RPC Corby is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of extrusion blow moulded barrier bottles and wide-necked jars for ambient, long shelf life food and drink products, specialising in the production of containers suitable for high temperature processing and aseptic filling.
RPC are a long standing customer of Maziaks, having maintained their Corby compressor plant since 1999 and we also support other RPC sites. In 2002 we installed the first Ingersoll Rand variable speed compressor in the country in Corby and nine years on, this 75kW machine was no longer large enough.
Our challenge was to reduce energy costs without compromising the need for increased capacity. Our solution also needed to be able to handle a variety of air demand conditions and fast changes in demand as blowmoulders come in and out of production.
The installation also needed to fit within their 24/7 production schedule and existing power supply.
Maziaks undertook a comprehensive review underpinned by a datalog which led to our recommendation of a substantially larger 132kW variable speed compressor to:
Specifically, we recommended the ‘bullet proof’ HPC Model DSD238SFC variable speed screw compressor for the high quality of its build and its superb reliability. Graham Scopes, RPC Corby’s Engineering Manager needed to be sure that this long-term capital investment was done correctly and thoroughly, so he visited existing users and checked out alternative suppliers to test the market from every angle.
The installation was planned to fit in with a one week window of reduced production during RPC’s partial summer shut down. When installing the new machine we also updated RPC’s Energair intelligent control system to ensure the new system operates at
maximum energy efficiency, whatever the prevailing air demand.
We believe that Maziaks’ well established relationship and excellent service back-up also had a part to play in the decision making process. Trust and confidence in your supplier is vital.
Since the new machine was installed, the site’s own energy monitoring system has shown a noticeable drop in site energy costs. There has also been a reduction in the number of compressors used to satisfy air demand on a daily basis, despite the system catering for 24/7 continuous availability of compressed air.
Graham Scopes, Engineering Manager