To ease transportation of goods and legitimate trade worldwide, the European Union and an increasing number of Nations have agreed, in cooperation with their customs authorities, to recognize trusted companies like Pneumofore as Authorized Economic Operators. The AEO programme is meant to facilitate trade by avoiding long-lasting, complex, sometimes expensive or even impossible import-export operations. The AEO certification is based on internationally recognized safety and security criteria and it is assigned only to diligent companies active in the global commerce of goods. In 2016, Pneumofore worked towards the AEO authorization, we succeeded and now we are AEO-certified under the number IT AEOF 17 1259. This simplifies and accelerates all our goods transportation operations. For the USA we requested the analogue C-TPAT number. The Customs of most Nations welcome and fully accept the AEO title.
Within the ongoing Atex certification process, Pneumofore analyzed the A35 air compressor in terms of vibration, pressure, absorbed power and temperature. Also the dry running test confirmed the CE Ɛx II 2 GD Ex conformity of our rotary vane air-ends used for compression of gas. The infrared picture shows the temperature map during the start-up of the “destructive dry running test”, the horizontal air-end is shown on the left. The vacuum air-ends are certified Ɛx II 2 G c T3 (-29°C – +50°C) since 2012 and are successfully running in several (hydrocarbons) Vapor Recovery Units VRU, mainly in Europe and Asia.
Five vacuum pumps model UV30 from the year 2000 with 130.000 hours of operation were replaced with three new pumps model UV50 VS90. The new vacuum system was commissioned in January 2017. The control system follows latest standards for the optimized operation of the three frequency-drive equipped UV50 pumps. Two UV50 VS90 units with the total capacity of 6.500 m3/h cover the vacuum flow request from production; one UV50 VS90 unit is in stand-by. The previous four UV30 pumps are returned to Pneumofore for the total overhaul with a full refurbishment and resale. The collaboration of Pneumofore with the present Ball Group goes back to 1983, to the times of the first American National Can factories in Italy, later NACANCO, later Rexam plants.
A truck loaded full with 2 piece cans leaving the premises every 8 minutes is evidence of large production capacity. Indeed, this is the latest, and in USA since 20 years also the first, new cans production facility, a diamond in the Crown. As partner in vacuum technology issues, Pneumofore supplied 4 x UV50 vacuum pumps. The units were tailored to fit the demanding specifications by Airtech Vacuum in Rutherford, New Jersey. Total installed capacity is 12.800 m3/h with 360 kW installed power, air cooled and fully interfaced by the most advanced MHI. Similar installations are supplied for Crown in Monterrey, Mexico, and Santafe de Bogota, Colombia.
Pneumofore is consolidating its presence in Latin America with the recent delivery to Mexico of a UV100, the world’s largest air-cooled twin rotary vane vacuum pump with up to 220 kW nominal power. This unit is equipped with two variable speed drives, one for each motor, and designed for hot climates up to 50°C. The UV100 was shipped on time and flew to North-Central Mexico to supply vacuum in glass bottle production. The customer is one of the world’s most important breweries. The company decided to invest into the modernization of the glasswork by introducing Pneumofore rotary vane technology with the aim to improve productivity and the quality of the glass products and to abandon the huge costs caused by the liquid ring pumps used so far.
The glass sector showed its most innovative power at Glasstec, the world’s leading tradeshow for equipment and services which covers the complete value chain for glass manufacturing. The 2016 edition saw more than 40,200 visitors and 1,200 exhibitors presenting themselves to an international expert audience. The traditional presence of Pneumofore as a leading supplier of vacuum and compressed air solutions for the hollow glass industry has been rewarding this year in terms of quantity and quality of the visitors at the company’s stand, which was newly designed for the occasion. Spotlights were on the UV50 VS90 vacuum pump on display, which is one of the most appreciated units in glassworks worldwide for its high reliability and energy savings further enhanced by the Variable Speed drive.
Students of Engineering, Administration, Export Sales and Manufacturing Technology regularly come to Pneumofore during their summer break to fulfil their weeks of internship at work. Internship is a great way to show students how to apply their theoretical know-how in practice; the gap between the school and work is easily bridged at young age; the rotation in different offices or production sections gives them insight in real working life. Presently we have 16 to 23 years old students in offices and production. In production, the internship students exceed 10% of the total working resources. We consider this first contact with the industry a delicate step, which we assist carefully, so that we are a preferred internship company for students of the schools and educational institutions nearby. At the end of the internship, lasting 2 to 5 weeks, Pneumofore issues a valid report of the achieved competences. In the picture is Janus Hilfiker working on a vacuum pump model V45, which was designed by his great grandfather Jakob in the 50’s, manufactured by his grandfather Roberto in 1971 and now being overhauled for the first time in 2016. Now 45 years old, this rotary vane pump shows how Pneumofore machines are designed to last longer than a human generation. This almost unbelievable, but real technological achievement, results mainly from the continuous, accurate selection and training of human resources, starting from the basic internship during school education.
Here at Pneumofore, we work to reduce the environmental impact caused by human activity. But, while natural resources are limited, the human eagerness for profit seems to be endless. The prove for this consideration comes from public statements of large, finance-driven competitors, who declare important increase of the spare parts business, and the consequential higher number of employees in aftersales service than in production. The forced replacement of the key component of air compressors and vacuum pumps, namely the screw air-end, just to mention a crucial one, results from “programmed obsolescence strategy”. On the short term, this makes shareholders happy. Shareholders who look at their shares revenue have no clue about the size of environmental sacrifice caused by their profits. Probably only Chief Executives who visit the floor of their factories and meet customers on a regular basis have the real understanding of their responsibility towards nature.
Back from Propak Asia, the main packaging event in Bangkok, Thailand, we are glad to report about the impressive amount of contacts bored to waste money on screw compressors and vacuum pumps, no matter whether made in Europe or elsewhere. From India to China, the criteria of longevity is well rooted; human longevity, however also longevity for any item, from big to small, natural resources and bicycles, are included. So it comes that our machines match the local philosophy and we succeed to install important compressed air and vacuum systems. With several Pneumofore engineers presently working spread over the continent, we collect the positive feedback from our customers and consolidate our vision of Pneumofore’s future in Asia.
After weeks of intense manufacturing and testing, nearly twenty A400 air compressors have left the workshop at Pneumofore headquarters on-time and started their long trip to China under a bright, sunny sky. These machines are the first batch of the largest supply of air compressors designed by Pneumofore for a single glass industry. The customer decided to strongly invest into the modernization and optimization of his glasswork and chose the A Series for the supply of compressed air after experiencing the undiscussed reliability and superior efficiency of the UV Series vacuum pumps. The project includes over forty 250 kW A400 air compressors, some of which equipped with Variable Speed drive. They will be serving the moulding process of hollow glass containers. The delivery of the A Series compressors will be completed by the end of the summer. The entire project will be able to deliver the nominal power of over 12.000 kW.