to support local SMEs in covering the costs of carbon-saving projects.
• Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs): The government’s Energy Technology List enables businesses to claim 100% first-year tax relief on qualifying energy-efficient equipment.

A professional energy audit from Search Air provides the precise data required to validate the ROI for these grant and tax relief applications.

Transforming an Expense into a Strategic Asset

For advanced manufacturers in Manchester, an unmanaged compressed air system is a competitive disadvantage. A modern, optimised system is a competitive advantage, slashing energy costs, improving sustainability, and delivering the consistent reliability needed to thrive.

A professional system audit, such as Atlas Copco’s AIRScan, will eliminate the guesswork from improvement. It will quantify inefficiencies, lay out a clear, financially justified plan for change, and, of course, has the added benefit of ensuring compliance with SECR, Climate Change Agreements, and your organisation’s own ESG targets.

Book your expert compressed air audit with Search Air today – and discover exactly how much energy, cost, and performance your system could be wasting. We’ll show you how to fix it.