A global company, operating in more than 100 countries worldwide, AESSEAL® manufactures mechanical seals, seal support systems and bearing protectors for a wide range of industries. These are designed to stop leakage of fluids and gases whilst improving reliability and efficiency of pumps and rotating equipment.
The project was at the AESSEAL® headquarters, a large site in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
What was needed?
The company was relying on four ageing air compressors, however as a growing business AESSEAL ® was concerned they would no longer provide efficiency, reliability, or adequate expansion capacity. This led AESSEAL® to asking Simm Engineering for some expert advice.
As Sustainability Officer Simon Sheaf explains: “AESSEAL® is an energy-conscious business with ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certification for environmental and energy management. We’re always looking for opportunities for continual improvement.”
What we did?
The four old air compressors were replaced with a brand new Atlas Copco GA55VSD+FF air compressor. As a variable speed drive plus machine, this offers significant cost and energy savings.
Simm Engineering has also supplied a new air compressor and a second-hand backup machine at the company’s Bradford site, along with pipe work installation, with further site visits planned for AESSEAL® at its other sites in the UK.
Why Simm?
As AESSEAL® was looking to change its compressed air supplier across a number of its UK sites, including its Head Office in Rotherham, it invited companies including Simm Engineering to meet with its management team David Montero (Business Assurance Manager), Lindsay Moore (Facilities Co-ordinator) and Simon Sheaf (Sustainability Officer). They were all particularly impressed by the technical knowledge and experience offered by the Simm engineers.
Key Benefits
A major factor for Simon Sheaf was the environmental impact. “As Sustainability Officer, the reduction of energy consumption used to produce compressed air of between 20% & 40% was key,” he says. “It was great to work with Simm Engineering to identify ways for our business to reduce our energy use consumption.”
The overall reduction in running costs is also significant. Previously, the company’s annual air compressor cost was almost £40K a year (£39,379.50). With the new air compressor in place, the annual cost is estimated to be reduced to as low as £24,515, a saving of up to £14,864.50 a year.
“Compressed air is very important to us; the majority of our machines won’t run without it,” says Simon Sheaf. “Knowing that the new compressor is reliable is essential, and as a growing business, we know it will cope with varying load and provide capacity for increasing demand.” Not only is the new air compressor efficient, it also increases reliability, and with a reduction in service requirements there is a lower chance of downtime.
Another notable benefit is the significantly quieter operation of the new air compressor, improving the working environment for AESSEAL ® staff. At the Bradford site, this has allowed the air compressor to be relocated to the shop floor without the need for acoustic shielding.
Having only one machine to service instead of four will also reduce the company’s maintenance costs moving forward. The air compressor is fitted with Atlas Copco’s SmartLink system, which allows real-time identification of functional issues, maximising energy efficiency and improving performance and productivity.