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MechChem Africa talks to Ian Ainsworth, Business Line Manager for Atlas Copco Compressor Technique Service (CTS), about the company’s advanced add-on services for helping clients to get the best possible value, efficiency and reliability from their compressed air.

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Add on CTS services for air compressors“For us at Atlas Copco, after sales service has always been critical, no-matter how sophisticated the compressor solution turns out to be. We are now in a position to offer Atlas Copco Tier 1, Tier 2 and premium Tier 3 Atlas Copco compressors, which, on a lifecycle cost basis, can compete with any of our competitors at all levels,” begins Ian Ainsworth, the Business Line Manager for Atlas Copco CTS in South Africa.

“Many customers seeking a simple air compressor are tempted to buy the lowest-cost import they can find, without considering after sales service, spares availability or the reliability repercussions. Within months, we find owners of these systems requesting spares and repair services from us, while their asset sits idle, interrupting income generating production,” he argues.

He says that Atlas Copco does have economical Tier 1 compressor solutions in its range, for use by SMEs or for non-essential use by larger industries. “But for every compressor we supply, we make sure that spares and after sales support is available to enable us to respond to and overcome any compressor problem a client may experience in one of our units,” Ainsworth assures.

Generally for Tier 1 clients, however, high performance, energy efficiency and continuous uptime are not critical factors, he continues, but for Tier 3 clients whose production depends on a reliable and continuously available supply of compressed air, the importance of a quality and reactive service offering is much better understood.

“At this level, everything we now sell is connectable for data collection and use to analyse performance and to better manage energy use, uptime and equipment life,” he says.

SMARTLINK: Atlas Copco’s advanced compressor monitoring solution

“We often find compressor rooms in South Africa where the compressors are all running but nobody is looking after the equipment. When the essential seven bars of compressed air for the company’s operations fails, only then does anyone start to look for a key to open the locked room,” Ainsworth tells MechChem Africa.

Without connectivity, maintenance personnel have to rely on regular visits to the compressor room to check the status of their equipment and a logbook is needed to keep track of running hours and service requirements.

To help make this easier for clients, Atlas Copco has introduced SMARTLINK, which can be fitted to most Atlas Copco compressors to automatically gather and analyse data from operating compressors.

“SMARTLINK offers operators full transparency about the condition and health of the equipment supplying process air to the plant. As well as providing alarms in advance of a potential breakdown, SMARTLINK minimises the administrative burden on maintenance technicians, giving them better day-to-day efficiency and replacing the need for regular status checks,” he points out.

Atlas Copco CTS offers several levels of service using SMARTLINK. At the basic levels, SMARTLINK offers an easy and quick way to access the online service log book, and request quotes for parts and additional repair services. It is a direct replacement for routine status checks and record keeping.

“We can also offer SMARTLINK as an uptime service, which will alert an operations or maintenance manager via a text message whenever an alarm is triggered that requires urgent attention. Not only can this prevent a breakdown, but it enables us gather information about installed systems to help schedule necessary maintenance and to plan that maintenance so our technicians arrive with the spares needed and can get systems up and running as fast as possible,” he adds.

Ainsworth also notes that CTS in South Africa has recently employed an energy consultant to focus on energy recovery systems and identify ways of helping users of Atlas Copco systems to reduce their energy bills.

In the context of SMARTLINK, this puts Atlas Copco CTS in South Africa on the path to using SMARTLINK to monitor and report on the energy efficiency of customers’ compressor rooms. “In a compressor room with four machines, for example, we will regularly find that all four are set to run all the time. But two machines can often deliver the total air demand, so the other two can be switched off. This immediately halves the amount of energy being used.

“By adding smart controllers, we can ensure that the right number of compressors are on, which minimises energy losses while still delivering the exact amount of air needed at any time,” he explains.

Ainsworth emphasises that these services are not one-size-fits-all offerings. “We visit customers to do an audit about how well their needs match the currently installed equipment. We can then produce a report that analyses the benefits of making changes –installing additional controllers, energy recovery systems or SMARTINK, for example, while detailing the lifecycle costs and energy savings benefits that can be achieved,” he says.

AIRnet: Atlas Copco’s modular piping systems

Air leaks on compressed air systems are the most common source of energy losses. In addition, leaks from the compressed air piping can result in contamination of the pipe network, which is particularly problematic when dry, oil-free or high purity air is needed downstream.

Atlas Copco’s AIRnet provides a compressed air piping distribution solution from start to finish. “We are able to offer a range of lightweight and modular piping systems that is also easy to modify and expand, without having to interrupt ongoing operations,” Ainsworth informs MechChem Africa.

The AIRnet offering includes piping options in aluminium, the standard for many industrial applications; stainless steel, which is used to ensure 100% oil-free air delivery in production environments such as pharma, health, food and beverage; and polyamide, a cost effective piping system that is ideal for delivering air to pneumatic tools.

“These systems help our clients to get the best value from their compressed air installations, reducing pressure losses, contamination, leaks and inefficiency,” he points out.

AIRPlan: a new way of financing infrastructure

Persuading people to invest in optimisation initiatives in today’s constrained economic environment is not easy, suggests Ainsworth. “People are struggling to keep their doors open right now, so it is difficult for them to invest for the long term.” This has caused a general shift away from having large capital expenditure budgets (Capex) to allow companies to focus instead on sustaining their operations from the operating expenses (Opex) budget.

“We have introduced AIRPlan to accommodate anyone with a maintenance budget that cannot justify the Capex to buy the solution that best meets their operational needs,” says Ainsworth.

Through an Atlas Copco AIRPlan contract, a brand new modern compressed air solution with all the monitoring and control technology to keep it running efficiently can be installed on the shop floor without the client having to find any upfront Capex to fund the investment.

AIRPlan is an industrial lease-type agreement that covers the investment and the servicing of the equipment over a two to three year period. Atlas Copco funds the purchase and the client signs a lease agreement and service plan with regular monthly payments. “This allows the equipment to be funded from OPex, the idea being to increase uptime and improve reliability while not burdening clients with agonising investment decisions,” he explains.

“Clients can bypass the ordering delays that always arise though Capex decision making processes and bureaucracy, while immediately benefiting from the better production and, in the long term, from energy efficiency savings and reduced downtime,” he says.

“We believe it is important to educate customers in the advantages of fit-for-purpose solutions that offer the best compromise between the investment costs, the long-term running costs and the production losses associated with extended downtime. And with AIRPlan, the difficult investment cost decision is taken out of the equation. It’s a win-win, for the short-term and the long-term,” Ainsworth concludes. 

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Peter Middleton
Email: peterm@crown.co.za
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Elmarie Stonell
Email: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za
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