SIC 3433 Heating Equipment, Except Electric and Warm Air Furnaces

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
• Low-Pressure Boilers.
• Supplemental Heaters.
• Fireplaces and Wood-burning Stoves.
• Market Structure.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• WORKFORCE.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3433

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing heating equipment, except electric and warm air furnaces, including gas, oil, and stoker coal-fired equipment for the automatic utilization of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing warm air furnaces are classified in SIC 3585: Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment; cooking stoves and ranges are classified in SIC 3631: Household Cooking Equipment; boiler shops primarily engaged in the production of industrial, power, and marine boilers are classified in SIC 3443: Fabricated Plate Work (Boiler Shops); and those manufacturing industrial process furnaces and ovens are classified in SIC 3567: Industrial Process Furnaces and Ovens.

NAICS CODE(S)

333414

Heating Equipment (except Electric and Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

The heating equipment industry is comprised of firms primarily engaged in manufacturing heating devices other than electric equipment and warm air furnaces. Residential and low-pressure boilers are included in this classification, as are steam and hot water furnaces, fireplaces, room heaters, heating stoves, and other mechanisms. Making fire and building devices to utilize the resultant heat were among the earliest and most noteworthy human achievements. Some stove, furnace, and other equipment designs implemented as early as 600 B.C. were still in use throughout the world in the twentieth century.

In 2003, the U.S. heating equipment industry was shipping about $4.17 billion worth of products, up from $3.98 billion in 2002. The industry was characterized by maturity, consolidation, and increasing foreign competition. To remain competitive, industry participants had reduced employment—levels went from 22,255 in 2002 to 20,324 in 2003, for example—increased productivity, and moved manufacturing facilities abroad.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

The heating equipment industry generally encompasses all non-electric devices used to heat spaces in homes, buildings, and industrial structures. Such heaters are powered by coal, oil, gas, wood, or solar power. In addition to their different energy sources, industry offerings can be categorized as fireplaces and wood-burning stoves; supplemental heaters; or low-pressure steam and hot water boilers and furnaces. Warm-air furnaces and high-pressure steam and hot water systems, which are often used as central heating systems for larger structures, are included in SIC 3585: Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment and SIC 3443: Fabricated Plate Work (Boiler Shops), respectively.

Low-Pressure Boilers

Low-pressure steam and hot-water boilers differ from other industry offerings in that they are often used as central heating devices to warm several spaces within a structure. A hot-water system usually consists of a centrally located cast-iron boiler and a network of steel or copper pipes that are connected to satellite radiators. Water is heated in the boiler and transferred up through the pipes to the radiators. As the water travels through the metal radiator, it releases heat, becomes denser, and falls back down to the boiler where it is reheated. Motor driven pumps are used to increase pressure and to allow rooms below the boiler to receive heat.

Steam heating systems work similarly to hot water systems. Because steam is a gas, however, it cannot hold heat as well as water and it is more susceptible to sharp temperature fluctuations. As a result, steam systems generally require more apparatus and are less efficient for many residential, as well as some commercial, applications.

Supplemental Heaters

Non-electric supplemental heaters are used to heat spaces that are not connected to centralized heating systems, such as garages and warehouses. In addition, they are often used for "zone" heating, a complement to a central heating system that can reduce overall energy costs. Space heaters typically run on natural gas and oil.

Kerosene space heaters have traditionally been a popular residential device. Although they are cost-efficient and relatively...