Issues such as oil carryover, air leaks, filter clogs, and inadequate lubrication are all warning signs of a gradually failing system. While all air compressor manufacturers recommend carrying out scheduled maintenance checks mandatorily, not recognizing the symptoms associated with certain issues can also lead to system failures.

So, does that mean that it is possible to identify the exact problem by simply observing the preliminary symptoms? In most cases, yes, it is.

For a customer, it is important that the functioning of a downstream equipment that relies on compressed air is not disturbed. Hence, efficient and smart troubleshooting is mandatory to save time and money. By closely observing the symptoms, we can anticipate the nature of the problem. Data must be collected, verified, and ascertained properly in order to arrive at a conclusion.

The most reported issues of an air compressor are:

1. Pressure not building up or not loading
2. High temperature and tripping
3. Not understanding alarming and warning signals in the controller
4. Tripping with high sump pressure
5. Oil leakages
6. Moisture condensation observed at utility point

Most of the problems can be identified through self-diagnosis of the following:

Oil levels and colour

A customer-centric mindset is becoming increasingly important in today’s age of the customer, when organizations are undergoing a digital transformation to manage customer experience and corporate positioning.

By gathering customer insights from multiple sources, organizations can identify their most valuable customers, build nurturing relationships with them and ensure profits for the future.

In talks with Managing Director, Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, The Textile Magazine unearths the determinants of ELGi’s powerful claim in the compressed air business –– “we provide the lowest lifecycle cost in the world.”

In Part One, we followed ELGi’s evolutionary journey in manufacturing and design which makes a compelling case for sales of their air compressors. But ELGi’s approach to after-sales service is what makes them valuable partners for customers in the long-term.

Commenting on ELGi’s relationship with the Indian textile sector, Dr. Jairam Varadaraj said: “As a group we know textiles better than our competitors. This is because we have our own spinning mill in the group. We have been in the business of textiles for 40-odd years now. We know the pain points and challenges. Plus, we are based out of Coimbatore, a premier textile hub. Wherever you go across the country, people in the textile industry know ELGi.”

The company has a strong sales and service network spanning the length and breadth of the country. ELGi has an extensive team of more than 500 sales and service personnel with a maximum response time of eight hours. Elaborating on this, Dr. Varadaraj pointed out: “For us it is not just about responding when a customer calls. It is about restoring air. Today 96-97% of our customers get their air back in less than six hours. That’s a record nobody can beat. In fact, even our competitors acknowledge this strength of ours. We deliver uptime.

Generally we are there in about an hour. That’s the physical infrastructure. We also have a strong system in place where every defect, however small it may be, is registered at the factory by evening. We are also coming out with a SIM card based device which is incorporated in our compressors. It is in the testing phase. While others have also been offering similar services, we are doing it with a difference. The device talks to the compressor and gives a comprehensive performance report through an algorithm. The software then starts predicting. See, any mechanical device will degrade with wear. Failure takes place when you don’t notice this wear. With this monitoring, you will be able to get there before the failure. Predictive maintenance is what we offer. We have supplied about 55 machines with the device. By the end of this year, we will make it standard on all our machines. Many of our competitors offer it usually for large machines and invariably tied up with a service contract. We don’t want to follow that path. We firmly believe that the device is meant for us. More than our customers, we want to know how our machines are performing, for it will help us keep improving and stay ahead of the curve.”