June 2005

C&L Industrial provides Merit Medical with an energy efficient prescription

C&L Industrial has assisted Merit Medical Ireland, leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable accessories used primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures, in meeting the increased compressed air demands of their expanding European manufacturing site in Galway, Ireland. A Boge SF100 frequency controlled screw compressor was recently installed providing an economical and energy efficient solution.

Merit Medical, develops manufactures and markets proprietary disposable accessories used primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures. The Galway facility is the principal manufacturing site of Merit Medicals inflation devices, such as inflation syringes, which are non-invasive devices used in angioplasty cardiology procedures. Compressed air is used at various stages of this manufacturing process.

Further to an additional 40,000 square feet being added to their existing manufacturing and R&D facility in Galway , Merit Medical called on the expertise of local compressed air specialist C&L Industrial to consult on their new and future compressed air requirements.

C&L Industrial, based in Galway,has been supplying compressed air to Merit Medical for over 4 years. In that time the demand for compressed air has rapidly grown alongside increases in production. Colum Whelan, Managing Director of C&L Industrial said:

"We initially introduced two Boge S10 screw compressors as a duplex system to meet the facilities compressed air needs in 2000.

In 2002, as the facility grew, we introduced an additional Boge S50 which became the main line compressor to fulfil the increased peak time air demands. The S10 duplex system then became the secondary provider for the off-peak times such as evenings and weekends.

With their production expansion in 2004 it was necessary for us to re-evaluate the compressor package in order to meet the new air demands.

The new compressed air system needed to provide a larger air capacity to be delivered in the most efficient and economical manner to meet the fluctuating air demand levels created by new and future expected increases in production.

Moreover, with increased production on the horizon, it was important that Merit Medical had a back-up system in place.

Introducing a larger capacity frequency controlled screw compressor provided the ideal solution."

A new Boge SF100, frequency controlled screw compressor, was subsequently specified and recently installed as the main line compressor with the S50 and S10 duplex acting as the back-up system. In addition a Boge booster compressor was added to the site for those applications which need high pressure compressed air.

The Boge SF series of frequency controlled screw compressors work strictly in accordance with the compressed air demand by producing the exact volume of compressed air at the pressure required. Frequency control minimises idling time and evens out air demand fluctuations.

For Merit Medical, this ensures the most economical and efficient use of the compressed air regardless of peak or off-peak air demands or fluctuations in production levels.

The Boge SF series is well recognised as an energy efficient solution. In the right application energy usage and associated costs can be significantly reduced especially where there is a highly fluctuating demand pattern - as is the case for the Merit Medical plant - when used in conjunction or in place of a fixed speed machine.

The National Climate Change Strategy (2000) highlights guiding principles for industry to follow, such as maximising economic efficiency and using "no regret" measures(1), in order to meet Ireland's climate change goals. According to these principles, Merit Medical can be assured that they are doing their part by opting for an energy efficient compressor that utilises cutting edge technology to produce compressed air in an economic and energy efficient manner.

One of the clinchers for Ronan Kane, Maintenance Facilities Supervisor at Merit Medical Ireland, was the superb service and sales support provided by C&L Industrial. Ronan said:

"C&L Industrial has been supplying us with an excellent product and service for over four years. They are always on-hand with sound advice and they provide a first-class maintenance package.

Moreover we knew that a BOGE compressor could meet our expectations having used them within the facility for some 4 years. In that time the compressors have proven to be very reliable."

-END-

Editors Notes

References

(1) The Department of the Environment, Heritage & Government (October 2000): 'National Climate Change Strategy Ireland' : page 4 <www.environ.ie - cited 01/06/05>

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