5 Ws of CAGI Performance Verification

Who is CAGI?

Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) is the united voice of the compressed air industry and serves as the unbiased authority on technical, educational and promotional matters affecting the industry.

CAGI’s mission is fulfilled through the following objectives:

1. Promoting cooperation among its members for the improved production, proper use and increased distribution of air and gas compressors and related equipment
2. Developing and publishing standards and engineering data for air and gas compressors and related equipment
3. Increasing the use of compressed air, promoting its safe use, and improving the quality and efficiency of compressed air systems
4. Collecting and distributing information of value to CAGI members and to the general public
5. Engaging in cooperative educational and research activities
6. Cooperating with governmental departments, agencies and other bodies in matters affecting the industry

What is the CAGI Performance Verification Program?

Participation is voluntary and is open to all manufacturers – whether they are a CAGI member of not – of rotary compressors from 5-200 hp and standalone refrigerated compressed air dryers from 50-1000 scfm. Since its inception in 1915, CAGI has worked to improve the production, proper use and increased distribution of compressed air and gas equipment in the United States.

Sullair is a long-standing member of CAGI. Sullair shares CAGI’s belief that customers seeking compressed air solutions feel confident in their buying decision when choosing an air compressor. For this reason, with a shared belief in quality and efficiency, Sullair is an active member of CAGI to ensure we manufacture and deliver tested and verified data to reaffirm our customers make sound purchasing decisions.

When are compressors tested?

On a regular and random basis, a CAGI administrator will select and test samples of the equipment to verify they meet the manufacturers’ certified published performance ratings. Two units will be tested annually per participant. The units will be selected at random by the CAGI program administrator from manufacturer or distributor available stock. If a tested unit does not pass, the manufacturer has the option to have a second unit, which was previously chosen by the administrator tested. If this unit also fails, the manufacturer must re-rate the unit based on the test results within 30 days or be ejected from the verification program.

CAGI takes this seriously, as some compressor manufacturers have been terminated from the program due to repeated violations.

Where can I find out if a manufacturer participates or a product is verified?

To see if a manufacturer participates in the CAGI Performance Verification Program, CAGI keeps an up-to-date directory on its website here.

Companies also typically list CAGI data sheets on their website. For instance, Sullair includes data sheets on www.sullairinfo.com.

Always look for the CAGI Performance Verification label to ensure that a manufacturer's performance data is accurate and is verified by a third party using industry standards.

Why is the performance verification program important?

The program verifies the information that participating manufacturers (like Sullair) publish on the standard CAGI Data Sheets, which are published on participants' websites and in their product literature. The CAGI data sheets define operational and performance information used during the specification and application decision making process.

In addition, the most expensive component in the total cost of compressed air is energy. Over the lifespan of a typical compressor or dryer, electricity represents more than 75% of the total costs of an air compressors over its life cycle – and some of that energy is used to make unneeded air. That said, don’t you want to make sure your equipment is performing as stated?

For more information on CAGI or its verification program, visit www.cagi.org.