Preventive maintenance is seldom newsworthy inside manufacturing facilities. By design, preventive maintenance should be a non-event. Production keeps running, shifts continue to change, trucks are reloaded and unloaded and work goes on. The reliability of a compressed air system requires focus, attention and discipline: paying attention to variables, detecting patterns and knowing when something seems amiss. Looking deeper into system performance turns routine maintenance into a strategic tool for improving reliability and production stability. 

The Association of Independent Compressor Distributors (AICD) held its annual trade show in Orlando, FL, in April 2026. Participating distributor members and guests enjoyed the AICD trade show, guest speakers, golf tournament and networking.

“Each year, the relationships and synergies keep growing and growing. The AICD is very proud to celebrate our 40th year,” said Sal Calvo, AICD board member and Owner, Compressed AIR USA.  

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine has conducted its first-ever reader survey for this 20th anniversary issue, and the results show a positive outlook for compressed air system sales in the near future. 

We asked a hand-selected list of original equipment manufacturers, independent compressed air system sales and service companies, manufacturing plants and independent system auditors to share their thoughts, highlighting the changes they’ve seen over the past 20 years, then predicting what the next 20 years will bring.

For 20 years, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine has published articles focused on helping manufacturers reduce power demand, lower water consumption, and improve the performance of compressed air, cooling, blower and industrial vacuum systems. In this article, we highlight a sampling of those stories across the following industries:

• Plastics and Packaging
• Food and Beverage
• Automotive and Transportation
• Cement, Building Materials, and Mining
• Metals, Pulp, and Paper
• Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, and Research
• Wastewater Treatment