Company overview:
Whiteghyll has been trading since 1990 and has extensive experience in the design, manufacture, and installation of bespoke visual merchandising products.
Their in-house production team, based in Bradford, oversees manufacturing. Facilities include CNC machining, joinery, assembly, vinyl application, digital printing, fabrication, LED signage production, sewing, packing, and dispatch.
Situation:
Whiteghyll approached PPS because their existing compressed air network was inefficient and unreliable. Their manufacturing facility, spread over three floors in a re-purposed building, had a complex layout, with each floor operating its own compressor and pipe network.
As a result, any compressor failure or required servicing could bring a third of production to a halt, leading to costly downtime and inefficiencies.
Task:
PPS was asked to investigate if it was possible to consolidate Whiteghyll’s compressed air system into a single, efficient network powered by two compressors in a duty/standby setup. This would give them the reliability they were currently lacking. With the complicated layout of the site, the team weren’t sure if this was going to be feasible.
To specify the right equipment for the site, PPS Installed data loggers on their three existing compressors to assess the exact compressed air demand pressure and cycle over a seven-day period. A pipework review was also conducted to identify potential challenges in linking their separate networks.
Action:
The analysis of the site showed it was possible to consolidate the compressed air system. What’s more, the data logging results showed that consolidating from three compressors to one slightly larger compressor would give significant energy savings, reducing their compressed air energy costs by over 40%.
While the pipework would be tricky, the challenges could be overcome. For example, some manufacturing processes required a different air quality standard. This was resolved by incorporating point-of-use desiccant dryers and filtration where necessary.
Whiteghyll recognised the value of the proposed solution and moved forward with the investment. PPS installation and pipework teams completed the project in two weeks, installing:
- A new centralised pipework system
- Duty/standby compressors
- Desiccant dryers and filtration
Results:
- Energy saving: 40% reduction in compressed air energy consumption.
- Reliability: Seamless operation with automatic switching between compressors, ensuring no production downtime in case of a fault.
- Control: Remote monitoring and control via the Smart Link app, allowing Whiteghyll to receive alerts, adjust operational schedules, and check compressor status from their phone.