Executive summary  

Rapid urbanisation has resulted in increased demand for energy-efficient residential and commercial air conditioners across India.  One of the leading manufacturers in India, meets this demand by deploying high-quality ELGi Sauer air compressors across its production and testing facilities.  

Industry Overview  

In the 21st century, people live, work, and play in highly customised interior spaces. Unique in design and application, they reflect the new-age consumer and their evolved needs. The most important parameters are the interior temperature and advanced HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioner) systems that provide comfort and reprieve from increasing heat and external weather conditions. 

In India, where the average summer temperature ranges between 32-40° Celsius, air conditioners are fast becoming a vital commodity for homes, offices, and industrial units. This is especially true in urban regions in the northern part of the country, where the HVAC industry share is the highest.[1] 

Additionally, the emergence of inverter technology in appliances and IoT-enabled temperature control systems is predicted to strengthen the demand for air conditioners even further. 

Furthermore, while residential air conditioners in the country are available in the window and split formats,  light air conditioners, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, and chillers are the most common product types in the commercial segment. However, there is demand for air conditioners in segments that utilise inverter technology resulting in reduced energy consumption, operating costs, and carbon impact. Besides, increased awareness and growing environmental concerns are changing the HVAC industry. In addition, energy regulations and policies that promote energy efficiency are also evolving.  

About the company 

 One of the most popular and energy-efficient air conditioner brands in India, the company understands the importance of individualised space and comfort in the 21st century, and its HVAC products reflect this philosophy.  Having its manufacturing facility in Kadi, Gujarat, the company manufactures a wide range of products, including but not limited to the following: 

• Residential air conditioners – New technological breakthroughs enable the manufacturers to provide energy-efficient and reliable window and split air conditioners

• Commercial air conditioners – A wide range of large-scale HVAC systems for industrial and residential project needs, including chillers, cassette air conditioners, ductable air conditioners, telecom air conditioners, and VRF systems

The customer challenges 

The manufacturer aims to deliver high-quality, efficient air conditioners, that are reliable and environment friendly. Innovative engineering and manufacturing support the company’s vision of safety, comfort, and sustainability. 

One critical utility that the company relies on for manufacturing and testing is the uninterrupted supply of high-pressure compressed air, which is necessary for testing the condenser coils of air conditioners.   

The solution 

To meet its demand for high-pressure, high-flow, and high-quality compressed air, the company installed ELGi Sauer air compressors at its manufacturing facility. It installed the Passat Series 3-stage air-cooled direct-driven compressors that demonstrate exceptional endurance, even under the most stringent operating conditions of up to 55°C ambient temperature. The ELGi Sauer air compressor models provide an even distribution of pressure ratio per cylinder, resulting in lower cylinder compression temperatures. This increases the life of internal components, providing a long-lasting and high-quality supply of compressed air. 

Business Benefits 

Since the manufacturing company installed ELGi Sauer air compressors, there has been an increase in energy efficiency and production output. With ELGi’s direct-drive technology, reduced power consumption per cubic metre has led to a 40% reduction in energy consumption, boosting the factory’s profitability. The machines are practically maintenance-free. ELGi Sauer also provides standard maintenance routines at regular intervals to ensure efficiency, despite high uptimes during peak seasons.            

“ELGi Sauer’s air compressors have boosted the firms air conditioner testing capacity. With the delivery of high-pressure compressed air coupled with high energy efficiency and zero breakdowns, ELGi Sauer compressors power Hitachi’s production plans consistently.” – Mitesh Trivedi, Assistant Manager, Plant Engineering.  

Speaking about successful installations of high pressure compressors across the nation, Satish Kini, CEO, Elgi Sauer Compressors Limited said, “Over the past decade, ELGi Sauer has significantly expanded its business portfolio in the industry and offshore markets, continuing its strong foothold in the defense business. ELGi Sauer has become the most preferred choice across major industry segments in India, such as steel, auto, power, general industry, and oil & gas.” 

“Looking ahead at the growing business prospects in the key focus markets, ELGi Sauer has started to build a greenfield manufacturing facility expected to be operational by the end of 2022. The new plant would support the organic growth and cater to the engineering and product testing requirements of its joint venture partner Sauer, Germany, and its subsidiaries. This expansion will contribute significantly to double the business turnover in the next five years to over INR 800 million. Today, ELGi Sauer covers most of the SAARC countries and explores more business prospects in upcoming years.”  

[1]https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-air-conditioners-market/3319.html#:~:text=India%20air%20conditioners%20market%20stood,for%20residential%20and%20commercial%20spaces.  

Like any other machine, air compressors need regular maintenance and periodic replacement of parts that get strained with continuous use. By changing the worn-out components in time, you can ensure optimal functioning and better durability of your unit while also saving time and money on unnecessary repairs. 

While these spare parts are often available in the market, and in many instances even come at attractive price-points, it is critical to procure your air compressor’s components only from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).  

Benefits you enjoy when you purchase only genuine parts:  

• Warranty – for repair, replacement or refund if the part fails to function optimally  
• High product quality  
• Longer lifespan  
• Higher productivity  
• More energy savings  
• High reliability  
• Ease of service and maintenance  

Let’s take a look at the parts that need to be replaced or replenished for the commonly used rotary screw air compressors:  

Dust filters and oil separators  

The air & oil filters and the oil separators are critical parts of air compressors as they prevent damage and performance loss caused by dirt in the internal system.  

Dust particles from inlet air can damage your air compressor’s rotors. This can reduce the quantity of compressed air delivered to associated tools, with continuous energy consumption.  

Dust also lowers the lifespan of the air compressor element and the oil separator. When it gets mixed with the oil that lubricates the rotary screw air compressor, the oil becomes impure and less effective.  

Additionally, dust harms the bearings and the bearing housing, negatively impacting the air compressor element and may even lead to element seizure. 

Therefore, it is essential to use only genuine air compressor filters and oil separators when it is time to replace the originally-fitted units. Such filters have strong dirt reduction capabilities. They are devised to endure high operating pressures and fluctuating temperatures while maintaining efficient performance with low power consumption.  

Airline filter cartridge   

If you replace your air compressor’s line filter cartridge with a counterfeit piece, it will reduce the filter’s efficiency and allow dirt particles to enter the air network. This will result in pressure drops and high energy consumption by the compressed air system.  

Using a non-genuine filter cartridge will also result in more frequent replacements or repairs, leading to a higher total lifecycle cost of the air compressor. Hence, always insist on buying genuine airline filters.  

Lubricating oil 

A key consumable in oil-based air compressors, is that the lubricating oil absorbs heat while also safeguarding the unit from dust accumulation and rusting.  

While some users have a notion that ‘any oil’ can be used for lubrication, the fact is that a poor quality oil reduces the durability of an air compressor. If oil greases the system components ineffectively, it can cause the formation of sediment in oil circuits and over the moving parts. Such developments increase the risk of oil oxidation and corrosion of metal parts in the compressed air system. 

Using genuine oil or lubricating fluid offered by your air compressor supplier can ensure effective lubrication, prevent equipment breakdown and derive better performance from your rotary screw air compressor.  

Authentic air compressor oil combines the finest quality of case oil with required amounts of additives that make the product suitable for lubricating an industrial compressed air system.  It is viscous at low temperatures and has high oxidation resistance. 

With a genuine lubricating oil, you will need to top-up less frequently, have lower disposal cost, require less maintenance and face lesser downtime incidents.  

Important points for you to take note: 

Besides procuring spare parts and consumable fluids from OEMs and recognised suppliers, it is also critical to have a proper service kit comprising the hand tools for safe replacement of parts, and for best results, you should get your compressed air system serviced only by experienced repair personnel.  

ELGi offers a range of industrial-grade air compressors for reliable functioning. We also provide bona fide spares that maximise the uptime of your air compressor system and reduce operating costs. With our Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC), you get the assurance of always getting compatible and long-lasting parts along with on-time service by professionals. To know more about our solutions, visit https://www.elgi.com/in/services-parts/