Air compressors power everything from large industrial production machinery to individual ratchet and impact wrenches, paint sprayers, and finish nailers. This broad application is where you often find a couple more major advantages of an air system: versatility and power. Regardless of the scope or location of your project, an air compressor accommodates the full range of compatible tools – switched as quickly and easily as changing a drill bit. Plus, when compared to standard tooling, air powered models often provide greater torque and higher RPMs.

Three types
Air compressors are available in three basic types:

1. Reciprocating – Positive displacement compressors that provide increased air pressure by limiting the volume of air. Available in single-stage and two-stage, they’re typically capable of outputs ranging from 1 to 15 hp.
2. Rotary screw – Positive displacement compressors that are considered simple to operate and maintain. Favored for their ability to provide continuous duty, their design provides cooling within the compressor’s interior, saving the individual parts from extreme operating temperatures and enabling them to deliver outputs that range from 7.5 to 100 hp and up.
3. Centrifugal – Compressors that do not rely on positive displacement and are most effective when running at their full capacity, making them ideal for operating environments in which demand is continuous and output needs start around 100 hp.

In general, air compressors are highly durable tools. For example, it’s estimated that a rotary compressor will last for 40,000 to 60,000 hours – the equivalent of full-time operation for 20 to 30 years. With regular maintenance, reciprocating compressors have a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years. Each of the three types also has a number of advantages and disadvantages we’ll cover in more detail below.

Importance of a professional dealer
You’ll quickly discover that air compressor dealers often specialize in a particular brand. The reason is manufacturers typically require exclusivity among their networks. While this entails a little more comparison shopping on your part, it ends up being a plus in the long-run. Specialization enables the dealers to become highly familiar with each of the models they’re selling, the specific applications they’ve been designed for, and the type of service required to keep them up and running.

This expertise allows them to consult on the exact type of machinery best suited to your intended application(s) and also offer value-based service packages at a fixed cost that can help you maintain the investment well into the future. In fact, by some estimates, maintenance and repair can account for as much as 20% of the total investment on a light-duty or industrial air compressor.

Trends

Your specific application and the horsepower required to achieve it effectively will largely determine the air compressor you purchase. But there are a number of trends that may also factor into your purchase decision. The incorporation of one or more of the following has the potential to significantly increase the productivity and cost-effectiveness of your process.

Which of the following could apply to you?

Variable speed drive
This development uses variable speed technology and a special drive to control the speed of the unit, saving substantial energy – up to 35% less with some models – when compared to a fixed speed air compressor. With this vast potential for savings, some dealers cite variable speed drives as “superior to all other control technologies” on the market today.

In short, a variable speed drive automatically pairs its output to the user’s demand for air. The continuous, real-time nature of this development is what provides its peerless energy efficiency, reducing demands for power and fuel while also cutting emissions. Further cost and energy savings are found in its ability to provide unlimited motor starts, progressing from zero to full load without spikes in electric current or generating surplus heat.

Tier 4 engines
The Tier 4 category is known for its adherence to EPA guidelines regarding emissions control. But Tier 4 engines – often manufactured by leading brands like Caterpillar and John Deere – also provide fuel efficiencies that can save you on the total cost of ownership for a diesel-based air compressor.

Many of the top air compressors that incorporate Tier 4 engines are easily capable of 300 to 425 cfm at 100 to 200 psig. They feature advanced electronic control systems that include easy-to-read gauges and an LCD display, allowing the user to quickly adjust specific factors to achieve the optimum combination of performance and cost-effectiveness.

Though not standard to all, some models further extend their value through design enhancements. These can include a frame engineered for full fluid containment as well as easy access service doors that simplify service and maintenance for the fuel tank, engine, air filters, and other vital compartments.

Greater capacity, lower power requirements
The goal of almost every technology is to produce more with less. Air compressor manufacturers have pursued this goal by delivering ever higher levels of output on less fuel. One way they do it is through lower operating temperatures. By redesigning their compressors with lower internal temperatures, new models provide noticeable improvements in volumetric and electrical efficiencies.

Another aspect is seen in a trend we covered above: variable speed drive. Consider for example a rotary screw air compressor. Often integrated into woodworking and spray painting operations, auto body service and repair shops, and even larger industrial operations, they are often not a continuous use machine that has to operate at full capacity. In these situations, a variable speed drive is able to compensate for shifting power demands and monetize them – saving fuel, not to mention unnecessary wear and tear on machine parts. As mentioned above, this technology can reduce energy costs by more than a third, with some variable speed compressors even capable of operating on 40% less energy than their standard counterparts.

Oil-free rotary screw compressors
Essentially maintenance-free, oil-free or “oil-less” air compressors are permanently lubricated through a long-lasting treatment of Teflon or a similar synthetic resin. While oil free models aren’t ideal for continuous use applications, they’re great for short duty and home use. They’re also becoming one of the preferred types for spray painting outfits and other operations that require clean work environments. The reason is that oil-lubricated compressors discharge a small amount of oil in the form of mist, a design limitation that makes the mess difficult for some applications.

In addition to maintenance costs that are practically non-existent, oil-free compressors also tend to be less expensive due to a design that requires fewer parts. This minimalist design also makes them lighter, great for those needing portability.

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While procurement teams want to deliver and recognise they are capable of generating value beyond savings, there always seems to be something blocking the function from delivering on that completely. Why is that?

I considered this question with a group of cross-industry procurement executives at one of Procurement Leaders’ regular Member Exchange events and we came to some interesting conclusions.

Hosted by the HPE procurement team at the company’s brand new office in Dallas, we challenged each other and debated exactly where and how the function should pursue value.

To start with, the process is neither quick nor easy.

One of the group said it had taken some seven years of hard graft to get to the point where their function was now more deeply ingrained with other teams in the business and helping to deliver that value.

Others across the board had similar stories. It takes a lot of time and effort to get the point where a procurement organisation can deliver value and that is because the team has to work to build trust with other functions.

Trust takes years to build and can be destroyed in moments, so it has to be carefully crafted – something that was clear among all in the room. How does the function do that? A couple of solutions emerged from within the group.

Get out and meet your stakeholders

One of procurement executive said they had set up a series of roadshows to tell as many people as possible about the function and what it could do. One participant asked how they had managed to ensure those people turned up, which was a good question. I would suggest getting some good coffee.

Understand your stakeholders’ needs, priorities and goals

Understand how colleagues throughout the business define value as it relates to procurement. This will enable you to understand what you need to pursue and where you can best align your efforts with those of your stakeholders. One of the group pointed out that procurement shouldn’t have a separate definition of value to the rest of the organisation – the function’s interpretation needs to be fluid and take account of different stakeholders.

Share in the acclaim – but don’t take it all

Procurement has got much better at taking credit for its work, but the group was happy to let stakeholders take most of the credit for any value their functions added. Why? It goes back to trust. If procurement is seen as grabbing the limelight then it will lose that trust. In the long-term, it is far better for the function to sit back and let the word of its capabilities spread throughout the organisation.

It was a heartening discussion and what was even more heartening was the fact that this group wants to stick together to ensure they make progress against some of their challenges and the solutions they came up with.

My key takeaway was that procurement has matured over the last couple of years. This was clear from the fact the function is confident in its abilities and what it can deliver. It knows it can deliver value and that it does not have to constantly talk savings – they will follow anything the function does.

It was a great group to host, talk with and learn from. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

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What does a consultant do?

There are a number of reasons why business owners should consider hiring consultants:

• Expertise in a specific market
• Identify problems
• Supplement the existing staff
• Get the ball rolling on change
• Provide objectivity
• Teach and train employees
• Do the “dirty work,” like eliminating staff
• Revive an organization
• Create a new business
• Influence other people, like lobbyists

The first step for any business consultant is the discovery phase, where the goal is to learn the client’s business. A good business consultant takes the time to learn as much as possible about the business, from the owner and employees. This can include touring the facility, meeting with the board of directors and employees, analyzing the finances and reading all company materials. During this process, the business consultant will uncover the details of a company’s mission and what operations are in place.

Once an in-depth understanding has been developed, a business consultant has entered the evaluation phase, where the goal is to identify where change is needed. This includes identifying the company’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as current and foreseeable problems. These can include problems already seen by ownership and management, and new problems seen thanks to the business consultant’s objectivity. A business consultant should also identify opportunities to grow business, increase profits, and boost efficiency. +

In addition to identifying these problems and opportunities, a business consultant should also develop solutions to problems and plans on capitalizing on opportunities. Perhaps a company has a particularly strong sales department but weak marketing department; this is an opportunity for the company to increase marketing resources and capitalize on the sales staff. During this phase, it’s important for the consultant and the company’s employees to maintain open and clear communications.

Constructive criticism

It’s important for an owner to take the business consultant’s advice at this stage as constructive criticism, and not as a criticism to how the owner has been doing things. The business consultant brings objectivity and a fresh viewpoint, whereas the owner is personally close to the business. The owner should certainly have feedback and provide opinions to the business consultant, who should take the owner’s reflections and revise plans as necessary.

Once the owner and the consultant agree on a plan, the consultant should enter the third phase of consulting, which is the restructuring phase, or the implementation of the plan. In this phase, the consultant is to build on assets and eliminate liabilities, as well as monitoring progress on the plan and adjusting as needed.

Finding a consultant

Finding the right business consultant may be the most difficult part for the owner or management. The consultant should have a passion for their work, a drive for excellence, and an eye for organization and detail. It’s important to find a consultant with expertise in your industry or with the kind of problems that your business faces. When hiring a consultant, make sure they have solid referrals and offer these skills.

Anyone can call themselves a consultant, but it takes a combination of many skills to make for a good business consultant. It’s also important to make sure that they have any necessary certification, depending on your industry. You should vet the consultant through their website and materials. Look for professional images and well-documented information about their services. It’s a good idea to request examples of past successes and to speak to those businesses.

Business consultants are not necessarily cheap. But the feedback and planning they provide can help increase business and boost profits in the long run, while also helping ensure future success by eliminating problems and identifying opportunities.

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