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.

Their distinct features can be understood in terms of:

Air compressors convert normal air into its high-pressure, denser form for uses in a wide range of environments.

From small, portable models for safe supply on-the-go, to huge commercial installations that fuel complex industrial processes, they vary considerably in size and configuration to best suit all kinds of needs.

ELGi offers compressed air solutions to multiple industries, and here’s a list to name a few:

“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner.”

As of 2019, only 10-15% of the start-ups worldwide were founded by women.

In spite of the steady strides made, female entrepreneurs continue to face challenges to set up their own enterprise. Whether it be the lack of financial aid, unfair discrimination, or the struggle to balance the business and family, they are forced to deal with significantly greater issues than their male counterparts.

However, with indomitable grit and a strong penchant for learning, female business owners can overcome these challenges and emerge victorious.

Let us take a look at the story of one of ELGi’s partners, Sandra Felip Riba, and how she successfully battled the stereotypes she faced, while being at the helm of Grup Air Sa.

One of our partners in the paper manufacturing industry was looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption. They identified that their air compressor was a major contributor to their energy bill.

SITE ANALYSIS:

They had many decade-old compressors placed in various locations of their plant. The older compressors consumed higher energy. The machines were also becoming difficult to maintain due to short consumable replacement cycles and an increase in maintenance costs. And any new compressor would have to be rugged in to run in harsh temperatures with minimal maintenance checks.

SOLUTION:

After a comprehensive study, we recommended that two of their existing 75kW machines be replaced with newer, larger 160kW compressors as a preliminary change to accommodate their budget and to increase efficiency.

RESULT:

It has been 1 month since we replaced the machines, and the paper manufacturer has recovered over 55% of their investment only through power. The newer compressors which offer more features also operate with less noise and are built to handle harsh temperatures and conditions of the site.

Every equipment in use needs an upgrade. Not only does an upgrade bring changes to the equipment in terms of performance but also features.

When it comes to the environment, both the consumer and the manufacturer understand the impact of a product on the environment. Hence, there is significant effort taken to reduce the environmental impact of products.

Over the past decade, a lot has changed in compressors. The air-ends which are the heart of the compressors have been improved to provide higher compressed air flow and consume lower power. The primary mover of the air-ends, the electric motor’s minimum efficiency has been incrementally upgraded as well. The unload power and power consumed by the cooling fan has also been reduced significantly by controlling the flow of oil into the air-ends and the cooler. The controllers have become smarter and can identify running patters. They can also control multiple other compressors as well.

After analysis, ELGi recommended replacing 2 machines with a larger one as a preliminary effort.

Two 75kW units were replaced with one 160kW improved state of the art oil lubricated screw compressor. Not only did it help increase the compressed air output but also helped save electricity. this effort helped reduce CO2 emission (in tonnes). The details of the savings are as below:

Compressed air at a power plant finds application in coal handling, operating pneumatic instruments connected with boilers, turbines, generators, precipitators and ash handling system.

As per industry reports, India is expected to become the world’s 3rd largest construction market by 2022. Furthermore, increasing the development of the National Highways and initiatives like “Smart City Mission” provide attractive opportunities and drives the growth of this sector.

Concrete batching plants have become an essential machinery and we can’t imagine any construction site without it. In the construction industry, producing high quality concrete in the right amount and delivering it on time is a challenging task. The right quality of concrete increases the reliability of any construction and this is being achieved with concrete batching plants.

Have we ever thought what is driving the concrete batching plants to deliver the right quality concrete on time? Yes, it’s compressed air!

Let us understand the concrete batching plant briefly before going into the usage of compressed air in its operation.

However, with increased supervision, global pharmaceutical markets are also amidst major discontinuities; providing opportunities for emerging markets in the coming decade.

The Indian pharmaceuticals market, along with the markets of China, Brazil and Russia, will spearhead growth within these markets.

The global food and grocery retail market are expected to reach USD 12.24 trillion by 2020, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 6.9%. This proposed growth will be driven by countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, China and Indonesia.

The rising population and increased affordability of premium foods and grocery products have created a need for regulatory standards. Interestingly, compressed air has become the essential power source for countless manufacturers in the food & beverage industry to maintain safety and quality while meeting the growing demands.