ELGi partners with the Italian Red Cross to maintain critical COVID-19 response vehicles
Executive summary
ELGi Compressors Europe, supported the Italian Red Cross with its urgent compressed air requirement. In line with ELGi’s corporate philanthropic approach, ELGi Europe swiftly and comprehensively made a charitable contribution of an air compressor package for one of Italy’s Red Cross logistic hubs serving the Turin area.
Background
In February 2021, Italy commemorated the first anniversary of the country’s first COVID-19 case. Vo, a township in the province of Padua in the Veneto region, had registered the country’s first COVID-19 death on February 21, 2020.
During the first wave in 2020, the surge in infections was fast and relentless, as the virus spread from northern Italy to the rest of the nation. Strict lockdowns followed soon after, and several restrictions remained in place to curb the spread of the virus. By the end of the year, the country had registered over two million cases, and the virus continued to have a massive impact on health and society.
The country-wide lockdown led to a situation the modern world had never seen before. Humanitarian aid in the form of food, medicine, clothing and other essential supplies became a priority as millions required help to secure basic necessities.
About IFRC
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the largest humanitarian network globally, helping people in times of crisis. With more than 13.7 million volunteers across the globe, the organization supports over 150 million people facing disasters and health emergencies.
The Red Cross’s strengths are its vast volunteer network and ties with the community and corporations that assist vulnerable people. Its community-based expertise helps improve the living standards of people in distress, while partnering with stakeholders who can sustain development efforts. The Red Cross volunteers work with multiple stakeholders to shape disaster responses and build resilient communities.
The Italian Red Cross, established in 1864, has been coordinating its COVID-19 response with national and international parties. From March 2020, it has been working with Italy’s Ministry of Health and looked for donations to handle medical supplies and other equipment.
The Red Cross Italy’s Polo Logistico Valle di Susa facility, located in Bussoleno, has been supplying the metropolitan region of Turino with medicines, meals, and supplies during the ordeal. In addition to traditional rescue and ambulance activities, the Red Cross Italy catered to the needs of people in isolation, sanitation of public spaces, evacuation of patients, while assisting withscreening. .
Furthermore, the facility was fulfilling the accommodation needs of healthcare staff, handling support requests, and running a call centre to investigate seroprevalence.
The challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Italian Red Cross’ efforts to the limit. While the network has experience dealing with first-aid and emergency response, the speed with which the pandemic spread, was unprecedented and caused a stretch on resources and equipment.
To meet the rising demand for humanitarian aid and bolster the work of its volunteers, the Red Cross Italy requested for various equipment, parts and supplies to keep operations running. With hundreds of thousands of items such as medicines, groceries, clothing, and more, passing through the logistics centre, industrial-grade equipment was needed to maintain vehicles and tools.
The Italian Red Cross’ existing piston compressor could not meet the demand for high-quality compressed air, and the situation demanded an immediate upgrade. This prompted the Italian Red Cross team to contact ELGi Europe, who immediately responded with an air compressor that addressed and enhanced the operational capacity of the Italian Red Cross logistics centre.
The solution
ELGi Europe delivered and installed an EN series air station comprising a receiver and fridge dryer, in just a matter of days. The plug and play solution enabled high reliability, ease of maintenance and a small footprint. These features came in handy at the Red Cross’ logistics centre in Italy, as volunteers needed all the time and space they could get for sorting supplies.
“The COVID emergency has placed pressure on all people and equipment. We contacted ELGi and other companies asking if they could support us with a new air compressor to enhance our operational capacity at the logistics centre. ELGi responded immediately, visited our Centre, analysed our compressed air needs and within days, provided not just an air compressor, but a complete system including a tank and dryer,” said Michele Belmondo, Site Manager at the Red Cross Bussoleno.
The ELGi EN Series is a complete solution for obtaining high-quality compressed air and requires very little maintenance as there is zero leakage due to integrated components and connections. The compressor contains ELGi’s unique assembly design, ensuring energy efficiency and minimal pressure drops. The compressor also has the lowest noise level in the industry, making it the perfect addition to the Italian Red Cross facility. Finally, with cleaner suction air keeping internal components clean and low oil-fill needs, the EN series compressors’ long-lasting life enabled the Italian Red Cross volunteers to focus on what they do best i.e., uninterrupted, critical humanitarian work.
Benefits
With the high-quality ELGi EN series Air Station, the Red Cross Italy was able to achieve the following:
- Meet the gruelling humanitarian and supply needs of the metropolitan city of Turin
- Be available 24/7 with transport and equipment that can be mobilised quickly
- Assist local city authorities with sanitation and monitoring activities, preventing the spread of the virus
Conclusion
“At ELGi Compressors Europe, we aspire to be ‘Always Better’ in everything we do – and this includes building long-lasting partnerships with our employees, customers, channel partners and the local communities where we operate. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Italian Red Cross in its tireless efforts with caring for the local community during these challenging times,” said Chris Ringsletter, President at ELGi Europe.
ELGi catering to the Red Cross needs in Italy, when it mattered most represents its fundamental values. The COVID-19 virus has known no borders and while we strive to emerge from the pandemic, we’ve seen individuals, companies, and governments come together and offer their expertise to help each other. ELGi is championing this by doing what it does best – supplying high-quality air compressors to meet emergency demands and enabling the Red Cross Italy to fulfil its humanitarian commitments.