There's a Hammer Horror feel to the findings of WM's Compressed Air Time report into management attitudes towards the stalwart piece of factory kit that is the compressor. Operations directors who deck out shop-floors in energy saving metrics by day keeping a dark secret locked up in the factory attic at night. There, inside the creaking door, you'll find a decaying beast that feeds on electricity and lurches uncontrollably into production schedules.
Be afraid, be very afraid of the poorly managed compressor. Sites are losing an average of nearly £3,500 in downtime as compressors go bump in the night according to our survey of 84 site managers. Just over 40% of sites suffered a breakdown in the past 12-months on a piece of kit that's on call around the clock to power factory tools, robots and conveyors. Compressors were out of action for a week or more in 41% of reported breakdown incidents. A further 6% were never replaced.
The attrition rate is easily explained when you examine the prevailing attitude among manufacturing managers towards investment. Just one in ten is running a compressor that's less than three years old. Around 55% rely on equipment that's six years or older and 3% count on compressors that have been pressurising air since the 1980s. As a comparison, step out into your site 's car park and count how many vehicles carry a pre 09 reg plate. Now tot up the number of bays filled with a retro Vauxhall Cavalier or Ford Sierra.
With compressors, as with cars, technology moves on fast. For more fuel efficient hybrid engines, see the latest variable speed drives that can trim a third off a compressor's energy consumption. Yet a worrying majority of manufacturing businesses seem content to trundle along in their petrol-guzzling four-stroke. A resounding 73% said they had no plans to upgrade to a new compressor in 2015. In fact almost 90% won't be going compressor shopping until at least the 2020s, the research found. A further 33%, aka the ostriches, declare an official business strategy of only looking to replace compressors when they break.
The report paints UK manufacturers in a contradictory light. On one hand throwing the kitchen sink at lean programmes that demonise the seven wastes. At the same time sanguine over letting an ageing compressor lap up kilojoules from the National Grid. In fact, only a quarter of sites actually monitor compressed air usage at all as part of their overall site energy KPIs, the report reveals. That's a glaring omission when compressors account for up to 30% of a site's total electricity use in some manufacturing sectors according to The Carbon Trust.
The oversight can be traced to the disconnect between most employees and the typical compressor. More than 70% of manufacturing managers don't offer formal training for workers on using compressed air more efficiently, the report shows. Little surprise then that air is perceived as a free commodity. Tales of air being used to blow dry benches, equipment and even people during the hot summer months abound. "Companies that make the biggest savings have trained staff to understand the cost of producing compressed air," reflects The Carbon Trust's report on compressed air use in industry. "It is of most importance to ensure all shop-floor workers are aware of the cost of air leaks and misuse."
One group well placed to lead the awareness programme is the maintenance department. Engineering bucks the laissez faire trend towards the compressor apparent in other areas of the factory, the report finds. An overwhelming 95% of sites adopt a proactive maintenance strategy on their compressors. Planned maintenance is the most popular style of asset care and is employed by 92% of respondents. Other maintenance methodologies are used more infrequently with predictive maintenance, Total Productive Maintenance and root cause analysis implemented by one in ten sites.
Very little of this best practice is being deployed by in-house engineers, the report shows. Around three quarters of sites outsource compressor maintenance to either the machine's manufacturer (47%) or another third party (33%). Overall the findings show a sector that is determined to make do and mend rather than rush to replace compressor kit.
One area where caution can lead to problems is matching compressor capacity to production demand. Lean improvements or shifting order books may mean a factory that once required a 75kW powerhouse can now make do with a more economical 45kW compressor unit, for example. The majority of manufacturers (57%)assessed capacity against demand within the past 18 months according to the report. Though only a smattering seem to be following through by purchasing new equipment.
Of those who are performing frequent capacity checks, around 70% look into the wider air supply network air including piping and nozzles, the report found. A wise move when you consider a 3mm hole in a supply pipe can cost £1,000 a year according to The Carbon Trust.
It's an example of strategic thinking that's distinctly lacking in the wider report findings. The overall impression is of a sector with a prosaic view of the compressor: a perfunctory piece of kit that's expected to deliver maximum performance for minimum investment. Until managers can exorcise that outmoded view then the compressor will be haunting energy metrics for some time to come.
How can businesses get the best out of their compressor: grassroots managers speak out on the survey findings. Look out for the report in our June issue.
Methodology: The WM Compressed Air Time report in association Atlas Copco set out to discover the attitudes of UK manufacturing managers towards compressor maintenance and associated energy recovery technologies. The survey was completed by 84 site managers from firms employing 1-49 staff on site to those employing more than 500. Respondents were drawn from sub-sectors including automotive, food and drink, plastics, textiles and electronics.
The survey insider:
Our survey set out to uncover where the compressor fits with site investment plans, maintenance activity and energy saving efforts. On the margins appears to be the answer when it comes to capex. Most sites run compressors aged six years or older and there's hardly a rush to replace units in 2015. The lion's share of factory respondents operate to business plans that don't specify upgrading compressors for at least six years or longer and a third won't even contemplate new compressor kit until the old one breaks.
Reliance on ageing assets is keeping the maintenance team busy. Breakdowns occur despite a diligent asset care regime with nine in ten sites describing maintenance on compressors as proactive. Where compressors require new parts around 83% are buying through the machine's OEM manufacturer. At least one risk loving manager admitted to buying replacement parts uncertified on the open market.
On training and energy strategy, the compressor is largely anonymous, the report reveals. Only a quarter formally train employees as part of energy saving efforts and three quarters don't link compressed air use to site-wide KPIs.Well maintained but generally marginalised sums up the compressor's place in the site pecking order. We look forward to investigating why with site managers at our Compressed Air Time roundtable this month.
