Compressed Air Best Practices - May 2008 - (Page 35)

Compressed Air Industry AUTOMOTIVE ASSEMBLY | 05/08 | Does Delta have any specific “company philosophy?” What we try to live by is to do what is right for the customer. Our clients typically are not compressed air experts. They are occupied running their own businesses and rely on us to keep them running effectively and efficiently. Sometimes it’s our job to educate our customers on another way of doing things, if it’s in their best interest. A very common scenario is that a customer thinks they need another air compressor because they require more air pressure. We had a tire retreader call us asking for a 125 hp air compressor. They had a 75 hp compressor that they felt was not getting the job done because during certain hours of the day, they didn’t have enough air pressure. This customer had a large air demand event that occurred several times a day. We analyzed this demand and were able to recommend a new system with a 40 hp compressor combined with large storage tanks for the intermittent air events. This system now takes care of all their air needs with significantly lower energy costs. The customer has enough air pressure at all times, and they spent less money on equipment than they would have on the system that they had asked for. 50 hp, at times, was running flat out and could not produce any more air. They then recommended that the facility purchase a 75 hp air compressor. Delta visited the installation and recommended an air demand analysis (ADA) that included a flow meter. We determined that the discharge air flow was below what a 50 hp should deliver. We examined the compressor and found that the existing 50 hp had a leak that was not detected by the other company. This is an example of why it is better to actually measure air flow. As the owner, what is your management style? I am very hands-on. I continue to work with a handful of accounts myself on the sales side. I call on a few factories and engineering firms and make calls with our twelve outside sales people. This helps me stay current with the applications, questions and concerns of our customers. In this way, I can maintain a working knowledge of how we and our vendors are performing for our customers. While this takes some time away from managing the overall business, I feel the time spent is worthwhile. Delta Industries Staff: (back row l-r) Paula Karmia, Don Whitledge, Glen Mack, John Reinert, Jennifer Kurt, Rich deCaneva (front row l-r) Sal Graziano, Barbara Shuman, Tiffany Visco What one recommendation do you have regarding air audits? There are many things to say here but what comes to mind is that we see a lot of amp testers being used to calculate air demand in a facility and feel that this can unintentionally mislead a customer. Customers should understand that flow meters and pressure transducers should be included for a complete evaluation of their air system. We called an automotive parts manufacturing facility that had a 50 hp compressor that didn’t always keep up with required air pressure. A competitor visited them and used amp testers to determine demand. The amp readings told them that the Delta Industries Application Engineering: Paula Karmia, Julie Ratcliff, Chris Vasey, Rich deCaneva, Sal Graziano (l-r) www.airbestpractices.com 35 http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - May 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices - May 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News The Compressed Air Audit of the Month Pneumatics Real World Best Practices Delta Industries: Doing What is Right for Customers Delta Industries: Six Truths You Need to Know about Really Putting the Customer First Power Supply Industries Resources for Energy Engineers Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - May 2008

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