A breath of fresh air for Jayco

As an increasing number of Australians head off camping to experience one of the great Australian dreams, recreational vehicle manufacturer Jayco needed to expand manufacturing capacity to keep up with demand. Jayco decided to consolidate its operations from 13 factories split across three locations, to a single purpose-built 40,000 m² production facility in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong.

The company’s aim was not only to expand manufacturing capacity, but also to improve manufacturing efficiencies. In keeping with its aspirations to reduce its power consumption and environmental footprint, Jayco selected Australian air compressor specialist Champion Compressors to design, supply and install an energy-efficient compressed air solution to meet production needs.

Jayco utilises compressed air extensively in its manufacturing processes, both for large items of equipment - such as lamination presses - and air-operated hand tools. Jayco's Production Manager, Tony Martin, explains the importance of determining existing usage in order to predict the compressed air demands for the new factory. “We had to evaluate how much air in total we were using, and measure what proportion of this was being lost,” he says. “It was apparent that we would need a compressed air specialist to conduct a detailed air audit.”

Jayco chose Champion Compressors to conduct the audit and provide the compressed air solutions for the new facility.

Champion used an energy monitoring unit - now known as AirMetrix - to conduct an air audit on Jayco’s existing factories. “AirMetrix is a comprehensive auditing tool that monitors and logs the performance of the entire compressed-air system - taking power, pressure and flow measurements directly,” says Champion Compressors Sales Engineer, Philip Tearle. “It also performs complex calculations to facilitate the evaluation of alternative compressed-air system options.”

The audit results were startling. Over 60% of the energy used to generate compressed air was being wasted, through compressors inadequately matched to the application and accumulative leakage. “Our old system had evolved over time and there was not a cohesive compressed air system design,” says Martin. “It was encouraging to see the scope for improvement we could achieve by having a compressed air solution tailored to our requirements.”

Using the AirMetrix results, Champion Compressors developed a compressed air solution comprising two Champion 90 kW VOC90 Series II variable output compressors (VOC) with sequence control. “Traditional lead/lag control wastes power due to the need for cascading pressure setpoints,” Tearle explains. “Sequence control allows the system to operate within a single narrow-pressure band, thereby saving energy.”

“We were dubious that two 90 kW compressors would be sufficient, considering we had eight compressors previously, including two 110 kW units,” says Martin. “Champion has designed a system, however, that can easily match our peak demand, and give us more consistent pressure.”

The VOC90 units were key elements of the solution. “Jayco’s air usage varies significantly, so a VOC compressor is crucial to meet demand,” says Tearle. “Utilising two VOC units, which can run in isolation or parallel, ensures air demands are met while the compressors continue to run within their optimum efficiency range.”

The VOC units feed a common Champion 3000-litre air receiver, after which the air passes through F30 filters, either side of an air dryer, before flowing to the plant air reticulation network. The air receiver itself removes 70% of the moisture from the air, and provides a buffer when large volumes of air are required quickly. The external refrigerated dryer provides the driest air possible during even the hottest of summer days. Finally, filtration is designed to remove contaminants down to 0.01 microns - ensuring air of instrument quality.

The compressed air system services Jayco’s production buildings through a 200 mm diameter ring-mains. “This ensures considerably lower pressure losses and greater efficiencies,” says Tearle. “Typically, pressure losses incurred in a single-line feed system can be three times those of a ring-main.”

The audit also highlighted the need for a site-wide maintenance and service program. Jayco signed up for a service agreement with Champion, comprising routine maintenance and servicing, and emergency breakdown cover. “AirMetrix estimated that air-leaks previously cost Jayco in excess of $20,000 per year,” says Tearle. “Without an adequate leak-management program in place, they could face similar costs in the future.”

Production is now underway at Jayco’s purpose-built factory in Dandenong. Looking ahead, Martin stresses the importance of having the versatility to accommodate future changes. “Champion has installed the pipework so that a third VOC90 unit can be installed in parallel with the existing two units. With the connections already in place, it will be possible to connect the additional compressor simply and easily - without even having to shut down the two in-situ compressors,” he says. “This gives Jayco the peace of mind to know we have the flexibility to increase compressed air production to match our business growth into the future.”