Unverferth Manufacturing Co. makes grain handling equipment, sprayers, nutrition applicators and dry fertilizer. The company’s plant spans 14 acres and employs 500 people. Compressed air is the primary driver of the powder-coating and press departments, so operations grind to a halt when the compressed air system isn’t working.
The company was growing rapidly, adding new capabilities and expanding into a new building. But, admittedly, no one was in charge of the compressed air system’s current and future needs. The company had five compressors from different manufacturers serving various functions in the plant, according to Kevin Van Mill, maintenance supervisor. As they added new equipment or increased demand for compressed air, they simply bought a new compressor. “Every time we’d run low on air, we just added another one,” Kevin said. There were occasional shutdowns as the compressors, which weren’t adequately ventilated, overheated. Variable-speed drives burned up. Summer was the worst. “We were just constantly dealing with issues,” Kevin said. “It was a nightmare.”
A subcontractor suggested that they have an air compressor professional conduct an audit, Kevin said. He recommended Steve Rasmussen from Iowa Pump and Compressor in Waterloo, IA. Steve conducted the audit and recommended that Unverferth deploy two 150-HP Kaishan KRSP2 two-stage rotary screw air compressors, one of which is equipped with a variable-speed drive. He proposed organizing the units in a three-compressor configuration, using the VSD-equipped unit as a trim compressor and the other 150 as the base unit. One of the existing units serves as a backup. They also added a 30-HP KRSP2 two-stage rotary screw air compressor to cover the much smaller workloads over the weekend.
“Once we were established with Kaishan, it was a relief for me because it took a ton of daily tending we just don’t have to do. It’s just a good product. I have nothing but good things to say about it. And it’s much quieter.”
— Kevin Van Mill, Maintenance Supervisor, Unverferth Manufacturing
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