Integrated Air Solutions recently signed a partnership agreement with Italian piping and fittings manufacturing specialist, AIRCOM Piping Systems, in a bid to offer Southern African customers best-in-class compressed air solutions.
Headquartered in Jet Park, Johannesburg, and a member of the GiGi Group of Companies, Integrated Air Solutions is an exclusive regional sales and service partner for esteemed air compressor brands such as ELGi Equipment and FS-Eliott.
“The greatest cost of ownership of an air compressor is not the machine itself; it is the process of generating compressed air which consumes a great deal of energy,” notes Integrated Air Solutions General Manager, Trevor Volker. “It is therefore crucial that an air compressor operates at optimal efficiency to ensure the lowest possible total cost of ownership over the machine’s life cycle.” The ELGi range of superior quality air compressors incorporate cutting-edge technologies that optimise machine performance, reliability and efficiency.
“However, a high quality machine is only part of the efficiency solution,” continues Trevor. “High quality piping and fittings also play a fundamental role here. While air leaks may sound like a small issue, they can in fact be large contributors of increased energy consumption. In addition to the costs of generating wasted air, air leaks cause the compressor to work harder in order to achieve the same required pressures and this requires more energy.” Trevor adds that a machine operating under constant strain also increases component wear and tear.
Escalating energy costs and a growing focus on health & safety and decarbonisation processes are key drivers behind a notable upswing in market demand for light-weight, energy-efficient, flexible and scalable compressed air piping solutions. “This demand can be met by shifting from traditional galvanised piping to an advanced light-weight aluminium pipe system solution,” explains Trevor.
Owing to the strong light-weight properties of aluminium, wasted air and leaks are eliminated and so too are all the associated costs of increased energy consumption, product replacements and unplanned downtime to allow for repairs.
“AIRCOM’s over 25 years of experience combined with their proven global track record, put the Italian company on to our radar,” continues Trevor. Integrated Air Solutions decided to test AIRCOM’s aluminium piping and fittings in a demanding mining application in the Northern Cape. “The team was impressed by how the products performed under gruelling conditions. Equally remarkable was the ease and speed of the installation process. Recognising the significant time and cost related savings that this rugged aluminium piping and fitting systems will offer our customers, AIRCOM became the obvious supplier of choice.”
AIRCOM’s quality assurance ISO 9001 (TÜV) certification, combined with the company’s in-house development capabilities and in-depth technical know-how, ensure piping and fittings that set the global industry benchmark in efficiency, reliability and flexibility. The modular design of the AIRCOM Quick Line pipes and fittings system provides flexibility and adaptability to meet a wide range of compressed air system requirements. Moreover, the system is expandable enabling it to grow with plant expansions. Fast, easy installation will minimise customer downtime, ensuring optimised plant availability. The rugged and reliable piping and fittings deliver optimum constant performance with subsequent sustainable energy savings for customers. “In a nut shell, the AIRCOM aluminium pipe and fitting systems will boost plant uptime, subsequently enhancing production while shrinking customers’ carbon footprint,” concludes Trevor.
In line with the partnership agreement which was signed in May 2022, Integrated Air Solutions’ team of service technicians will be trained by AIRCOM factory specialists to ensure a seamless customer experience.
