At ELGi, we believe that employee wellbeing is inextricably linked to the growth of an organization. Promoting holistic well-being is the cornerstone of company-wide success as it boosts brain power and cognitive thinking, and at ELGi, our goal has always been to use innovation and technology as a force for good.

The advantages of fitness in the workplace:

The benefits of fitness are endless. Physical activity reduces the likelihood of developing diseases and improves one’s ability to perform well during everyday activities. Incorporating healthy practices in our daily lives ensures better blood circulation and reduces the risk of illnesses. Moreover, when employees are free to interact with their co-workers, there is improved collaboration and teamwork. This fosters a culture of camaraderie that also spills over during work hours, thereby enhancing co-operation.

ELGi and holistic wellness initiatives

Built into our ESG framework, our initiatives at ELGi aim to reduce workplace stress and develop a workplace environment that enhances performance. After all, performing in any kind of physical activity reduces cortisol levels (thus alleviating stress) and increases the production of endorphins (improving employees’ overall mood).

In 2019, we launched our very own fitness & wellness initiative under the campaign – #WhatsYourFinishLine, with a vision to raise awareness about fitness among employees, distributors and stakeholders across the globe. This is a voluntary challenge that helps employees to challenge themselves to set a goal to make fitness a way of life. Through challenges around mindfulness, cycling, and steps tracking, employees are encouraged to engage in healthy competition. In line with our philosophy of holistic wellness, the competition is designed in a way that employees focus on their physical health, but also learn to take a few moments to care about their overall well-being.

We are all set to kick-start the 5th edition of the #WhatsYourFinishLine challenge from 9th October and are excited to bring you all the happenings from across our offices, globally.

Solution: Secondary Aluminium!

The large-scale demand and usage of aluminium, generates massive amounts of scrap. This scrap serves as the source for the secondary aluminium! It comprises around 30% of India’s total aluminium consumption of 3.3 million tons annually. Recycling aluminium is environmentally friendly, as the process consumes 95% less energy than generating primary aluminium. And since the atomic structure of aluminium remains unaltered upon melting, it enables the usage of the molten metal for various applications. It has been observed that the demand for secondary aluminium has grown faster than primary aluminium due to better cost economics, especially in the price-sensitive automotive castings sector. 

Our customer who is India’s largest producer of aluminium and zinc die-casting alloys, has been tapping the potential of India’s aluminium recycling industry.  From setting up its first plant in Tatarpur, near New Delhi, our customer’s expanse has grown to 12 plants across the country. These plants have a combined annual capacity of approximately 310,700 MT, making it the Rank One nationally in aluminium and zinc die-casting alloy production!

The plants have collection, segregation, processing, recycling, and treatment facilities for all types of secondary metal raw materials. The group also has joint ventures with renowned Japanese companies such as Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nikkei MC Aluminium. Its most recent joint venture is for a plant in Gujarat, where the recycling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is conducted through dismantling, shredding, and sorting.

Generating value for customers is the focus of the business, and there is constant attention to improving quality, controlling costs, and streamlining delivery. To ensure compliance with industry norms, the group has acquired ISO 14001, TS16949, 45001, and OHSAS 18001 certifications, along with other research and development certifications.

Our customer has a technology-focused approach in all its processes, making business activities more cost-effective and environmental-friendly.

Following are the steps involved in converting scrap metal into molten metal:

• Manufacturing

Various steps are deployed to improve metal recovery rates while saving fuel costs. High-pressure hot air is used to vaporize ink from the surface, regenerative burners heat the metal, de-coaters remove the scales to reduce dross, and furnace circulation maintains temperature.

• Segregation

Segregation is a critical step that ensures no impurities or contaminants enter the furnace. The process is mechanized using floatation systems, induction-based sorting systems, colour sorters, rotary sieves, eddy current separators, gravimetric separators, and shredders. Combining these pieces of equipment helps maintain the quality of the recycled aluminium.

• Delivery

The molten metal obtained at the end of the process meets industry standards and is ready for delivery. However, specially designed ladles and trucks are used for transportation, as it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the molten metal during transit. Anti-pollution control mechanisms and baghouses are also used to reduce harmful emissions.

The Stumbling Block

Despite the smart energy-saving techniques, our customer’s non-ferrous recycling plants needed high-quality air processors to ensure that each shred of aluminium was free from contaminants and decorations before being added to the furnace. This was critical because the foreign particles could disrupt the quality of the aluminium recycled and would also increase fuel costs.

So, the challenge was to deploy an air system that could provide the highest quality of hot air as it would directly impact the product quality and cost.

Compressed air solution by ELGi

Our customer decided to install EG 22, EG 30, EG 37, EG 55, and EG 110 models of ELGi Screw Compressors across all their plants.

Each compressor was enabled with DCS and SCADA remote monitoring to ease operations. Additionally, every compressor met the highest air purity standards as per ISO regulations, maintaining a constant flow of hot air while ensuring the raw material was contaminant-free. In short, ELGi’s EG Series Screw Air Compressors ensured that the metal recycling plants processed more shreds of aluminium at a much faster pace and that too with least downtime.

Additionally, ELGi provided installation & maintenance services for all compressors. We also provided preventive maintenance along with it. However, given the robustness of the EG series, no breakdowns were reported at any plant thus resulting in minimal downtime.

The ELGi Advantage:

1. Decontamination of raw material: High-quality air helped the brand conform to industry standards and deliver the accurate aluminium composition to its customers.
2. Cost control: Decontaminating raw materials reduced fuel consumption and energy costs. Further energy consumption was also realized by installing or retrofitting the air compressor with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). Our customer has leveraged this benefit to reduce costs and generate more value for its customers.
3. Minimal downtime: With no maintenance requirement since installation, ELGi’s engineers swiftly performed routine servicing of the compressors, thus allowing our customer to focus on their business and timely delivery.

As an environmentally conscious organization, our customer focused on more innovative and sustainable solutions that met its business needs. And the EG series fulfilled that need by reducing energy loss and operating with minimal sound; hence, controlling the environmental impact.

Since then, they have relied on ELGi air compressors for years, accrediting its operational efficiency to ELGi’s high-performance, energy-efficient, environment-friendly air compressors that help to reduce energy costs.

Customer feedback:

“ELGi’s innovative, high-quality products are helping us embark on our journey to become more energy efficient. Their products are so reliable that they bring peace of mind for all the stakeholders”, says the management at our customer’s organisation.

Conclusion:

Recycling metal scrap to extract secondary aluminium is not only a significant business activity with enormous headroom for growth; but is also a fundamentally important industry in a world battling climate change.

ELGi’s screw air compressors play an enormous part in making this process profitable and sustainable.

Get in touch with our experts for your business needs.

Building the Future

Steel is one of the world’s most essential materials in engineering and construction. Steel components are utilised in almost everything- from vehicles to domestic appliances to surgical scalpels! 

The vast applications of the metal are attributed to its durability and flexibility. The World Steel Association forecasted that steel demand will increase by 2.2% in 2023 to reach 1,881.4 million tonnes (MT).  

India is currently the world’s 2nd largest producer of crude steel in January – December 2021, producing 118.20 Million tonnes (MT) crude steel with growth rate 17.9% over the corresponding period last year (CPLY). Source 

A leading steel manufacturer  

Our customer is a leading steel manufacturer, which began operations in 1998. Ranked as one of the top in India, the organization is also recognized as the second largest value creator in the world.  

The diversified portfolio of steel products comprises steel plates and coils, angles and channels, wire rods, round bars, rails, parallel flange beams, and fabricated sections. The product line is in high demand across 22+ countries owing to its durability and quality. 

From Scrap to Steel 

Steel is a sturdy iron alloy with chromium, manganese, and nickel elements. Our customer’s production process typically involves these steps:  

•   Raw material sourcing: Iron ore, coal, and lime are the primary raw materials used to produce steel. The company owns coal and iron-ore mines to source the raw materials. 

•   Sinter plant: The raw material is subjected to an agglomeration process in the sinter plant. The fine mineral particles are combusted into a porous mass known as sinter. 

•   Blast furnace: The sinter contains 70% to 80% of the iron. The charge is transferred from the sinter plant to the blast furnace, which is melted to produce hot metal or liquid iron.

•   SMS: Refractory lined vessels called LD Converters are used to produce steel from the liquid iron. Impurities such as carbon, silicon, phosphorus, and sulphur are removed by blowing oxygen through a hot metal bath. The molten steel is continuously cast at the radial type continuous casting machines.

•   The finished product: Steel is moulded into slab, strip, billet, bloom, and beam blanket as the final product. These are descaled, tested for quality, sorted by weight, and stored for shipment.

Chinks in the Armour 

Steel manufacturing plants need high-pressure and high-quality air to descale the final products. The hydro-mechanical descaling process eliminates impurities from the product. Special descaling nozzles form jets arranged on spray headers in the steel mill. The finished products are then subject to a working pressure ranging from 80 to 300 bar for descaling application. 

The process involves converting sheets into heat-rolled slabs. Iron oxide or mill scale is deposited on the sheets and must be removed repeatedly to clean them. The challenge was deploying an air system that could descale the sheets properly. The highest quality of high-pressure compressed air was required to ensure the best surface finish was achieved, as it directly impacts the product quality.  

Making Things Right  

Our customer switched to an ELGi Sauer high-pressure air compressor in 2017.  

A unit of the Hurricane Series Model WP4341L was installed for the descaling application process at the rolling mill. The Hurricane Series high-pressure compressors are renowned for engineering superiority and production expertise. Founded on outstanding military design experience and continuous innovation, this is one of the most cost-effective and reliable air-cooled industrial compressors in the market ranging from 115 to 400 bar. 

The installation of the ELGi Sauer air compressor came with so many benefits:  

•   Descaling the final product:  Descaling to deliver high-quality finished products with maximum shine.

•   Heavy duty performance:  Delivering performance even under extreme environmental conditions.

•   Minimal downtime: The reliable compressor performance, low downtime, and swift maintenance by the ELGi Sauer service team ensured high availability of the compressor to deliver high-quality products consistently. 

“ELGi Sauer’s high-pressure compressor satisfies our needs and helps us deliver high-quality products consistently. It is durable and reliable, and we are happy with its performance. It is easy to operate, and we can use this machine for our heavy-duty applications with full confidence. Partnering with ELGi Sauer was the best decision for our business.”  

Our customer feedback  

The trouble-free performance, ease of maintenance of the compressor package and lower operating cost has won the user’s confidence. Repeat orders in 2019 reflected customer satisfaction. To provide the complete trouble-free availability of the compressor considering criticality in the plant, ELGi Sauer has taken the compressors under maintenance ensuring they are attended to by qualified service engineers conforming to prompt and timely periodic service ensuring superior performance.  

“At ELGi Sauer, we understand the customer and application needs very well and consistently deliver the best-performing and most suitable equipment. Our products are built with reliability and lower life cycle cost, making them the most preferred choice of the customers. With prompt product support through service contracts, we keep our customers stress-free, enabling them to focus on enhancing their business growth,” said  Satish Kini, Chief Executive Officer of ELGi Sauer Compressors Limited.   

Technology and innovation in focus for ELGi Sauer  

The latest in-built technology with ELGi Sauer compressors makes them future-ready and the most preferred by customers. Advanced control systems, compressed-air treatment systems, and accessories are available to meet the customer’s specific needs. 

ELGi Sauer has significantly expanded its business portfolio in the past decade and has become the most preferred choice across major industry segments in India. Delivering state-of-the-art products and customized solutions to steel, auto, power, general engineering and oil & gas segments, ELGi Sauer helps its customers achieve high productivity at low maintenance cost.   

Speak to our experts for customised solutions for your industry applications. Share your requirement here.

Sources:

World-Steel-in-Figures-2022.pdf (worldsteel.org) 

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.

Executive Summary

When a leading India-based power equipment rental company had a demand for compressed air in the construction & mining industry, it reached out to ELGi. The company has procured hundreds of exceptional air compressors to date, which has helped grow its rental customer base across industries.

Overview of the Industry

Construction & Mining activities are the backbone of all industries and contribute significantly to a country’s economy. However, they are prone to fluctuations due to the frequent rise and dip in demand, geopolitics and recently the pandemic. That said, sustained efforts by countries and their economic boosters ensure a steady need for machinery. According to ICRA,1 the Mining and Construction Equipment industry was estimated to grow by 15-20% in 2021.

Though the projected growth applies primarily to manufacturers, indirect demand can accelerate the growth of auxiliary equipment providers too.

The Construction and Mining industry is labour intensive, equipment-driven, and requires dependable machinery that performs in demanding environments. Due to heavy capital investment, changing nature, demand for machinery, dynamic market conditions, and high need for proactive maintenance, corporations prefer hiring or leasing equipment over owning them.

About the Company

Our customer is the leading provider of power and cooling equipment in India, has 35+ years of experience and 500+ employees. The company provides high-end generators, transformers, air conditioners, chillers, compressors, load banks, fuel tanks, etc on rent. They offer turnkey solutions for short and long-term customer needs, catering to different sectors, including construction, mining, oil & gas, and food & beverage.

Based in 450 locations, the company has 350+ customers across India, catering to the needs of critical infrastructure development in the country. They focus on maintaining leadership in the energy equipment rental space. They achieve this by continuously upgrading their equipment and providing the latest, cutting-edge, ready-to-install equipment – while ensuring high reliability.

Our client’s equipment plays a critical role in the operations and overall productivity of their customers, placing a high demand for perfect rented or leased equipment. To achieve this aim, they procure only the best-in-market equipment for their customers. Providing quality after-sales service is equally critical to maintaining their market reputation while catering to the robust customer demand.

Customer Challenge

The company’s construction & mining customers use heavy machinery and frequently operate in remote locations in adverse conditions. The labour-intensive nature of the industry requires the best equipment and operations safety while ensuring high productivity.

Core processes like running ventilation systems, powering critical on-site pneumatic tools, lifting and handling operations, site cleaning and digging, and heavy-duty blasting require a steady flow of compressed air. Operations come to a standstill when these conditions are not met. Thus, it is imperative to provide 100% reliable air compressors as an operations and safety requirement.

Business Solution

The customer initially approached ELGi to procure two air compressors (ELGi PG600-230 and PG450-150) in 2018. As the demand for compressed air increased, the company procured hundreds of air compressors from ELGi over the next three years.

This exponential increase was also because ELGi provided immediate fulfilment and on-time service. ELGi air compressors helped the team meet demands at customer facilities while ensuring technical and industrial compliance at application sites.

After the initial satisfaction with the ELGi’s equipment and service quality, the company acquired the complete range of ELGi portable air compressors (both diesel and electric models) from 300 CFM to 1100 CFM free air delivery capacities. ELGi has also supplied two oil-free ELGi OF 275 screw air compressors for deployment at two customer sites in the food & beverages and oil & gas segments.

Business Benefits

The swift support provided by ELGi for new equipment procurement and on-site maintenance at end-consumer sites across India, satisfied our client’s expectations. Here are some benefits of choosing ELGi:

Increased Customer Demand: The authentic performance of ELGi air compressors at end-consumer sites has led to more orders for air compressor rentals.

Better Customer Satisfaction and Equipment reliability: With rented air compressors, the client ensures higher uptime and reduction in downtime for its customers.

Business Growth: Due to its successful venture into the air compressor rental business in the construction and mining sectors, the client is presently exploring opportunities in the oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, general engineering, and food and beverage industries. Our client also aims to offer oil-free air compressors to its customers.

Conclusion

“The rental industry is very promising and will boom once the pandemic is over. I’m confident that with ELGi’s technologically superior compressed air systems, along with our strong relationship with the ELGi team, we will be able to cater to the needs of our customers across various segments in the next few years. My mind is at peace as ELGi’s service team proactively takes care of our products at customer sites. I don’t worry about the service or downtime at all. By partnering with ELGi, I have taken the best decision at the right time,” said a representative of the client.

ELGi believes that ensuring a customer’s success determines ours and strives to provide superior equipment in the market. From procurement to after-sales service, ELGi takes pride in partnering with customers to ensure maximum productivity and reliability.

Our campaign, #ADayInTheLifeOfAnELGian springs from the same idea – to celebrate our days, make time for people & activities we love and experience life to the fullest- even if it is just a cup of coffee or a walk in the park.

Jayakanthan R., CFO at ELGi, talks about his day, sharing insights into his work schedule, his love for food and the little pleasures of finding time to read at the end of the day.

It is the day our Mother Earth gets the spotlight and this spotlight should never be switched off, for it is critical for every stakeholder to embark on a behavioural change for the better.

Why, you may ask.

Essentially, our global health is under pressure!

If healthy people, a healthy society and a healthy planet are to be obtained, it is important to implement the Farm to Fork strategy, which is an integral part of the European Green Deal.

With this backdrop, read about the story of Brieana Lingao, HR Administrator – ELGi USA, on the importance of innovation and hard work for a young professional. 

However, to power such customer journeys, collaboration is paramount. For young female professionals in marketing, this collaboration also comes in the form of active mentorship and support from their seniors at work.

Today, read more about the story of Alexandra Moreno, Marketing Specialist – ELGi USA, whose experience as a marketer has been enriched by steady collaboration at work.

Today, let’s read about a global leading elevator manufacturer, which chose ELGi’s EG Series screw air compressors for their newest plant in Pune to achieve their ambitious production targets for market expansion in India.