Italian Rental Cases
A fixed monthly rental fee for air compressors and vacuum pumps, covering any maintenance and repair costs, is the solution adopted by several companies, which avoid expensive surprises caused by unexpected service costs.
Air compressors and vacuum pumps are industrial investment goods. Their price is usually proportional to their quality. Quality is measured in efficiency, reliability and durability. Lately, also ergonomic and visual aspects are considered. Unfortunately, in this fast evolving market, time related aspects are often under-estimated. We buy fancy machines, enchanted by highly skilled sales people supported by great catalogues, eventually even by false declarations, which we have no time to check. A modern, dangerous world.
Solid companies have stable principles. New comers sneak into consolidated markets with all kind of tricks. But time tells. Therefore, smart investors do not even compare purchasing prices, fighting for best discount and extra-long payment terms. They simply ask for a rental fee, which includes absolutely anything except the power consumption. By doing so, major repair jobs, causing unexpected service costs, are avoided. If the rental machine has any problem or even breaks down, simply call a service number, in order to solve the case within a certain, contractually fixed amount of time. The heart, the crucial part of any compressor, is the air end. Air end failures cannot be easily repaired. In the case of screw rotors, repairs become almost impossible. New air ends are the exact fear of compressor users, as they cost 40% of the new machine. Unless it is a rotary vane air end by Pneumofore with metal vanes, unique in their design. Curious enough, most rental races are won by our simple and sturdy rotary vane units. The following are prestigious customers representing rental cases, some since non-stop, 3-shift, 80.000 hours of operation.
Smurfit rents since 2002 vacuum pumps mod. UV16, two units as well as air compressors mod. UR18 and T35 for a total of 300 kW installed. With exclusive two stops per year, maintenance intervals must last more than 4000 hours. No trouble is permitted during 6 months of continuous operation, service is understood as “preventive maintenance”.
Avio, former Teksid, customer of Pneumofore since 1940, with compressors for a total of 750 kW, is now renting with yearly contracts for their 24/7 production, typical for a foundry, in this case specialized in castings with rare materials like titanium for medical, space and aeronautical applications.
Wavin produces pipes for thermo-hydraulic use. Highly competent in material science, like Avio, they can rely on decades of experience regarding “consumption” of machines caused by metal usage, like piston rings or aluminium vanes, exposed to continuous movement with speed of 23 m/sec. Pneumofore is comfortable with such challenges, our rotary vane air ends easily have 5 years warranty. Non-active sealed, screw compressors cannot compete.
Vittone, Canavera e Audi, Bussetti and AFV are traditional metal working plants in Northern Italy. With production from steel manufacturing, forging, to sheet forming and other heavy duty metal applications, these companies observe carefully the behavior of the relatively few machines required in their plants. Failures are almost forbidden, any mechanical damage is either caused by wrong design or false choice of materials.
These examples of Pneumofore rental customers show how huge efforts for R&D finally result in extraordinary performance of compressors and vacuum pumps. The monthly rental fee of Pneumofore is lower than any other supplier, no matter how cheap or expensive his products are to buy. These facts reflect the success of our historical mission to offer the lowest Life Cycle Cost.
