End users will defer to OEMs, EPCs and consultants to make the purchasing decision for 17 percent of the flow control and treatment purchases. The total purchases determined by these companies will exceed $68 billion

The average annual purchase per company will be in excess of $3 million. The largest category will be valves where the non-users will purchase or direct purchase of valves totaling $20 billion. OEMs and EPCs are direct purchasers of the products. Consultants and engineering firms are specifiers but leave the actual purchase to the end user or OEM. The largest EPCs and consultants such as Fluor and Bechtel will each account for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of flow control and treatment equipment.

Large OEMS such as Mitsubishi, Babcock &Wilcox, Veolia and others providing complete power, wastewater, or industrial systems are purchasers rather than manufacturers. Large coal-fired power plant suppliers purchase entire sub systems as well as proprietary products. In cases where they supply proprietary products, they are typically purchasing castings and fabrications.