Maintaining the trajectory for innovation and growth

20 February, 2023

The fluid power industry and related technology sectors have certainly has to face their fair share of challenges over the past couple of years or so. One is undeniably issues surrounding energy. Ariel Rubinstein, general manager, Atlas Copco Compressors UK & Ireland, comments that the demand for energy efficient products is increasing as manufacturers seek to play their part in a low-carbon economy. “This means that products which add real value for end users in terms of reducing both their energy consumed and their CO2 emissions are more in demand,” he says. “We have noticed that the green credentials of the compressor supplier have become more and more important to compressed air users over the course of this year. We are no longer just talking with customers about how much electricity they can save through purchasing an energy-efficient air compressor, but also about the carbon footprint of the compressor over its lifetime and by how many kilograms per year the user’s CO2 emissions can be reduced as a result of using an energyefficient compressor.”

Rubinstein says Atlas Copco Compressors is also continuing to discuss increased compressor connectivity with its customers. “There are now more than 5700 Atlas Copco compressors which are connected in the UK via Smartlink,” he says. “This figure was 3000 when we contributed to the Hydraulics & Pneumatics Boardroom Report in 2021, so, it has more or less doubled in two years. Smartlink provides an enormous amount of intelligence data on how our compressors are running – air demand, the ambient conditions, the required air quality, whether the system has leaks etc. This stream of valuable information is gathered and processed and can be used to optimise the performance of the equipment, increasing the customer’s efficiency and preventing potential technical problems.”

Skills shortage

Vanda Jones, executive director, the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), reflects that many BCAS member companies have faced some challenges over the past 12 months. “Manufacturer member companies have faced similar hurdles to many other capital equipment markets, including supply chain disruption and the rising costs of both the energy and components used in the manufacture of compressors, dryers and related equipment,” she says. “Our distribution members too are facing increased business costs and skills shortages, and yet all our members continue to deliver continuity of service with many companies growing during these challenging times.”

Martin Cuthbert, managing director, Webtec Products Ltd, believes we have seen many positives this year, and maintains that one was driven by Brexit. “Webtec Europe was formed as a result and has been a great success,” he points out. “We now have a full sales and service customer support centre in Germany. This was completed in October 2022 when we commissioned and completed the repair centre with around £250,000 of investment in terms of machinery tooling and training. The huge benefit to the business is that we can now service customers in Europe direct and any products don’t have to be shipped back to the UK, so we sell in Germany and servicing and repairs come back to Germany.”