An end-to-end oil-free solution provided for artisan dairy and tourist site

THE BRIEF

Our client, Caldermeade Farm, a family-run dairy and tourist attraction in Gippsland, Victoria, was seeking a comprehensive oil-free package for their facility – Caldermeade Farm, which not only operates as a dairy, is also home to a cafe, an animal nursery, a gift shop and a modern milking parlour and is often awash with visitors on their way east from Melbourne.

The dairy prioritises animal welfare with non GMO-fed cows that need the lowest possible noise levels in the dairy, something which Sullair Australia was to consider when providing a solution. Once milked, the product then comes in contact with compressed air so it also needs to be contaminate-free. Further to this, the milking facility is fully visible to customers from the cafe and needed to be of the utmost transparency and quality. Another consideration was that Caldermeade was hoping for a tight turnaround in terms of delivery and install, as well as ongoing maintenance from their chosen compressed air provider.

Therefore, a turnkey solution would need to ensure premium Class Zero air quality as well as equipment with low noise output (so as not to cause stress to their animals or impact the visitor experience) as well as reliable service to achieve the desired result.

“I guess the main benefit is the ease of which the whole installation took place. We have a relatively small management team, so for us to be able to approach Sullair for a proposal, place the order and have an installed compressor within a few weeks made everything really easy. We didn’t have to spend a huge amount of time working on it.”

THE SOLUTION

David Gommans, Managing Director of Caldermeade Farm explains why they approached Sullair for this project, “The operations manager at our other site had used Sullair previously and he was happy with them. We were happy with the units too and we haven’t had any real unplanned downtime or maintenance issues. And it wasn’t an expensive machine to run or operate so for me, there was no reason really to look elsewhere.”

To Jean-Philippe Leclercq, Oil-Free Air Specialist at Sullair Australia, it was clear that a comprehensive oil-free solution was required. Leclercq worked with David Gommans of Caldermeade Farm to map out the setup in the room where the compressed air solution would be stored for maximum efficiency and minimal noise levels.

“I worked with them to decide the exact amount of air they would require based on the air consumption of his new equipment, as well as the pressure. We helped them with the configuration of the compressed air room too. So there was quite a bit of work done in partnership with the customer to confirm the size of compressor and equipment required.”

With the insight provided by Caldermeade Farm in February 2021 as well as estimations made around the amount of compressed air needed for the facility, it became clear SRL11 Scroll Oil-Free package would likely be the correct solution. The package included an 11KW SRL-11ME5A Oil Free Scroll Air Compressor unit, an 300L air receiver, a Champion 50L refrigerated dryer and all the accompanying filters. An order was placed on 31st March and the product was delivered, installed by early May suiting the clients tight turnaround times. The commission then took place with a qualified Sullair technician and training was carried out with the customer to make sure they understood the equipment ongoing.

THE RESULT

Overall, the client was very happy with the end result – from the initial conversations, to the support with decision making and the final outcomes.

Gommans recalls the comprehensive assistance and the ease of the project, “I’m no expert on compressors but Jean-Phillipe made it very easy, he asked the questions that he needed to ask – he made that process very smooth. He walked us through the process of selecting a unit that was appropriate for our needs, planned out the installation and provided guidance on where and how it should be installed. He ensured that the design and installation of the pipework in the factory met all of our requirements.”

Gommans also explained that the training provided by the Sullair technician has helped them to adjust the equipment settings for their ongoing needs, “It was set up to an output pressure that was useful to equipment at the time but we have since changed the output and we are able to do it ourselves. So we’re able to adjust the operations of the machine according to our needs and there hasn’t been any unplanned downtime. Essentially, we have turned it on and aside from adjusting the pressure set point we haven’t really touched it.”

When asked how the Sullair package has helped their business, Gommans says “I guess the main benefit is the ease of which the whole installation took place. We have a relatively small management team, so for us to be able to approach Sullair for a proposal, place the order and have an installed compressor within a few weeks made everything really easy. We didn’t have to spend a huge amount of time working on it.”

Leclercq recaps, “They were interested in Sullair as a full service provider. Not only could they see that the oil-free package was right, the scroll ensured low noise levels, the pricing was right and the lead time of delivery was within their expectations. They were also convinced that we could provide ongoing technical support.”

Interested in finding out more?

To learn more about Sullair’s oil-free solutions, call Sullair today on 1300 266 773 or contact us here.