Industrial Markets

by Diane M. Calabrese | Published December 2025

 

 

Voluminous is one way to describe the amount of space, in real and digital realms, that gets filled by analysts of industrial output and trends (past, present, and future). In short, there’s a lot of it.

Is all the analysis helpful? Yes, especially some that comes from decades past or even 100 or more years ago. (We will return to a bit of that later.)

One point of convergence among the many sorts of analysis: There’s a churn to industry.

The churn is the predictable part. The specifics must be taken as they come.

To serve industrial markets is to acknowledge stasis just is not part of the picture. Members of our industry stand ready to respond to the market that exists, not the one that was (even a day or month ago). And they try to anticipate what may be coming.

There’s an expression about the perils of “playing the last hand” that applies in bridge (and poker and more). Of course, it’s a reminder that a static approach – doing what worked before without reassessing variables–is likely to lead to a bad outcome.        The better a business owner can “count cards” (assess variables), the more likely that success will follow. Getting caught up in what was–the last hand–only impedes clear thinking.

Writing in The Journal of Political Economy (April 1919) more than a century ago, H.L Reed of Cornell University made an observation that applies universally to economic endeavors: “Unless the problem of the industrial future is viewed from the standpoint of the entrepreneur, it is difficult to arrive at a pessimistic conclusion.”

Reed was acknowledging the churn. Things change. Although some possibilities or market niches (and individual businesses) disappear, others emerge.

For instance, following World War I in 1919, industrial markets quickly changed from a focus on ship building, weapons manufacturing, and the like to a much broader base. An entrepreneur who had been serving shipyards with ancillaries might have had to quickly change focus to serving farms.

Keeping focus on the customer is one of the time-tested ways to change as industrial markets evolve, coalesce, and emerge. Know what the customer needs. Meet the need.

Even with the intense interest in renewable sources of energy, it is unlikely that oil field customers will suddenly disappear. And the oil field customer is a very interesting one to serve, says Brandon Keilers, the owner of Ramteq Pressure Washers in Houston, TX.

The business-to-business dimension of an industrial market is significant. “Knowing you’re helping other small businesses succeed in most cases” is foundational, says Keilers.

“Meeting the price point to stay competitive with the import manufacturers” is a challenge, says Keilers. And that is a challenge that comes even with close ties.

To be sure, the strongest links can be severed in less-than-stable economic times. And that can be a challenge in industrial markets just as it is in any market.

Difficulties arise in every sphere of commerce and industry. And working through them is what it takes.

It’s gratifying in many ways, including overcoming any obstacles that arise, to serve industrial markets. “[For] me it’s about helping people solve problems they have,” says Delany Johnson, senior manager and sales engineer at Wayne Combustion Systems in Fort Wayne, IN.

Serving within a vast industrial market sphere brings other pluses as well, says Johnson. “[It’s] great that we are in so many different industrial markets and can see the different issues people have.”

Yes, there are challenges, says Johnson. One is “how different each company is.”

And by differences, Johnson means the way in which each company approaches its interaction with their vendors and suppliers. “Some are easy-going and enjoy your help and ask for it; others only want you around when they have issues.”

There’s a second challenge out there as well. “The other big issue is government regulations,” says Johnson. “They seem to have changed a lot lately.”

Matching the product to the customer’s needs is the essence of maintaining a robust presence in the industrial market sphere. Take industrial ovens, one of the products that Johnson’s company supplies.

“There are so many different styles of ovens, and they need different heat for all kinds of [volumes] from small ovens to very large,” explains Johnson. “This market has lots of different ways to create the heat – from direct fire to many different styles of combustion chambers.”

 

Invigorating

Members of our industry that serve industrial markets find the experience invigorating, even exhilarating. And why not? They are working in multiple ways to assist companies that keep improving living standards across the world.

“What’s most gratifying is knowing that the equipment we build helps keep essential industries running smoothing,” says Curtis Braber, owner of BE Power Equipment in Abbottsford, BC, Canada. “Our engineers [enjoy] developing the larger, high quality hot water pressure washers, for example.”

And places of service for the equipment produced by Braber’s company are many and varied. “Whether it’s manufacturing, food processing, or transportation, these businesses depend on reliable, heavy-duty cleaning solutions to maintain safety, efficiency and compliance.”

The many and varied applications add up to a wide range of requirements. “The challenge lies in the complexity and variety of industrial needs,” says Braber.

“Each facility or application often has unique requirements – from water flow rates and pressure levels to safety regulations and environmental considerations,” explains Braber. “Industrial customers also demand equipment that can withstand tough conditions and operate reliably with minimal downtime.”

The dynamism of industrial customers must be matched by the companies that serve them. And that’s a good thing, says Braber.

“Meeting [expectations of industrial customers] means we have to continually innovate, engineer for durability, and provide strong after-sales support,” explains Braber. “It’s challenging, but it also pushes us to be better.”

Each industrial market looked at closely has a way of capturing attention. It also reminds us of the interlocking systems that keep thriving societies strong.

“One example is the food processing industry,” says Braber. “It’s fascinating because the cleaning standards are so rigorous – everything has to meet strict sanitation and regulatory requirements.”

So, what is a must for the machines that serve the food processing sector? “Pressure washers in this environment need to combine high performance with reliability, while often being designed with stainless steel or other materials that can handle wash-down and prevent contamination,” explains Braber.

Again, the rewards for serving industrial markets accrue in many ways. “Serving [the food processing] market is interesting because it challenges us to think creatively about design and engineering, while also knowing our solutions directly support public health and safety,” says Braber.

 

Clean Future

The future will be a cleaner one. That’s the prevailing outlook across all sectors of society.

It does not mean the future will be free of industrial processes but simply that the processes will be as clean as possible. Moreover, the water used for industrial cleaning, like the water used in all industrial processes, will be minimized to the fullest extent possible.

Our industry, which has long worked in accordance with the objective of doing more with less, will continue to serve using the least amount of water (and energy). Wastewater treatment on site is likely to become the norm.

The push being given to industries to do more with methods that leave the smallest footprint in the environment comes from both consumers and regulators. But it is also an internal imperative because of the cost savings that can be realized by methods that minimize water and energy use.

Onshoring industry is a focus of the current U.S. administration. The Manufacturing.gov website, which is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), provides an easy path to the many federal programs that offer incentives to companies that increase production done inside the United States.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) has established a portal focused on onshoring. Using the tool, businesses that would like to verify which products are U.S. made can easily do so.

There are different philosophies about the importance of domestic production versus global supply chains. Most do not involve an either-or outlook.

Yet industrial markets that source more of their raw materials and/or components close to where final products are manufactured can almost always save energy and time. The savings realized might be an argument for onshoring.

Some look to the health of industrial markets for clues about the near future of the economy. In an admonishment to anyone interested, J. Laurence Laughlin of Washington, D.C. wrote in 1926 this pair of prophetic statements:

“In fact, the main function of the industrialist, besides watching costs, is to see that his production is duly adjusted to wants. Starting the presses to work printing money does not increase the volume of salable goods in a well-adjusted production, by which alone does purchasing-power emerge.” (“The Industrial Outlook” in The Journal of Political Economy, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/253751.)

As 2026 begins, Laughlin’s assessment three years ahead of 1929 bears reading and heeding. Industrial markets are vital components of economic activity.