Capital Equipment News MAY 2016

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CompAir South Africa has been sup-
plying and supporting compressed
air installations throughout industry
since 1927. As a part of the Gardner Denver
International group of companies, CompAir
SA enjoys worldwide commercial and tech-
nical support in its offering which ranges
from high vacuum, through low pressure
blowers, standard 7-13BAR industrial air,
higher pressure to support PET bottle-blow-
ing operations and up to 300BAR+ breath-
ing air and specialty applications.
The sales and support of equipment through-
out the African continent is managed from
the South African operation through a net-
work of authorised distributors and direct
sales and service providers.
Business Director for CompAir SA, Marc Will-
mers, makes some suggestions on purchas-
ing new equipment;
Cost of ownership
Typically, over a five year period, the capital
cost of a compressor only accounts for
10% of the cost. Maintenance, accounts for
a further 10% and electricity consumption
accounts for nearly 80% of the cost. Trying
to save on capital costs without assessing
the impact on energy expenses is,
unfortunately, commonly seen in industry.
The prospective supplier of the equipment
should be able to give a clear picture of how
best to manage the full cost of ownership,
failing which another supplier should be
sought.
Equipment sizing
Compressors and downstream equipment
should be designed and sized for the
intended application. Critical parameters to
be considered when selecting equipment
are volume and quality of air. The maximum
air-flow requirement will determine the size
of the compressor. The load cycle (variance
between max and min airflow requirement)
will assist in determining the type of
technology or mix of technologies (variable
speed or fixed speed) that will deliver the
most efficient system. Another aspect of
application design is quality of air which will
have a direct impact on the quality of the
goods produced and/or maintenance cost
of equipment that uses compressed air as a
source of energy.
Compressed air equipment should be fitted
to suit a particular purpose. Too small
and the user will have to make unwanted
production compromises in periods of
exceptional demand. Too big and the user
is wasting money on electricity consumption
and creating equipment inefficiencies in the
production cycle as a result of utilisation
fluctuations.
Energy
There are simple common-sense solutions
available to end users to manage energy
consumption on equipment. These include
variable speed motors, correct application
design, efficient sizing of filters and down-
stream equipment, intelligent programming
to manage loading of compressors, ade-
quate and optimised pipework and turbo-
chargers on diesel driven machines, and
utilising heat recovery generated from the
compressors for other applications in the
factory, such as boiler heating or climate
control in buildings. These methods will
provide further savings on energy costs.
Access to OEM servicing and support
The efficient life span of a compressed air
system is maximised through OEM specified
servicing by accredited technicians. Buying
a brand of machinery that is not supported
technically or where the OEM spare parts
are not readily available will impact on the
life of the machinery.
Warranty
Manufacturer warranties vary dramatically
in duration and scope of cover. End users
can now get 10 year warranties on key
compressor components but, all too often,
these warranties are voided through poor or
neglected service regimes. The best way to
ensure the warranty on the compressor is
to move this servicing responsibility back
onto the supplier through long term service
contracts.
Responsiveness of service provider
Like any other mechanical equipment, the
lifespan and effectiveness of compressed
air equipment relies on skilled after-mar-
ket support when it is required. Prospective
buyers should evaluate suppliers on their
ability to offer quick and technically profi-
cient service. Don’t just believe the sales-
person – insist on seeing case studies, cus-
tomer surveys and reference sites.
Gardner Denver Industrials Group delivers
the broadest range of compressors and
vacuum products, in a wide array of tech-
nologies, to end user and OEM customers
worldwide in the industries served.
This compant provides reliable and ener-
gy-efficient equipment that is put to work in
a multitude of manufacturing and process
applications. Products ranging from versatile
low-and high pressure compressors to cus-
tomised blowers and vacuum pumps serve
industries including general manufacturing,
automotive and waste water treatment, as
well as food and beverage, plastics and
power generation. Its global offering includes
a comprehensive suite of after-market ser-
vices to complement its products.
Gardener Denver Industrials Group, part of
Gardener Denver, Inc., is headquartered in
Milwaukee, Wiconsin, USA. Gardener Denver
was founded in 1859 and today has approx-
imately 7 000 employees in more than 30
countries. For further information, please
visit or
visit . b
GUIDE TO PURCHASING
compressed air equipment
COMPRESSED AIR
CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS MAY 2016 20