Britannia’s Stationary Compressor Upgrade

CUSTOMER OVERVIEW

Located in Mulgrave, in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Britannia has been in the sheet-metal fabrication industry for over 70 years, and is currently a major manufacturer of sheet-metal components to a wide range of industrial sectors. With a forward-thinking commitment to customer service, the company invests in many of the latest technologies in order to meet exacting clients’ specifications and quality. Britannia’s aim is to supply right first time and on time.

IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM

Britannia had an existing stationary, electrically powered compressor, which began experiencing problems. As its whole production relies on supply of quality compressed air, Britannia immediately requested assistance from Sullair’s service department, which organised an emergency technician visit to the site. On arrival, the technician discovered that the compressor’s air end had seized. To minimise Britannia’s production downtime, Sullair supplied a portable diesel air compressor as an interim measure. Sullair also organised a site and air-compressor assessment to address Britannia’s long-term requirements for a stationary air compressor. Following the assessment, Sullair developed a detailed plan for the new compressor installation, and recommended that the temporary diesel compressor ‘take the load’ during the process. Sullair ensured that Britannia was kept informed throughout the entire process and consequently the installation was completed seamlessly. Britannia was particularly pleased by how smoothly the transition from the temporary compressor to the new ShopTek compressor was managed by Sullair. “We were looking for an affordable compressor, with fundamental features, including energy efficiency,” says James Burt, Britannia. “ShopTek satisfied all of these requirements.”

WHAT WAS SULLAIR’S SOLUTION?

The package Sullair offered Britannia included the provision of an electrically powered, energy-efficient ShopTek 30 compressor, complete with mechanical installation. The MEPS2-compliant ShopTek 30 is rated at 30kW, with 79.2l/s free air delivery at a working pressure of 8.0bar. With intelligent electronic controls and a space-saving energy-efficient design, the ShopTek 30 also features a choice of configuration options to allow each compressor to be tailored to the end users’ exact requirements.

THE END RESULT

The key to the success of Britannia’s ‘Sullair experience’ is down to the combination of services the company offers: installation; commissioning; routine and programmed maintenance; 24/7 breakdown service; plus hands-on and online training. Sullair also evaluates, monitors, and manages an end user’s compressed air system to ensure the compressed air supply/demand requirements are optimised for cost efficiency. Moreover, as Sullair’s products are available through a network of more than 15 locations Australia wide, customers have the security of reliable 24/7 support, with dependable availability of spare parts at short notice no matter where they are located—factors that help reduce production downtime. In addition to the service benefits offered by the Sullair experience, the Sullair ShopTek solution itself also delivers key benefits to Britannia. With over 70 per cent of the total life-cycle cost of a compressor typically arising through energy use (when measured over a ten-year lifecycle) the energy efficiency of the ShopTek compressors improves environmental performance and reduces the overall cost of ownership. Undoubtedly, the success of this project was down to Sullair’s ability to provide a one-stop solution to Britannia: responding rapidly to its existing compressor problems; providing an interim solution to keep the facility in production; designing a tailored long-term solution; supplying, installing and commissioning the new ShopTek compressor; providing training to Britannia’s production crew at no extra cost; and managing the entire process. As Britannia moves forward, it is with the surety that if it ever experiences any problems with its compressed air systems, Sullair is only a phone-call away.