Examining Innovation, Sustainability, and Customer Focus in Air Compressor Manufacturing

In an exclusive interview with Industry Outlook magazine, Anvar Jay Varadaraj, Chief  Operating Officer of ELGi Equipments Limited shares his views on the current challenges with regard to air compressor technologies and the avenues that can be innovated. He also provides pointers for customers who are looking to integrate air compressor facilities in their factories. He is part of the fourth generation of ELGi's promoter group. He started with ELGi in 2015, where he established ELGi's marketing and communications function and activities to build the brand and support the company's "CK2" aspiration.

From your perspective, what are the primary challenges faced by air compressor manufacturers in terms of innovation and meeting customer demands?

There are three dimensions to be considered when it comes to innovation in air compressors. One is the energy efficiency, two is the quality of air utilized and the third factor is the ability to support downstream applications.

The current air compressor technology is close to engineering limits with regard to efficiency. So, customizing based on the customer’s needs takes priority. This becomes even more apparent in energy-intensive operations like textiles and pharmaceuticals, where every ounce of efficiency must be leveraged. When it comes to the quality of air, customers demand a higher quality of air. Currently, an oil-lubricated screw air compressor will discharge oil at the end of the application, so when we try to reduce that, the traditional approach is to reduce tolerance within the compressor so that it utilizes less oil; therefore, less oil will be discharged.

With regards to downstream filtration, we need to look into carbon filtration, separators etc. But these are minor increments with regards to improving the quality of air. The dramatic improvements would be to make an air compressor to not use oil at all. But the trade-off with oil free compressors is they lose efficiency and reliability. This would lead to higher up-front costs.

Finally, making accessories an affordable part of the consumer set. For example, variable frequency drives help to streamline power consumption. No factory will be operational 100% of the time. It will operate for a few hours and remain idle for a specific duration, but the compressed air will consume energy to remain compressed, and it will consume energy when no work is being done. That is unloaded power. Variable frequency drives smooth power consumption when there is a variable pattern in power usage. The goal is to have a good R&D track that helps make VFDs more affordable to the point that there would be no difference between a compressor with one and without one.

What advice would you like to give to customers to maximize the full capability of their air compressors?

They have to select a suitable air compressor. This is where the majority of the battle with regard to efficiency and reliability is won. Customers should be thoughtful about matching the size of the requirements in terms of flow and pressure to the suitable air compressor. If you have a particular flow precondition at a specific pressure, urge the vendor to give them the corresponding compressor that best matches their requirement. A common mistake customers make is buying over-the-requirement compressors based on insecurity under the assumption that they may be of use in the future.

Additional CFM (Cubic-feet-metre) may give them peace of mind, but they do not realize it results in higher energy consumption and compromised reliability as it puts unnecessary strain on the components, which demands higher maintenance cycles. For energy intensive operations, it is recommended they go with an air audit. An air audit will let the customer know the CFM and pressure requirements.

If we think about the compressed air system as a whole, it is a dynamic system. There are a lot of parts that cause vibrations through the pipes and other components, which will cause the fittings to become loose.  This will result in leaks. Periodic maintenance has to be carried out to ensure efficiency across the system. Finally, when considering upgrading the capacity, the customer has to analyze the newer technology in the market.

How do air compressor manufacturers approach sustainability in their operations and product offerings? Are there any specific environmental targets or initiatives they prioritize?

Manufacturers are improving the tolerances within the existing technology which reduces the oil consumption.  Secondly, innovate within the oil, makers can replace mineral oil with synthetic oil which can be used for longer durations with varying tolerances and it has high heat resistance. This leads to lesser oil replacement cycles, consequently leading to lesser oil consumption.

Newer technologies have been developed, and a device can refresh old oil instead of dumping that oil and replacing it with new oil. Refreshing oil’s properties will allow us to prolong its life. The final goal here is to eliminate the use of oil. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing building oil-free technology across various ranges. They have to be able to provide the same performance, reliability and energy consumption as an oil lubricated air compressor. If everyone is more thoughtful about the right size and maintenance, it means a better outcome for sustainability.

What are the trends you foresee in the future regarding air compressor technology?

One of the beauties of compressed air space is that everyone needs an air compressor. Anyone in the processing or manufacturing industry requires an air compressor. There are a plethora of problems that need solutions. For an energy-intensive and highly challenging environment in the textile industry, an oil-free value proposition sounds appealing. Secondly, new sectors are surfacing, like the lithium-ion battery manufacturers, which are setting standards for the cleanliness of the air.

Factories at the time of being set up now are at a higher level of being connected, so how do air compressor makers, who are vendors for a subsystem, tackle their elevated needs proactively?

In light of the “China plus One” strategy, we are looking at large scale manufacturing coming to India. So we should be able to invest resources to innovate and while addressing the customer needs.