Optimising Compressed Air Use at a Major Distribution Centre
Reducing compressed air usage by 10% at a major distribution facility
Discover how an international motor manufacturer reduced compressed air usage by 10% in their Amsterdam distribution center with the IMI Norgren IVAC cylinder.
Compressed air keeps a distribution centre moving
An international motor and motorised machine manufacturer had fine-tuned almost every process in their Amsterdam distribution centre. Every day, bins of products move seamlessly through the facility – and from there to customers across Europe.
The company uses Pneumatic cylinders to move bins between conveyor belts so that they can be transported to the right pick point as fast as possible.
But there was one small issue with this smooth process: Generating compressed air requires a significant amount of energy. If the engineers could find a way to reduce the amount of compressed air that was wasted with each stroke of the cylinder, they’d be able to reduce their energy spend – and get one step closer to achieving the company’s ambitious sustainability goals.
Could a more efficient cylinder provide the energy savings the company was looking for?
The team reached out to us – their partners since 2018 – to find out.
Exploring the possibilities before taking the plunge
After visiting the site and assessing the application, we were confident that we could help.
Our energy-saving IMI Norgren IVAC cylinder would be perfect for the task. Its patent-protected design reduces air consumption by minimising dead volume – only using the air inside the cylinder, instead of air in the tubing.
We suggested using the industrial line IVAC cylinder which is a direct replacement of their existing ISO 15552 VDMA cylinder, reducing the cost of the cylinder for the company without sacrificing performance.
This cylinder would be responsible for keeping the distribution facility running smoothly, so there was no room for error. The company needed concrete evidence that a new solution would deliver real savings and be just as reliable as their existing solution.
So we gave them the chance to trial the IMI Norgren IVAC cylinder in action, implementing an IVAC cylinder next to their existing cylinder. Each of the cylinders was attached to a flow meter, allowing the company’s engineers to measure the impact of the IVAC cylinder in clear figures.
The results were exciting: The company estimated that the new cylinder would reduce air consumption by at least 9% – a figure which, over the course of each year, would add up to a significant energy and cost saving.
With these promising results behind them, the company was ready to begin its transition.
Energy savings in every stroke of the cylinder
The energy savings quickly went above and beyond our initial predictions.
The IMI Norgren IVAC cylinder uses eight litres of air for every cycle of the cylinder – saving one whole litre of air for every stroke compared to the previous cylinder.
Saving one litre of air per each stroke of the cylinder adds up: This equates to five million litres of air saved per year.
The new IVAC cylinder conforms to an ISO 15552 footprint making it a direct dimensional equivalent that could even use the company’s existing mountings – making implementation as smooth, easy, and cost-effective as possible. And, of course, our team were on hand to provide support and advice well beyond the installation, making sure the team were seeing the results they expected from working with us.
Overall, the company estimates that it has reduced compressed air usage by 10% – an even better result than the one predicted during our initial tests. It’s a clear and measurable step that brings the company closer to achieving its sustainability goals – and reducing energy costs, too.