Direct Air & Pipework

Direct Air achieves CompAir’s Compressed Air Treatment Trophy

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/08/2022

We’re really proud to announce that following a fantastic year in 2021, Direct Air have received the award for CompAir Northern Europe Air Treatment Distributor of the Year!

Our achievements featured in the IR Air Treatment Conference for March 2022 and it’s an award we’re proud to accept, as it displays just how hard the entire Direct Air team has been working, especially throughout the complicated times of a pandemic.

Our Air Treatment capabilities

Air treatment is incredibly important for your compressed air system, especially those who use their system to power production where quality standards and purity must be to the absolute highest level. This includes industries including Medical & Pharmaceutical and Food & Beverage, where compressed air must be compliant with ISO 8573-1. A clean, uncontaminated production line is also essential in environments such as Chemical Production and Clothing & Fabric, plus so many more.

After the compression process, contaminants such as water, oil and particles are still present in the air and this can cause damage to equipment and even spoil production.

Filtration

Did you know that up to 10 contaminants could be present in your supply? And this rises to 15 if using compressed air for breathing air applications.

Direct Air can help you by identifying the requirements of your compressed air system and selecting the correct filter to ensure you deliver the quality of air required.

Depending on the application for the compressed air, different filtration levels are required:

Compressed intake filters remove over 80% of particulate contaminants to 0.3 micron.
Particulate filters are used to remove dust and particles from the air.
Coalescing filters oil, water aerosols, dust and dirt particles to 0.01 micron.
Activated carbon filters remove odours and vapours.
Bacteria filters remove bacteria.

Dryers

We can offer solutions using 3 different types of compressed air dryers:

Refrigerated Dryer
Desiccant Dryer
Membrane Dryer

When moisture inside an air compressor goes untreated it can cause damage to the system, as well as potential contamination of the end product. We can use our expertise to recommend, supply and install the dryer that’s right for your system.

Condensate

Last but definitely not least within air treatment is the consideration of condensate management… as it’s actually a legal requirement! Following the water industry act of 1991 and the environmental protection regulation of 1991, it is illegal to dispose of untreated condensate down the drain.

Some ways of keeping your company compliant with legislation while also saving money is by installing equipment such as:

Zero Loss Drain
Oil-Water Separator

Direct Air can help in breaking down the cost of compressor condensate and ensuring your company isn’t breaking environmental laws or risking a hefty fine!

You can contact Direct Air with enquiries about any of the above products to speak to our knowledgeable experts and get the solution required for your compressed air system.

Direct Air proud to supply innovative CompAir Ultima range

Direct Air & Pipework — 24/04/2018

Were always actively looking of the latest innovations to meet customer demands and expectations for their compressed air requirements.

As an authorised CompAir distributor, linking up with our fellow Made in the Midlands members Gardner Denver, we want to help businesses meet the demands for higher quality air purity and improved efficiency, which is why were supplying the new landmark Ultima range.

CompAir has introduced Ultima, a revolutionary new, water-cooled oil-free compressor, offering up to 12 per cent improved energy efficiency compared to a conventional two-stage machine with a 37 per cent smaller footprint.

Launched as part of the PureAir range, Ultima is available in models from 75 kW to 160 kW and is designed for best in class performance, for applications that demand the highest levels of air quality and purity

Benefits of the Ultima range include:

Variable-speed motors, powered by an inverter, can achieve speeds of up to 22,000 rpm and deliver efficiencies greater than IE4.
Up to 12% better overall heat recovery than a standard two-stage oil-free compressor.
Noise level of only 69 dB(A).
In idle mode, uses 45% less energy than a conventional 2 stage compressor. This can require as little as 8kW of electricity to power a 160kW compressor when idling.
Uses approximately 20% s parts than a standard oil-free compressor, helping to reduce maintenance requirements and compressor reliability.

View more of the Ultima range:

One Year in: Marketing Apprentice’s Journey at Direct Air & Pipework

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2024

We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s blog series, as today is our last one! To round off National Apprenticeship Week 2024 we’re catching up with Olivia, you might remember her from our ‘Direct Air welcomes their newest Business Admin Apprentice in the Marketing department‘ post last year.

Olivia is now approaching the end of her apprenticeship, meaning she’s come quite a way since last year. Keep reading to see where she’s at now…

About Olivia

After enrolling onto the Business Administration Apprenticeship in January 2023, Olivia is now at the complete opposite end of the course as she is approaching the final assessments to achieve the Level 3 qualification. Due to her progression, Olivia’s responsibilities have grown as a Marketing Apprentice – lets hear about them in her own words.

What new responsibilities have you taken on at work?

Since National Apprenticeship Week 2023, my responsibilities at work have expanded a lot! I still take care of Direct Air’s CRM and enquiries processes, which is a daily task that I now know like the back of my hand. Perfecting processes in this area has made me feel much more confident with speaking to customers, and classroom work at college such as the Communication in a Business Environment unit has also assisted me with this.

Alongside this, my new responsibilities consist of updating documentation, creating and scheduling social media posts, producing analytical reports and contacting suppliers for updates. As well as sales support such as helping to handle lead generation.

Have you done any extra training courses alongside your apprenticeship?

I’ve been continuously developing my training at work as well as at college by doing a range of training courses, these include:

BCAS Working Safely With Compressed Air course
BCAS Compressed Air System Technology course
Excel training
Google Adverts training
Google Analytics for Beginners course
Google Analytics Certification course
Chamber Training Digital Marketing course

On top of this, I have more coming up, including a Google Analytics to get to grips with the new GA4 platform.

What have you got coming up at college?

I have now completed 80% of the college course work required to complete my apprenticeship and being so close to the finish line makes me more motivated than ever to work hard and achieve the distinction grade that I’m aiming for. One of the key units that I’m happy to have finished already is my Marketing and Sales section because this relates so directly to my job role at work.

Due to being so close to completing my apprenticeship, I am now finalising the remaining units outstanding. Some of these include Personal and Professional Development, ICT for Business and Communication in a Business Environment.

Once this is done I will be able to move into the EPA gateway, which allows me to book in for my end point assessment and complete my preparation for the final assessment.

This is something I’m both excited and nervous about as I’m eager to complete the apprenticeship but there is also a lot riding on the EPA as it is the final step to determining my grade for all of the work I have put in over the past year.

Do you think the apprenticeship will help to provide you with skills for life?

Entering the working world through an apprenticeship really makes me feel one step ahead, because once I am qualified in a couple of months I will already know Direct Air so well and the company’s processes. For this reason I think the apprenticeship has set me up really well for my career, especially as the course itself offered units which directly relate to my job role which I found very beneficial.

Although the course had focused unit which specifically reflect the tasks I take on at work in my role, I think even the general business knowledge that the apprenticeship course has provided me with are skills that I’ll now put in practice for life.

Visit stand I21 at #MIMExpo19

Direct Air & Pipework — 04/06/2019

Do you want to attend the UK’s largest regional manufacturing and engineering exhibition?

Direct Air will be exhibiting at Made in the Midlands 10th anniversary manufacturing show.

We will be on stand I21 at the Ricoh Arena on Thursday 20th June discussing compressed air requirements and promoting energy saving opportunities, including our free compressed air system assessment.

The Direct Air team who will be available to talk to on the stand and at the show, are as follows:

Allan Dolby, Managing Director
Emma Dolby, Marketing Manager
Richard Brown, Senior Sales Engineer
Daniel Murphy, Sales Engineer
Michelle Hooke, Project Development

Why should you attend?

The BIGGEST collection of Midlands manufacturers under one roof this year
Join THOUSANDS of business delegates – including the buying teams from many of the manufacturing industry’s biggest companies
Specialist speaker programme
Guaranteed to one of the LARGEST manufacturing networking opportunities this year

Are you aware of the compressed air cost increase?

Direct Air & Pipework — 20/03/2022

As you may be aware, prices are increasing for all of our household bills and you may be putting processes in place at home to lower the expenses as much as possible. But don’t forget about your workplace, as the same principle has also been applied to your compressed air costs. With the official industry standard compressed air cost rate previously established as 13p per Kw/h, that figure has now risen to a 34p per KW/h!

To put that into perspective, if you were running a 30 Kw compressor 24/7 in your facility (as many manufacturers have to), your annual compressed air costs would rise to around £111,000 per year based upon an efficient system at 7.5 Bar.

So if your site is powered by one or multiple compressors, you may want to listen to the following steps that will help get your energy saving journey underway…

What you can do about it

1) Look at your current system

A free yet effective step you can take towards reducing your compressed air costs is simply by assessing your own situation and asking yourself these questions:

Do I have energy saving specific technologies already in place for my compressed air system? (this could be anything from the compressor itself having built-in energy efficiency features, to full heat recovery systems and water heating solutions)
Can I hear any air leaks? (take some time walking through your system during quieter production periods, checking for any sounds that might suggest air leaks in your compressed air system)
Do I know if my compressor is getting too old and inefficient? (replacing your compressor seems like the expensive option initially. However, if your current compressor is too old, has multiple breakdowns or not enough capacity to supply the required air to your company’s production, then fuelling it’s inefficiency is the more costly choice)

2) Contact us

We can help take the initial information you’ve gathered and turn it into a more in-depth professional analysis through energy reports, audits, data logging and flow monitoring – along with expert knowledge from the Direct Air team themselves of course!

Whether you’re based in the Midlands or further afield, we help customers up and down the UK. Contact us at a time that works for you through your preferred method.

3) Take action

Finally, it’s time to take the action needed following your expert analysis.

From repairing those air leaks, putting that heat recovery in place, and addressing the soaring prices from that inefficient compressed air system you may have been putting off amending…

Direct Air are on-hand to support you throughout the entire process.

We're Hiring: Storeman/Driver

Direct Air & Pipework — 27/01/2021

Due to ongoing growth we require to recruit a keen enthusiastic individual who will work within the stores/warehouse department (Coventry) providing support to our service and installation departments.

Duties will involve:

Assisting with deliveries/delivering items to engineers onsite
Driving a forklift
Receiving and despatching goods
Unloading/loading, moving and stacking materials
Preparing job boxes for service department
Stock control and records
Labelling, packing, scanning, wrapping etc.
General housekeeping duties in the warehouse or other areas and duties as assigned

Desired skills

Good level of numeracy
Good level of literacy
Competent IT skills in Microsoft packages

Personal qualities

Attention to detail
Enthusiastic approach to work
Keen to learn new skills

Desired qualifications

GCSE or equivalent (required)
Full, clean UK driving license

Job type: Part Time/Full Time
Starting salary: £9.30 per hour
Hours: Flexible hours - 24-40 hours per week - 7.30am-4pm, Mon-Fri

If you are interested in applying, please email your CV to vacancies@directair.co.uk

Direct Air’s Installation Engineer successfully completes NVQ Diploma

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

Today we’re talking to Tom, who is now a fully qualified Installation Engineer at Direct Air, as he recently completed his EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installation & Commissioning at MGTS College after just 8 months of working on the course!

Tom began his journey at Direct Air on a different path to the one he’s on now, so lets find out how he’s getting on almost 5 years after joining the company. We asked him some questions, keep reading to see what he had to say…

Tom’s working journey

Tom joined Direct Air in June 2019, he originally started learning an Engineering role in the Service department. However, as he gained experience and explored different areas of the business such as Pipefitting, Tom and his managers noticed how well he worked as part of the Installation team.

What did the NVQ course involve?

The EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installation & Commissioning course consists of theory and practical assignments, which allowed me to showcase my capability of carrying out the required work competently. This included demonstrating the installation and commissioning of compressed air equipment and systems.

During my practical assessment, I displayed my skills by working on the installation of a compressed air system inside of a metal container. The container was being fitted out with a full system by the Installation team, including myself, before being delivered to the customers site as a plug and play solution! The photos below show a sneak peak of our work on the container.

What skills and knowledge did you learn?

Some of the key areas I learnt about and developed my knowledge further on were Health & Safety aspects. As I have worked at Direct Air for almost 5 years now, I understand the dangers of working in the compressed air industry, but the NVQ course gave me a chance to show that I am able to work safely – specifically in the Installation department.

Other skills I refined during my NVQ include the ability to interpret compressed air system drawings. This is specifically useful as Direct Air has an inhouse CAD engineering team working in our Projects department. Having the ability to confidently work from the CAD drawings as a Installation Engineer, means that I am able to work closely with the Projects team. This creates smoother processes which is really important, especially for big project installations. Working with the drawings means I also have a better understanding of the design of compressed air systems.

Overall, the NVQ has helped me learn and showcase my skills on installing and commissioning compressed air systems efficiently.

How has the course helped you to progress in your career?

Completing the EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installation & Commissioning qualification has enabled me to get a Gold CSCS card. This has allowed me to progress massively in my career, as the Gold CSCS card paired with my SSSTS qualification means I am able to be supervisor on construction sites.

This milestone provides me with much more independence as I’m able to attend sites and carry out work alone and/or with a colleagues less qualified than myself such as Apprentice Installation Engineers, as I’m now able to supervise them.

On top of all of this, successfully completing the NVQ course has given me confidence in myself that I’m capable to do my job role well. I’m really looking forward to continuing my learning in the future with further manufacturing training.

MIM virtual breakfast : Allan Dolby discussing compressed air sustainability & efficiency

Direct Air & Pipework — 15/02/2023

About the event

Starting at 9am, the virtual event will continue for 75 minutes.
The event will include 3 speakers, one of them being Allan to discuss the energy side of compressed air.
After members have learnt best practice from the 3 speakers, there will be a 30-minute round table discussing relevant topics.
The event is a great networking opportunity for members to connect with each other and gain best practice knowledge to benefit their business.

Direct Air, SafeContractor Accredited for another year!

Direct Air & Pipework — 25/11/2021

Direct Air is delighted to announce that we have passed our audit and we continue to be SafeContractor Accredited! We’re proud that for yet another year, our commitments have been recognised for contributing to building a better, safer and healthier working world for everyone.

Achieving the SafeContractor Accreditation means we’re able to communicate our credibility to both current and future customers, to provide reassurance and complete clarity of the best practice Direct Air is able to offer. It gives not only our customers but also all Direct Air team members peace of mind that the correct standards are being met by the business.

With the health and safety reputation secured following the positive work of all the Direct Air team and especially the HSEQ department, Direct Air can now continue working towards maintaining the standard day-to-day.

Allan Dolby, Managing Director, comments:

‘We’re thrilled to be awarded once again a top safety endorsement such as the SafeContractor accreditation! I’m proud to say that every single one of the team at Direct Air has contributed towards this achievement.

Showcasing our capabilities and credibility to current and new customers is really important to us and this years SafeContractor certificate is allowing us to continue to do just that.’

Direct Air Managing Director elected to BCAS board

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/12/2018

The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has announced the appointment of two new board members, following the amendment of its articles of association to ensure greater transparency and involvement from its membership.

Stephen Wright, Managing Director of Thorite and Allan Dolby, Managing Director of Direct Air have been elected to the Board, following their roles as Distribution Committee members, increasing distribution member board representation to three seats.

These elections follow the amendment to the articles of association in 2016, voted for and approved by members, meaning elections now take place every two years, with all members able to cast a vote for the five available seats; helping to shape the future direction of the Society.

Vanda Jones, BCAS Executive Director explains the reason for the new structure and how it is helping the Society to evolve.

“In its 88-year history, the BCAS Board has been pivotal in providing timely, accurate information for our members and helping to lobby Government for legislative change that delivers the best deal for the industry.

“Historically, Board directors secured their posts as a result of their position as a Group member or, by nomination from the current Board of directors.

“As we continue to develop the Society to deliver best value and to be the main source of advice for the vacuum and compressed air industry, we felt we should modernise the Board structure to be more inclusive and representative of our members’ concerns.

“This significant change to the original articles of association is ensuring that we remain accountable and can continue to be viewed as a trusted and independent source of advice for the industry. It means that all committee chairs are now elected, and each Board member assumes a specific business role, such as finance, HR, marketing and technical support.”

BCAS is the only UK technical trade association representing manufacturers, distributors and users of compressors, vacuum pumps, pneumatic tools and allied products.

The society actively represents the interests of the compressed air industry to the UK government as well as to many European and other overseas institutions.

Commenting on his new role, Allan Dolby, Managing Director of Direct Air said,

“I’m extremely proud to be voted into this position alongside Stephen by our fellow BCAS members. I’m looking forward to working directly with the leading manufacturers and engineers in our industry, to ensure we can continue to deliver the highest level of knowledge and best practice to not only end-users, but future compressed air engineers also.”

Directors serve a two-year term before either standing for re-election or standing down.

To find out more about the work of BCAS and for the latest technical and legislative advice, please visit the BCAS website at www.bcas.org.uk

Direct Air proudly secures 3 ISO certification renewals, again!

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

Direct Air are proud to announce that we have, yet again, achieved certifications for standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

The ISO certifications are an internationally recognised standard and are incredibly important to Direct Air as a company. The ISO auditing is a process we complete annually with Citation ISO Certification, one of the UK’s leading ISO certification bodies, in order to continue renewing all ISO accreditations.

ISO 9001

The ISO 9001:2015 standard is the benchmark for quality within an organisation, which is why we’re so proud that our continued commitment to putting the customer first has resulted in Direct Air gaining the certification for this standard for another consecutive year.

By achieving our ISO 9001 certification, Direct Air & Pipework are able to demonstrate to customers and suppliers that the systems we have in place meet the high standards set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) including:

Dedication and commitment to meeting our customers’ needs
Operating efficient management processes
Delivering consistent, good quality products and services

Some recent Google reviews from valued customers support and demonstrate the required customer satisfaction…

“Have used Direct Air for many years – excellent organisation from quotation, to booking in engineers. Always on time, flexible with their visits to our site, and work completed 100% satisfactorily every time.”

“Great service that lets you know what and when servicing is due. If we have an issue they are always here in good time. Cannot fault.”

“Great friendly first-class service by engineers and monitoring centre.”

“Direct Air have always been very responsive and helpful whether this be related to annual service/maintenance or emergency callouts.”

ISO 14001

Direct Air have also renewed the ISO 14001:2015 certification, recognising our commitment to identifying, managing and reducing the impact on both the local and wider environment through implementation of a comprehensive environmental management system.

The ISO 14001 environmental management system will continually monitor and improve Direct Air’s environmental performance, from sourcing to supply, in order to ensure best industrial practice and compliance with all relevant legislation.

Maintaining this accreditation is important as reducing waste and energy is primarily beneficial to the environment but will also provide additional benefits to Direct Air in improved efficiencies and reduced operational costs.

ISO 45001

ISO 45001 is the standard for responsible health & safety in the workplace, which has been awarded to Direct Air for our approach on Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) at the company.

This accreditation requires organisations to identify, manage and strictly control health and safety risks in their workplace, and create better and safer working conditions for their employees. Considering this, we are very proud of our renewal and keen to continue successfully completing ISO 45001 audits in the coming years.

This certification complements the ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management) standards also held and further demonstrates our commitment to continual improvement.

Benefits of onsite nitrogen generation

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/05/2018

Do you purchase nitrogen gas through bulk delivery or as liquid nitrogen? There could be an alternative option for you!

Across industries including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, electronics, plastics and chemicals, there are numerous applications for nitrogen generation.

The vast majority of manufacturers purchase their nitrogen gas through bulk delivery. However, there is a better, more sustainable option, which is to become self-sufficient and produce your own nitrogen gas with an on-site nitrogen generator.

Here are some of the key benefits of on-site generation:

Guaranteed supply

Imagine no longer having to wait for a liquid nitrogen delivery? Relying on purchasing nitrogen means you can fall victim to unpredictable supply timescales, which could cause unplanned downtime. This problem is intensified if your business operates in a remote are or outside of the gas suppliers main route!

But have no fear, onsite generation increases efficiency as it allows you to work at maximum productivity and minimises downtime with an on-demand supply of nitrogen.

Increased safety

High pressure cylinders require heavy manual handling to move to or from storage, but are very dangerous if they are knocked over or mishandled, and must always be supervised. The storage of cylinders poses risk of explosive decompression or leaks. Even when theyre empty, these issues still pose a problem as the cylinders are very heavy!

Nitrogen gas is produced at low pressure which eliminates the above safety hazards associated with bulk delivery options.

Reduce wastage

It is physically impossible to get every cubic foot of gas out of a cylinder due to progressively falling pressures and the accumulation of impurities. Each time a business returns empty cylinders to a gas company, they are effectively giving around 10% of the gas back.

Nitrogen generators can be configured to meet your specific requirements. Equally it is easy to future proof in the event of demand increase as it scalable to meet future needs.

Stop ongoing costs

Investing in a nitrogen generator may seem like an expensive upfront cost. However, this purchase removes the need for ongoing costs such as equipment rental, re-supply ordering, delivery charges, contract commitments and many more.

On-site nitrogen generation gives you more control over your production processes and youll no longer be thinking ahead to the next delivery.

Direct Air can also provide nitrogen solutions with our rental or lease schemes. If youd like to find out more information, please contact us and well be happy to discuss your requirements.

We’re hiring!

Direct Air & Pipework — 04/12/2018

At Direct Air we'd be nothing without our excellent people and we currently have 3 fantastic opportunities to join our expanding company:

Service Engineer

Direct Air is looking for a new service engineer with either a mechanical or electrical bias, to join our expanding compressed air service team. Direct Air are based in Coventry & Cheltenham but provide service support to UK wide facilities.

For more information click here.

Assistant Service Coordinator

Due to continual expansion Direct Air are seeking an Assistant Service Coordinator based at our Coventry offices. You will be allocating service and call-out jobs to engineers along with other service administration duties.

For more information click here.

Compressor Service Engineering Apprentice

This is a 4-year apprenticeship resulting in a Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering. The first year will be spent at Midland Group Training Services (MGTS) in Coventry learning core practical and theoretical elements of the role. For the following years, apprentices will attend MGTS on a day release basis to complete the necessary educational requirements for the programme.

For more information, visit https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/-365284

Sustainably sourced English winery supported by Direct Air’s solution

Direct Air & Pipework — 21/08/2022

Itasca Wines is a full contract winemaking facility based in Hampshire and established rather recently in 2020. The English winery provides sustainably driven Grape to Bottle service for it's customers all across the UK. This climate change conscious company start their mindfulness right from the first process of sourcing sustainably grown grapes.

Itasca Wines uses compressed air for powering multiple applications across the facility including their bottling line, labouring, packaging and even grape pressing. One of the most key processes generated by the compressed air at Itasca Wines is disgorging, an essential step which removes the sediment from a sparkling wine after fermentation.

THE BRIEF

Itasca Wines built their site from two old barns to a fully operational winery during the summer of 2020, meaning they also required a brand new compressed air set up. They required a system that could reach throughout the entire 1000 square meters of Itasca Wines facility to operate the various applications. This included 6 separate air lines navigating to each of the different machines, so that they could be used at the required point during production.

OUR SOLUTION

After having Direct Air recommended to him by another company in the winemaking industry, Ben Smith Head Winemaker at Itasca Wines, contacted us with the project. Direct Air’s Area Sales Manager, Tim McGill, has supplied many units to the wine industry, so used his experience to assess Itasca Wines’ requirements and chose a fitting compressor for the customer. Although Itasca Wines knew they needed a specific sized, low maintenance compressor, Direct Air were able to inform and recommend further air treatment equipment to ensure all needs were met. Consisting of condensate management and air filtration, to satisfy legal requirements and ensure the compressed air powering the production was clean and dry.

Following our recommendations, a Champion FM11 Air Station with filter set and associated equipment was supplied and installed by Direct Air. Not only does this machine have the capabilities that Itasca Wines specified in their enquiry, it also complies with health and safety by having reasonably low noise levels at just 70 dB, which is vital as the winery’s employees occasionally work in close proximity to the system.

This wasn’t the only time Itasca Wines were able to put Tim’s expertise to use as following the purchase of the compressor, Itasca Wines needed a new addition to their production system. This consisted of an extra winemaking machine which wasn’t specified during the enquiry for the Champion FM11 Air Station meaning that Ben was unsure if the compressor had the ability to powering even more equipment. Determined to find an answer to the customers question, Tim got in touch directly with the German manufacturer of the machine to be 100% of the air demand this new equipment required.

Itasca Wines were delighted to find out that their compressor did in fact have the capacity to power the extra machine. They’ve been in fully functioning production ever since, turning out a massive half a million bottles per year!

Ben Smith, Head Winemaker at Itasca Wines commented:

“The entire Direct Air team have been great from the engineer who installed the system, Phil Wallace, to Tim McGill answering any question I had and going above and beyond to get answers for us. We haven’t had any issues with the system since installation and are very happy with Direct Air’s service.”

Tim McGill, Area Sales Manager at Direct Air commented:

“I was happy to support Itasca Wines on this job. Ben was very helpful throughout the communication of this work, providing any information and photos required during pandemic restrictions. Food and beverage is a huge industry that Direct Air take pride in offering solutions for, so we’re certain that any future compressed air projects Itasca Wines require, we can provide.”

From Apprentice to qualified HSQE Administrator

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/02/2023

What was the transition like from being an apprentice to being a permanent Direct Air employee?

I really enjoyed my apprenticeship as it taught me skills which are vital for working in an office-based environment and I was able to implement them into my permanent role. Completing the course meant I was able to concentrate all of my time and effort into my work, allowing room for further progression and my new responsibilities. Some of these tasks include gathering all required assets to ensure Direct Air are successfully gaining and renewing company accreditations, as well as conducting H&S company inductions and distributing H&S training courses, plus lots more!

The apprenticeship has helped to improve my confidence so that I’m now able to happily conduct team activities such as toolbox talks with the engineers. I’m excited to continue growing my independence and developing through tasks like this in my permanent role.

How was the permanent role approached?

After completing my apprenticeship and receiving the final grade, a meeting was booked in with my Managing Director to discuss my next steps and my new job role, including new responsibilities I’d be taking on. Being responsible for coordinating COSHH assessments, RAMS documents as well as fire checks are just a few additional tasks which were proposed for my permanent role.

Following this explanation of what would be expected in my new position, I was offered the permanent role of HSQE Administrator, which I happily accepted!

Do you feel like the apprenticeship contributed to helping you work to the best of your ability in your permanent role?

Going into the apprenticeship, I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’d never enrolled on a course where I would be continuing my education whilst gaining on-the-job experience. The apprenticeship enabled me to ease into a working lifestyle as I still had studying to do which was something I was used to and comfortable doing at the time. Also, having the ability to earn money alongside the learning really was the best of both worlds!

The course taught me invaluable skills which I was able to carry through to my permanent role within Direct Air.

Will you be continuing your education throughout your permanent position?

I’ll always be looking into continuing my education and continuing my professional development. Which is why I am currently working on completing my NEBOSH National General Certificate qualification, with the hopes of achieving a high pass grade. I’m really looking forward to receiving my results for this in February!

What is your favourite thing about being in your new permanent role?

My favourite thing about being in my permanent position is the encouragement it gives me to continue striving for what I want to achieve, as being given the role reinforces that all the hard work I put into my apprenticeship has paid off. It’s also made me aware of how capable I am, as prior to my apprenticeship I didn’t realise I had the potential to take on all of the responsibilities I do now.

As well as resulting in the job role its self, I feel like the apprenticeship has given me time to get to know the whole Direct Air team as I’ve had to go to different colleagues with various questions and queries. I’m excited to continue my development at Direct Air alongside the rest of the team.

Direct Air appointed as new Elmo Rietschele distributors

Direct Air & Pipework — 18/11/2019

Direct Air are proud to announce their appointment as Elmo Rietschle’s newest distributor for vacuum and low-pressure solutions. Headquartered in Coventry and with a branch in Cheltenham, this partnership provides coverage across the Midlands and South West regions.

Having been a distributor for other Gardner Denver brands, such as CompAir and Hydrovane, the commitment to quality service and knowledge was understood from the beginning.

Direct Air will be providing full-service support to vacuum pumps and systems, as well as delivering new plant and installations. Elmo Rietschele solutions cover a wide range of technologies including both oil lubricated and dry running.

To support the expansion into this new service area, Direct Air have appointed a Sales Engineer for vacuum, Alex Place.

With 26 years of business, Elmo Rietschele is welcome addition to Direct Air’s product catalogue. Allan Dolby, Managing Director, commented:

"We’ve been interested in including vacuum technologies are a new service area for quite some time, and Elmo Rietschele’s portfolio provided the perfect opportunity. Our team of service engineers will undergo factory training and have extensive knowledge of Elmo Rietschele products and applications."

Three minutes with... Allan & Will

Direct Air & Pipework — 29/10/2018

Ahead of Maintec 2018 we grabbed our Managing Director, Allan Dolby, and Service Manager, Will Farrell, for a quick fire round of questions.

What do you love about engineering?

Allan: Every day is different with new challenges, problems to solve and it makes life interesting.

Will: Getting into the core of how things work.

How did you get into the sector?

Allan: I studied an engineering apprenticeship after leaving school. And my Dad worked as a pipefitter, so it was something I was aware of.

Will: By accident actually… I needed a job fairly urgently and answered an advert in the local free newspaper for an engineering sales representative. And the rest is history.

What is the biggest challenge for the UK’s engineering industry?

Allan: In the short term the uncertainty around Brexit is not helpful. And longer term there are skill shortages to overcome.

Will: Attraction & retention of the right kind of workers.

What do you think is going to make the most impact on the UK engineering industry over the next five years?

Allan: Technology and Industry 4.0

Will: Mass migration and Brexit.

What’s your one piece of advice you would give to young people who might be considering engineering as a career?

Allan: Listen and work hard – it’s as simple as that!

Will: Get trained, have the right attitude & get stuck in.

What do you see as the key development in the maintenance arena?

Allan: Industry 4.0 enabling real time reporting and improved accuracy.

Will: Information & analysis.

Do you think the SME community is lagging behind the blue-chip companies; if so, how would you aim to remedy this?

Allan: No, I don’t see SME companies as lagging behind blue chip companies. On the contrary, SME’s can be more adaptable to change when needed to.

Will: I don’t think that SMEs are lagging behind – both have their place in all sectors of industry. And size is no guarantee of good practice anyway!

Direct Air are exhbiting on Stand 82 at Maintec on November 6th-7th. Register for your free ticket today.

We got muddy for Alzheimer’s Society

Direct Air & Pipework — 27/09/2018

The wolf run is not your average off road run with trail runs, obstacles and mud… lots of mud. And with Direct Air not being your average company, we took a pack of 8 to take part in the last ever event at Welsh Road Farm.

During the Autumn 2018 Wolf Run, we ran, climbed, jumped, waded, crawled and swam through the challenging 10K course.

It was a hot and sunny day when we started our challenge in the 10:20 wave. The shade in the wooded sections was very welcome and the heatwave did not dry out the mud…

Finishing first were our fastest pack members – Tim, Dan and Karl – in an incredible 64 minutes!

Next was Martyn, who’s half marathon training certainly paid off. Followed by the trio of Allan, Emma and Jon, before Ryan completed the full pack!

What’s the next challenge we hear you say? Keep your eyes peeled! But we did like the look of the Alpha Wolf tops…

We took part in the challenge to raise money for our company charity, Alzheimer’s Society. If you would like to donate, even just £1, you can visit our JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/direct-air-2018

25% exclusive discount on BCAS training for all Direct Air customers

Direct Air & Pipework — 14/04/2021

As members of the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), we are delighted to be able to offer all our customers an exclusive 25% discount off the full range of CPD-approved training courses – plus free, associate membership of BCAS!

You will find a wide range of specialist courses that are tailored to the needs of industry professionals, combining safe working practices, with specific guidance on all aspects of compressed air performance.

Are you a Direct Air customer?

If you’re a customer of ours and want to benefit from this fantastic offer, then contact us today to get access to the unique discount code. You can then visit e-learning.bcas.org.uk/ and enter the code to select from the full range of courses.

eLearning courses

The specialist eLearning provides practical training for compressed air and vacuum users, alongside a host of health and safety tutorials and includes:

Certificate in working safely with compressed air (WSWCA)
Certificate in compressed air treatment technology
Certificate in compressed air system technology (CAST)
An employee certificate in maintaining a Covid-19 secure workplace

Blending learning courses

The CPD-approved, blended learning courses combine online tutorials and training with guided learning and assessment by a BCAS qualified tutor. This helps you to learn at a time and place to suit you, combining at-home study with invigilated examination.

Certificate in understanding the Pressure Systems’ Safety Regulations (PSSR)
Certificate in understanding ISO8573
Diploma in Compressed Air Management (DipCam)

How to avoid unplanned production downtime

Direct Air & Pipework — 21/05/2019

There is nothing worse or more costly than unexpected downtime happening in your production facility. In fact, according to a study by Oneserve, it is costing Britain’s manufacturers more than £180 billion every year.

The study found that downtime was largely due to:

technical faults
the age of machinery
misuse by employees
external damage
poor maintenance

And despite how visible downtime is, companies underestimate how much downtime they experience. And over 80% of companies are unable to calculate the downtime costs.

So, given how crucial compressed air supply is to manufacturing systems, any unintended stoppage could cause a critical problem for operations. Downtime is money. Not only do you have the repair the system, but production gets delayed with potential orders lost.

Real-time monitoring

In a factory there are many machines which need to be checked by engineering and maintenance technicians. How important is the compressed air system on that list? And what happens when you leave the compressor room to do something else? Issues with the compressor often aren’t noticed until they impact on production.

Remote monitoring gives the ability to monitor machines constantly and from anywhere. It provides users with information including:

temperature
pressure
volume
energy consumption
loaded hours
maintenance schedules

Having this information to hand can help identify trends and stay on top of maintenance. This will improve the systems efficiency while preventing system failures.

And whenever there is a serious situation, such as operating errors or temperature increases, users get notified via email or SMS. These warnings enable the issue to be addressed immediately, preventing a system shutdown.

Over Christmas, Direct Air received a critical alert from an iConn enabled compressor at a pharmaceutical facility. We were able to contact their on-shift team and organise for service engineers to resolve the problem. Without this prior warning, on the first day of full production, the customer may have had no compressed air, leading to downtime.

Remote monitoring can save times and money, with instant alerts to faults or required maintenance.

Want to read the rest of our tips? Read the full blog on our website:

Topics we discuss include: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/how-to-avoid-unplanned-production-downtime/

Predictive analysis & preventative maintenance
Stand-by equipment
Working with compressed air specialists

Direct Air invests in workplace defibrillator

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/10/2019

We’re passionate about keeping up to date with the latest training available and this extends to our health and safety officers. Following on from Martyn and Simon attending a first aid course earlier this year, we became aware of the impact a nearby defibrillator can have on the possible chance of survival following cardiac arrest.

For every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10%. Every second counts.

After researching the distance to our nearest automated external defibrillator (AED), the decision was made to purchase an onsite defibrillator.

This not only benefits the staff and visitors of Direct Air, but also other businesses based on the Binley Industrial Estate in Coventry and the surrounding area.

Having a defibrillator at work could be the difference between life and death.

Automated external defibrillators are compact and portable. They are also easy and safe to use as they will not allow a shock to be given unless the heart’s rhythm requires it.

Why is this important?

In the UK each year, over 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests (SCA) outside of hospital where the emergency services attempt to resuscitate them, but less than 10% of these people will survive.

Many SCA victims can be saved if they receive immediate treatment before the emergency services arrive, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation which shocks the heart to resume a normal rhythm.

If defibrillation is delivered within three-five minutes of collapse, survival rates can be as high as 50-70%.

However, as the emergency services average response time in England is eight minutes, having a defibrillator in your workplace could improve your employees and visitors’ chances of survival.

What about your workers?

Many factors in the workplace can delay lifesaving resuscitation, such as:

Remote locations are likely to be subject to longer emergency service response times.
Urban or multi-storey locations are more difficult for emergency responders to reach due to the need to negotiate traffic, stairs, lifts, escalators or crowds of people.
Businesses with spread out facilities could prove hazardous if first aid equipment is located in distant buildings.

An IOSH survey revealed that more than half of British businesses do not have a defibrillator.

Direct Air’s 30th Anniversary

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

This year, we’ve been able to proudly celebrate Direct Air’s 30th anniversary!

Allan Dolby made the decision 30 years ago to leave his long-term employer and start a new business with Allan Senior, to provide a service to Midlands engineering by combining their mutual skillsets of compressed air and pipework.

Our news story from our previous big milestone discusses more about how Direct Air came to be and our 25 year timeline. So, we thought this occasion it would be a great opportunity to look back on what the company has achieved over the last 5 years.

Over the recent years at Direct Air...

We continue to proudly sponsor Coventry City Football Club, as we have for multiple years. In fact, just this year, some of the Direct Air team got to meet the team in person!

Over the past 5 years we've also continued to do our bit for charity. Direct Air staff have pulled together to complete challenging activities, such as skydiving and the wolf run, in order to raise as much funds as possible for Alzheimer’s Society.

Accreditations

The whole team has continued to work hard in achieving new accreditations as well as maintaining existing ones. We recently secures all 3 of our ISO certification renewals, yet again! - ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

And we don't just renew the accreditations we've got, as last year we achieved a new one for Direct Air. The Achilles UVDB verification demonstrates our commitment to Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality legislations.

Our people

Our biggest asset is our people; from our apprentices to our management, we are one team working towards offering the best to our customers. At Direct Air our team has continued to expand over recent years and there are now 46 members of the team working across the Service Support department, Sales & Marketing team, Projects and Engineering departments.

As well as company milestones we take pride in celebrating achievements of our individual employees as well, check out our achievements category to read about them.

New Direct Air unit

As we've grown and expanded, that means we've needed more space!

Our new unit is located just one door down from our Coventry headquarters and has provided the Direct Air team with extended office space and warehouse storage space alongside our existing Coventry unit and Cheltenham unit. The extra space has enabled us to confront delivery challenges of certain compressors by keeping an extensive range of stock, meaning our customers compressors can be readily available as soon as the order is placed for many Kw sizes.

Our customers

Of course, without our loyal customers, none of this would be possible!

Our dedicated team continue to work hard to help save our customers money and provide expert solutions, whilst offer the best customer experience. We're proud to have customers still with us now after 20 years of completing compressed air projects with them. For some of these customers the energy and cost savings discovered as a result of Direct Air's solutions as reached figures such as £58,000.

Company achievements

We're proud that our efforts to provide quality compressed air services to the UK continue to get noticed.

Especially by the brands of compressed air equipment that we distribute. Throughout recent years we've received recognition from CompAir when Direct Air's Managing Director, Allan Dolby, placed a record order with the manufacturer back in 2020 of the largest ever Ultima compressors order - consisting of 8 Ultima machines! Since then we've also been awarded CompAir Northern Europe Air Treatment Distributor of the Year 2021 and CompAir Distributor of the Year in 2022.

The celebrations!

As we achieved such a huge milestone, we thought it was only right to celebrate in style!

In November Direct Air staff, plus one’s, friends and close working stakeholders all attended a formal evening at the stunning Nailcote hall. The evening consisted of a three course meal, speeches, awards, entertainment in the form of a magician and dancing of course!

We celebrated the Direct Air teams commitment by presenting years of service awards to specific staff members. From 5 years at the company right up to 30 years!

Thank you to everyone for coming to celebrate with us, we had a fantastic time and hope you did too.

Lets hear from Allan

Allan Dolby delivered a short speech during the 30th anniversary, here’s what he had to say about the last 30th years…

“30 years seems to come around surprising quickly, I can’t quite believe it! I’d like to thank everyone who attended our 30th anniversary evening to celebrate the milestone, including key partners who have helped us get where we are today, it’s greatly appreciated.

We don’t manufacture anything as we’re a company that provides a service to our customer base and therefore it’s really all about the people and it’s the people that make the business. With that in mind I would like to thank the whole Direct Air team for everything you’ve done for the business over the years. Our Service Manager, Will Farrell, has been working along side me since day one so I would like to thank him for his help and support throughout the 30 years.

In the years ahead we will continue to stay true to our values of offering an engineered solution for all systems based upon first class technical advice, whilst continuing to provide the best levels of after sales service available.”

Christmas Shutdown

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/12/2019

The Christmas holidays are coming and we would like to inform you of our scheduled shutdown over Christmas and New Year holidays.

The offices will be closed from Tuesday 24th December and will reopen again on Thursday 2nd January 2020.

Remember if you have a service contract with us and encounter a compressor breakdown, our 24/7 helpline and team of engineers are still available throughout the festive period. Call the office on 0800 021 6800 and you will be connected to a member of our on-call team.

From everyone at Direct Air & Pipework, we’d like to thank you for your continued business in 2019 and we’re looking forward to another year working alongside you and your business.

We’d like to wish all our customers, suppliers, colleagues and friends a happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2020!

Meet Direct Air’s newest Compressed Air Engineering Apprentice

Direct Air & Pipework — 13/02/2023

Why did you choose to start an apprenticeship?

I decided to start an apprenticeship as I had recently left the military and therefore needed to retrain for civilian life. This meant that I needed to enter a new industry which I would still very interested in and I thought engineering for air compressor systems would be a great fit!

I knew that I wouldn’t be able to learn very effectively by working in a classroom setting full time, as I’m a very practical person. Considering this, having the opportunity to learn on the job through an apprenticeship route is very much suited to my learning style and abilities.

What does your learning plan for college consist of?

The apprenticeship will include theory through online college sessions with my tutor for support and guidance. Although I’m excited to get stuck in with the hands-on side, these college sessions will give me the opportunity to improve my academic ability and gain vital knowledge about the industry.

The apprenticeship I’m doing is a Level 3 Compressed Air and Vacuum Technician course where the broadest purpose is for me to accomplish installing and commissioning of compressed air equipment and associated equipment safely and confidently. Alongside this I will learn how to complete compressed air system servicing, fault diagnosis, repairs and to ensure equipment is operating and controlled at its optimum efficiency.

What have you been working on whilst at the Direct Air workplace?

So far since I’ve started working at Direct Air I have had the opportunity to work with the pipework and installations engineers. This has meant I’ve been learning how to cut, thread and install the different types of pipe work that Direct Air supply and install. Being able to see the entire compressed air system come together following an installation has been really beneficial for me to get familiar with the equipment and materials I will be working with once I’m qualified.

I’ve also attended on-site jobs where the service engineers are carrying out air compressor servicing and system repairs. Watching the Direct Air’s qualified engineers complete this work has provided me with a clearer insight of how the compressors perform and the reasons for the issues they’re fixing.

How do you think the skills gained from the apprenticeship will help you to develop into a successful career?

As I’m starting out in a new industry, it’s really important for me to get all the information I need to become a great engineer, which is why the apprenticeship is ideal as it provides both the theoretical and practical side.

The skills I’m gaining already are massively helping me learn this trade which makes me excited to continue growing my knowledge. Knowing the theory side as I enter into practical work will give me a lot more confidence which I’ll be able to carry through my entire career as I get better and better.

Direct Air at Food Manufacturing Live 2024

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2024

This May, Direct Air will be exhibiting at the Food Manufacturing Live Event for the first time!

Direct Air will be on the stand all day so come and visit us for expert advice, discussing your compressed air options and our offerings for you.

Food Manufacturing Live the UK’s specialist technical event staged exclusively for the engineering teams in the food and drink manufacturing industries. The event focuses exclusively on all aspects of engineering from design engineering to installation, commissioning, maintenance and repair.

Food Manufacturing Live will take place on 1st May 2024 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.

Direct Air will be located on stand 45 at the event – come and see us!

Why visit Food Manufacturing Live?

It’s an exclusive event tailored for engineering teams in the food and drink manufacturing sectors.
Food Manufacturing Live is being held at the National Motorcycle Museum which has free parking that is located right outside the door of the event.
This exhibition is a completely free-to-attend.
Food Manufacturing Live is a one-day event, offering a unique format for visitors to gain valuable insights and information in a time-efficient manner.

What’s on at Food Manufacturing Live?

Free workshop programme
Products and Services
Free access to the museum
Excellent Networking

The Importance of Regular Air Compressor Servicing

Direct Air & Pipework — 04/09/2023

Problems with your air compressor often arise due to preventable reasons. That’s why regular air compressor servicing is essential to prolong your compressed air equipment’s lifespan. Neglecting regular servicing can result in decreased efficiency, increased energy consumption, and potential breakdowns.

In this blog, we explain the importance of regular air compressor servicing, how often you should schedule a compressor service, and how preventative maintenance can give you peace of mind.

Why Should You Schedule Air Compressor Maintenance Checks?

Routine servicing and maintenance includes cleaning and inspecting components, checking for leaks, and replacing worn-out parts of your compressed air system. This helps to prevent future costly repairs and downtime, ensuring that your air compressor operates smoothly. Maintaining a regular servicing schedule also helps in identifying potential issues early on, allowing for timely repairs and avoiding major breakdowns later down the line. By prioritising regular air compressor servicing, businesses can enhance productivity and minimise the risk of unexpected equipment failures.

An important aspect of regular air compressor servicing is checking the oil levels and quality in oil-lubricated air compressors. The oil acts as a lubricant, reducing friction and preventing damage to the compressor’s internal parts. Over time, the oil degrades and becomes contaminated with debris and moisture. Regular servicing ensures that the oil is changed or topped up as needed, preventing excessive wear and tear on the compressor. This not only prolongs its lifespan but also reduces the risk of overheating.

Regular air compressor servicing also includes inspecting the air filters and ensuring that they are clean. Air filters play a crucial role in maintaining the quality of compressed air output. Accumulation of dirt, dust, and debris in the filters can restrict airflow, leading to reduced efficiency and potential damage to the compressor. By regularly cleaning or replacing the filters, the air compressor can continue to deliver clean, high-quality compressed air.

It is worth noting that regular air compressor servicing requirements may vary depending on factors such as usage intensity, ambient conditions, and manufacturer recommendations. Consulting the equipment’s user manual or contacting professional service provider, Direct Air, can provide specific guidance tailored to the air compressor model.

How Often Should Air Compressors Be Serviced?

Regular servicing of an air compressor is crucial to ensure its efficient performance and longevity. This 6-step guide will help to give an insight as to how often you should be getting your compressor serviced.

Manufacturer’s Recommendations: Consult the manual to determine the manufacturer’s specific guidelines for servicing intervals. This will provide valuable insights into the unique needs of your particular air compressor model.
Usage Frequency: Assess how frequently the air compressor is being used. If it is used heavily on a daily basis, more frequent servicing may be required compared to occasional usage.
Environmental Factors: Take into account the operating conditions of the air compressor. Harsh or dusty environments can lead to faster wear and tear, necessitating more frequent servicing.
Monitoring Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of the air compressor. Any signs of decreased efficiency, unusual vibrations, or excessive noise should prompt immediate servicing.
Maintenance Records: Keep a record of all servicing and maintenance activities performed on the air compressor. This will help track the frequency and identify any patterns or issues that may require adjustments to the recommended servicing intervals. Direct Air can help with this as our internal systems allow us to notify you as soon as your next service is due.
Professional Inspection: Engage the services of a qualified technician to conduct a thorough inspection and provide expert recommendations on the optimal servicing frequency based on the specific needs of your air compressor. Direct Air have a team of expert service engineers and sales engineers trained to provide this expert advice.

Signs that Your Air Compressor May Need Servicing Sooner

If your air compressor needs servicing sooner, it’ll usually give you one or more of the following signs:

Lack of Pressure: If your air compressor is not producing adequate pressure, it could be a sign that it needs servicing sooner. Your air compressor should be producing a continuous supply of pressurised air, if it’s not, this can be indicated by weak or inconsistent airflow.
Strange Noises: Unusual sounds such as grinding, banging, or hissing coming from your air compressor can be an indication that it is in need of servicing. These noises may suggest issues with the internal components or leaks.
Increased Energy Consumption: If you notice a sudden increase in energy consumption while using your air compressor, it could be a sign that it is not functioning efficiently and requires servicing or an energy reduction solution.

Conclusion

Regular maintenance is crucial for promoting the long-lasting performance of your air compressor. By prioritising regular maintenance, you can optimise the efficiency and reliability of your equipment, preventing costly repairs and breakdowns in the future.

Neglecting regular maintenance can lead to decreased performance and potential damage to your air compressor, that’s why it’s crucial to follow a maintenance schedule that includes tasks such as cleaning, lubricating, and inspecting various components. By doing so, you can ensure that your air compressor operates at its best for an extended period of time.

At Direct Air, we offer a full range of flexible service contracts to meet your site’s compressed air requirements. As a leading supplier of air compressors to industry since 1993, we know our stuff. Our manufacturer-trained engineers provide the highest level of repair, service and maintenance through specific service agreements, depending on your requirements. Get in touch with us today and let us do the hard work for you.

Breathing air: your compressed air responsibilities

Direct Air & Pipework — 03/04/2019

Compressed air gets used across a range of industries to provide respiratory protection. It’s used in applications where the risk of breathing ambient air is too high to mitigate using half or full-face respirators.

But it is not safe to breathe the compressed air directly following compression. It needs to get filtered by a multistage breathing air filter.

In Europe, the required quality of breathing air is stated in BS EN 12021:2014, ‘Respiratory equipment. Compressed gases for breathing apparatus’. This provides information on the safe limits of potential contaminants, such as Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapour and Residual Oil and to ensure that oxygen is of an adequate level.

European breathing air standards:

Odour	The gas must be free from unsatisfactory odour or taste
Oxygen	(21 ± 1)%
Carbon Dioxide	≤ 500 PPM
Carbon Monoxide	≤ 5 PPM
Oil	≤ 0.5 mg/m3

There are many factors which can affect the safety and quality of the breathing air, for example:

Malfunctioning compressors can produce unsafe levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Breathing air filtration can fail causing contamination to be present in the air.
The compressor air intake can get polluted by airborne contamination. This can come from nearby processes and vehicle exhaust fumes. This does not get removed by standard breathing air filtration.
Insufficient air flow or pressure to the respiratory protective equipment (RPE) reduces the protection factor and can expose the user to external contaminants.

All employers have a duty of care to ensure that the breathing air they supply to their employees is safe to breathe. The only way to check that the air supply is fit breathing is by regular testing.

How often should breathing air quality get tested?

Breathing air quality needs to get tested routinely to make sure control measures get put in place to maintain the quality required.

In the HSE guideline document Respiratory Equipment at Work (HSG53) it states the frequency of such tests should be based on a risk assessment. It should happen at least every three months, and more often when the quality of air cannot be assured to these levels.

Want to find out more details about what's involved in a breathing air test? Read the full blog on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/breathing-air-your-compressed-air-responsibilities/

DipCAM qualifications boost Direct Air’s compressed air expertise

Direct Air & Pipework — 22/10/2018

Direct Air & Pipework have enhanced their compressed air expertise and knowledge following the successful completion of the BCAS Diploma in Compressed Air Management (DipCAM) by Andy Wight, Project Support Engineer.

DipCAM is a distance learning qualification developed and awarded by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS). In earning the qualification, Andy has gained a comprehensive technical grounding in the principles of the operation, design and maintenance of compressed air systems. It will enable him to deliver the highest level of knowledge and technical support to customers.

‘I found DipCAM to be really useful in gaining a base understanding of the industry, as during my mechanical engineering degree we tended to work more with theory’, said Andy Wight, Project Support Engineer.

‘Studying after university again actually wasn’t as difficult as I thought! Throughout the course, I gained further understanding of the industry which allowed me to make decisions I wouldn’t have been able to before – specifically the design of pipework systems.’

‘Having completed DipCAM, I now feel more confident in designing compressed air systems. I can take on new responsibilities, which helps the business as a whole. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing a whole system that originally started out as a simple sketch or model on my computer!

Commenting on Andy’s achievement, Direct Air’s Managing Director, Allan Dolby explained: ‘I believe improving our team members’ understanding and knowledge of compressed air systems is vital to our success as a business.’

‘We always want to ensure our employees are being given opportunities to improve their skills and DipCAM was a perfect opportunity. The course has been valuable to helping Andy’s day-to-day activities and his knowledge will only continue to improve with experience.’

Direct Air & Pipework have been BCAS members for 15 years and are a leading supplier of compressed air systems to industry.

Oil free compressor system upgrade for Accord Healthcare

Direct Air & Pipework — 24/04/2019

Accord Healthcare Ltd identified a need to upgrade their compressed air system to a more efficient and oil-free system. It was key to the project that production downtime was minimised and for energy efficiency to be at the forefront of all decisions.

The brief

Direct Air were asked to support Accord Healthcare in their upgrade considerations with an emphasis on energy reduction and the quality of compressed air generated.

Glenn Heywood, Principle Project Engineer at Accord Healthcare explained: ‘Provision of high-quality compressed air is fundamental to our operation. The engineering team decided the existing compressed air generation and treatment and distribution manifold required replacement.’

‘This was no light undertaking as the existing equipment was woven into the plant room. The changeover was to have no manufacturing impact.’

Our solution

Due to activity at a facility in Greece, two CompAir DH110SR variable speed compressors were suitable for the upgrade project.

The CompAir water injected DH110 compressors provide exceptional efficiency and reliability of operation due to its extremely low operating temperatures and simple design. The CompAir DH compressor is 100% oil free.

To enhance the efficiency of the compressor it is inverter driven. The variable speed drive system starts with no current peaks and no heat is generated in the motor. The starting current never exceeds the full load running current and the compressor can be started and stopped as many times as required.

A CompAir SmartAir Master control system was also installed to manage the installed compressors. The compressed air generation continuously is adapted to the air demand at an optimised low-pressure band.

Want to read the full case study? Discover how we achieved up to 37% energy savings on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/case-studies/oil-free-compressor-system-upgrade-for-pharmaceutical-company/

Direct Air Are Setting Industry Standards on Every Level

Direct Air & Pipework — 07/06/2019

Be sure to visit Direct Air at the Made in the Midlands Exhibition

Direct Air provides service and maintenance to air compressors across a myriad of industries, as well as performing essential air quality testing. With their expert knowledge they also frequently offer their advice and support to customers with an emphasis on energy and cost efficiency.

As a member of the British Compressed Air Society, Direct Air are proud of their highstandards for safety, their commitment to progress, and their investment in people. They’re fully accredited with ISO 9001 certification and place high value in both their staff and customers.

A great example of Direct Air’s commitment to pushing forward in the industry is Managing Director Allan Dolby’s recent appointment to the Board of the British Compressed Air Society. Though it isn’t a requirement for companies in the compressed air industry to join the society, Mr. Dolby’s inclusion onto the board is a huge milestone in their mission for pushing safety regulations and servicing standards within their field.

When it comes to looking locally, Direct Air is very active in the community which they are a part of. Emma Dolby, Website and Marketing Manager for Direct Air, discusses how the family-run nature of the company drives their passion for engaging with their community and offering valuable pathways to local talent in the form of apprenticeships.

With three current apprentices in training, and a view to bring in more in the near future, Direct Air are offering opportunities in everything from marketing to engineering.

Ms. Dolby has also recently been trained as Direct Air’s mental health first aider, stating: “Every company is required to have a physical first aider, but not necessarily a first-aider for all the other issues people may be facing. We want to make sure there is someone out there for people to talk to.”

After having just celebrated their 25th year of business, Direct Air are excited to be heading to the upcoming Made in the Midlands exhibition. As well as apprenticeship opportunities and expert advice, they’ll be offering visitors free compressed air checks, with high confidence that they will be able to advise businesses on improvements they could be making.

“Give us fifteen minutes and we can save you money,” Ms. Dolby states. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”

Could a ‘plug and play’ compressed air container project be your solution?

Direct Air & Pipework — 14/12/2022

Just like Direct Air’s other projects, we can take care of everything that goes into the making of a container project, with full project management capabilities in-house from the initial enquiry to the design and build, to commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

Our projects are customer driven as they are individually tailored to each company’s request and are suitable for multiple industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Defence, Environmental Services and many more.

At Direct Air, we pride ourselves on providing value engineering with the ability to modify plans in line with specifications, without reducing quality. We’ve led on design and build projects for:

Positioning
Fabrication
Compressor controls
Cooling water systems
Chilled water systems
Electrics
Off-load
Ducting
Heat recovery

We have the in-house capability to complete a full installation project including complete new production facilities, plant room packages, SKID packages and the solution we’re discussing today… container project packages!

Container projects are a ‘plug and play’ solution designed for customers with special requirements. Containers are able to house everything necessary for the specific compressed air system. From the actual compressors to downstream equipment and its mechanical and electrical connections.

Some key benefits of container projects

Space – Container projects can be ideal for sites where there may be limited or no space at all inside the facility for a compressor plant room. The container can house everything required for a complete compressed air system and our skilled installation engineers can connect it straight up to your production line.

Pre-site construction – Housing compressed air systems in containers means that our engineers are able to construct the complete system within the container at the Direct Air workshop before we even reach your site. This means any M&E contractors needed to complete the project can also carry out their work before the container gets to your site, as well as completing the required testing of the system. This allows us to truly fulfil the ‘plug and play’ benefit of this solution, as when we arrive at site your system will already be built and ready to install into your facility as required.

Health & Safety – A container plant room means that the compressed air system isn’t located within the actual factory or shop floor. Therefore, elements generated from the compressor are confined inside of the container, including… noise! Noise at work can cause effects which can be temporary or permanent including anger, stress and even hearing impairments. Employers have a legal obligation under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005), to protect the hearing of their workforce and considering the placement of your compressed air equipment is a great place to start.

Bespoke – Containers come in a range of sizes, meaning we can provide the correct solution specifically for your compressed air requirements. Our CAD engineers are able to design compressed air system layouts to create the most efficient and tidy set up inside the container.

Maintenance access – There are multiple large doors along the side of the containers, which provides easy access for our Direct Air engineers to reach the compressed air equipment. Therefore, the system can be accessed for servicing, maintenance, repairs and even future system upgrades to stay in line with your required air demand.

Minimal disturbances – Constructing the compressed air system in the container prior to site delivery and having the container external to your factory means that the installation of these projects creates minimal disturbances to site. As well as the entire compressed air system being built at the Direct Air workshop, it can be held there until your site is ready for delivery and installation. This is ideal for facilities where there is limited site access as your complete solution can arrive on site in just one delivery.

Permanent or temporary – Although the container conversion could be your compressed air plant room for the long run, there’s also circumstances where these solutions are only needed temporarily. That’s the beauty of container projects, they can be tailored specifically to each customer’s needs.

Manoeuvrable – Many of the above benefits wouldn’t be possible without this one! Due to containers robust structure, they can be lifted and moved with the full compressed air system inside them, meaning the container can be placed in the required area and also relocated if needed. This is ideal for customers where the demand for compressed air is continuously changing sites, in industries such as construction.

Designing container projects

We can produce 3D models and drawings that give a more detailed representation of our compressed air system designs, making it easier for the customer to visualise what the system comprises in the lead up to an order. It also allows us to edit the layout of any plant and pipework quickly and efficiently!

This is especially useful when we are designing a system that is going to be installed in a newly built site, as the 3D model can be used with building information modelling (BIM) to ensure proper coordination between all the building services.

We use Autodesk Inventor to produce our 3D models, ensuring our models can be integrated with other 3D model software.

As well as 3D modelling, we produce 2D drawings which enable us to coordinate our pipework routes with other services on site.

2D Drawings

Our 2D drawings are made on AutoCAD to show plan views of sites and relevant pipework information.

3D Models

Our 3D models allow us to design complex compressor houses to provide more detail and allow us to overcome any potential obstacles before installation.

Renders

Renders are constructed from our 3D software to give clients a better understanding of what their compressor housing will look like.

Wire Frame Drawings

Wire Frame Drawings provide a linear view to give the Direct Air team and our customers the internal and external perspectives of their new compressed air system all in one drawing.

Building container projects

So once the design process is done, it’s onto the build…

Alongside the compressed air equipment, constructing the system set up in the container also consists of the pipework to deliver the compressed air to your application. Our team of engineers are fully trained in the installation of modern stainless steel and aluminium systems, including TESEO & Transair, as well as more traditional galvanised steel pipework.

The video below shows a time lapse of a container being installed with compressed air equipment for a previous project that Direct Air carried out to fulfil customer requirements.

S Jones Containers

To bring all elements of projects together, Direct Air work in partnership with major M&E contractors and trusted suppliers including S Jones, who provide us with containers of the required size for each of our customers container projects.

Not only are S Jones a family-owned business with decades of container unit knowledge and experience, but they also produce bespoke solutions for companies all around the UK. As every compressed air project is tailored uniquely to each Direct Air customer, it’s vital that we work with suppliers who are able to accommodate to the requirements of the projects.

Dealing with the container experts directly means Direct Air are able to efficiently address the individual requirements of each container project regarding factors such as sizing, ventilation and access points.

Below shows two containers at S Jones site, complete with Direct Air logos and ready to be delivered to our site for compressed air system installation.

Current container project

The below image shows one of the two containers part of a current project we have underway at the Direct Air workshop. Our engineers are beginning to install a brand new full compressed air system inside.

One of the containers is a 40ft unit designed with three large doors across the length of the container, allowing for easy accessibility to the compressed air system. As well as this, custom vents have been incorporated to ensure this container plant room is adequately ventilated in the correct areas. This specific container is being installed with three 75kw compressors which have all been supplied by us, creating a compressor house that generates the customers required air demand.

The second container is 20ft in size, a smaller yet critical part of the project, as this unit will house the systems air treatment equipment and act as a control room.

Due to the nature of their compressed air requirements, this customers system must be transportable to various sites in a robust structure, which is why Direct Air recommended these manoeuvrable containers as the perfect solution.

Here’s one we did earlier…

The customer needed a container solution due to the nature of their compressed air requirements.

They needed to power specialist equipment to provide power to an entire city. Considering the importance of this requirement, a reliable backup plan needed to be in place in the case of failure. Another consideration for the customer was access to site was quite limited, so a solution with minimal onsite visits the better.

The container provided acts as an emergency starter support system for their specialist equipment, in case of any unexpected issues. The container was a perfect one-action delivery solution to ensure minimal visits and for short periods of time. There was no customer site installation needed.

Safety first: your compressed air usage

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2019

Compressed air as the fourth utility plays a vital role in manufacturing. Despite being as essential to as many processes as gas and electricity, when it comes to safety it is often left unconsidered, or even forgotten.

Yet the misuse of compressed air can cause serious or even fatal consequences. Every year, according to the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), on average there are 150 dangerous occurrences in the UK. Of which, six result in fatal or serious injury.

Direct contact with compressed air can lead to serious medical conditions. This usually occurs from accidental release of high-pressure air, or misuse of air supply equipment.

Compressed air can enter the bloodstream via the skin. If it makes its way to blood vessels and the heart, it can cause symptoms like a heart attack. Or reaching the brain can cause a stroke or prove fatal.
It only takes 1 bar(g) of compressed air pressure to blow an eye out of its socket.
Air stream near the eardrum can cause a loss of hearing or brain haemorrhage.

If compressed air is a vital to your processes, it is important that your shop floor doesn’t comprise on safety.

The legal stuff

You may or may or not be aware that your compressed air system is subject to legal requirements!

The user of installed compressed air plant or the owner of mobile compressor equipment is subject to legal requirements. This is the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations S.I. 2000 No 168 (PSSR), a statutory instrument for the ‘in-service’ use of pressure equipment.

These regulations aim to prevent serious injury from the hazard of stored energy, as a result of the failure of a pressure system or one of its component parts. Any breach of these regulations falls under the authority of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Under the PSSR regulations, every compressed air system needs to have a Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) in place. The document contains information including:

the parts of the system which need to be examined,
the nature of the examination required,
the preparatory work needed,
and the greatest interval allowed between examinations.

It is important the system is regularly inspected by an independent party. The regulations allow for the supplier of the installed equipment to assume the responsibility of the WSE.

And in case the importance isn't understood, there is a potential fine of up to £20,000 for not having a Written Scheme of Examination!

Want to find out more? Read the rest on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/safety-first-your-compressed-air-usage/

Lauren’s successful journey from apprentice to permanent administrator

Direct Air & Pipework — 02/12/2020

With our biggest asset being our people, there’s nothing we love more than a staff success story!

The last time we spoke with Lauren in our A day in the life of… a business admin apprentice blog post, she was just a few months into her course.

Now we’re catching up with Lauren around a year after starting at Direct Air to check-in on her achievements!

Lauren's Working Journey

After starting in October 2019, Lauren has now achieved her Level 2 Business Admin Apprenticeship qualification. Lauren has passed the course with flying colours in just 1 year, and we are now proud to say she’s secured a permanent position at Direct Air, as our Customer Service Administrator.

What was the transition like from being an apprentice to being a permanent Direct Air employee?

As I have worked at Direct Air for a little while now, I felt ready to be moving into a permanent position. However, it still took me by surprise as when I first started my apprenticeship, I wasn’t even sure I would get a permanent role, as everything was so new to me. I didn’t expect to be valued as highly and trusted as much as I am within my role, due to only being 17 years old and fresh from an apprenticeship – I’m so happy with where I’ve landed!

It’s definitely strange not having college work to do for my qualification anymore, but I was happy to finish this in order to have more work time, as accomplishing my studying made room for all of my new responsibilities! Some of these include, leading on ‘service follow-ups’ and obtaining customer feedback in the form of reviews and conversations. As well as helping to promote sales and service. Along with these day to day tasks, I’ll also be taking on a long-term project, which will span over a significant period time and continue to adjust as the company develops.

I will be getting the ball rolling on these tasks in January, but for the meantime, I’ll be continuing with some current tasks that will be carried over into my new role. I’ll be continuing to support my team members by providing annual leave cover, as well as taking the minutes during meetings and producing other documentations. I’ll also still be answering incoming calls, which I feel like I’ve got much better at throughout my apprenticeship, so I’m glad to be keeping this job!

How was the permanent role approached?

Once I’d passed my apprenticeship, my manager arranged a meeting with me to discuss next steps. During this meeting, I was congratulated on completing my apprenticeship and praised for all the hard work I’d put in so far (accompanied by a little chocolate gift!). My manager then went on to offer me the permanent position of a Customer Service Administrator, I was over the moon!

Following this, the expectations of my new role were explained to me, with a run through of all the tasks I’m currently doing, the ones I’ll be carrying over to my permanent role and also my new responsibilities. I was given a list of these, along with the working hours of my new role and pay rate to take away with me and ensure I was happy to accept. I was really grateful and humbled by the offer, of which I accepted shortly after.

Do you feel like the apprenticeship contributed to helping you work to the best of your ability in your permanent role?

Choosing to do an apprenticeship before the permanent role was definitely the best decision I made, and I’ve already recommended the route numerous times to my friends. The course provided me with a huge amount of confidence, as I got to gradually know my colleagues which made me feel much more comfortable in my new surroundings.

Studying and training alongside being in the working environment, really helped me to gain the skills I needed effectively. I learnt how to professionally converse with various stakeholders using accurate terminology. As well as communicating correctly on the phone with customers especially, which is now a huge part of my permanent position.

Will you be continuing your education throughout your permanent position?

At the moment I’m really happy with the current position I’m in and qualifications I now possess. Therefore, I don’t yet plan to move onto the Level 3 Business Admin apprenticeship. However, starting from next year I will be enrolling onto smaller courses which are relevant to my job role or would be effective in developing my industry knowledge e.g. compressed air courses led by our suppliers. This type of further training would be really useful as my permanent position consists of talking to customers on a daily basis, so having the technical knowledge to answer questions would really help.

What is your favourite thing about being in your new permanent role?

One of my favourite things about being offered a permanent position is the security it provides. As although I was already very much a part of Direct Air, I knew my position was going to be assessed following the completion of my course. Also, with the outbreak of the pandemic and the uncertainty it brought for businesses, this risk felt heightened, which is why I’m extremely thankful for the offer all together.

A permanent position makes me feel like an even bigger part of the team and having more responsibilities with 100% focused time on work feels as though I’m contributing more to the company. With all my time fixated on work, I feel there’s more opportunity to develop within my role and the company in general.

Also I’ve created great working relationships with the co-workers in my office so I’m really glad to know it’s confirmed that I’ll continuing to work with them moving forward, as they have all been a huge part of my working journey so far.

Check out more of our apprenticeship based blogs, like this one: https://bit.ly/3fWVuyJ

Maintec 2018

Direct Air & Pipework — 08/10/2018

Maintec is the UK's only event dedicated to the maintenance engineering and asset management community.

Maintec, is held from the 6th & 7th November 2018 at the NEC, Birmingham. With Direct Air situated in the heart of the UK delivering compressed air solutions and maintenance, we will be exhibiting again this year.

Come and visit us on Stand 82 where we will be offering free compressed air assessments and discussing our maintenance packages.

We offer a full range of flexible service contracts to meet your sites compressed air requirements and our team of Engineers will be happy to discuss our offering.

We're Hiring: Trainee Compressed Air Pipework Engineer

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/09/2020

Direct Air are one of the UK’s leading installers of compressed air equipment working on installation projects throughout the UK.

As part of our continued growth we are looking to add to our installations team working from our Coventry works

You will receive full on the job training in all aspects of compressed air pipework installation with great opportunities for progression for those who demonstrate the necessary application and aptitude.

You will need to be flexible as the position will require working away from home occasionally and possibly weekend working.

The position involves manual handling for which full training will be given.

The person will be need to be able to:

Demonstrate good communication skills
A minimum of five GCSE passes. These must include Maths and English at grade C/4 or above
Full clean driving license
Able to work at heights
Able to work as part of a team

Please send CV and a covering letter if you feel that this role may be of interest to you: vacancies@directair.co.uk

Direct Air exhibiting at Made Futures Virtual Expo

Direct Air & Pipework — 05/03/2021

Made Futures is a ground-breaking upcoming project from Trade Association Made in Group, which has two strong networks in the Midlands and Yorkshire. The programme aims to help fill the existing skills gap in the manufacturing industry by generating at least 1,000 jobs amongst our members.

Direct Air is proud to announce that we will be taking part in this expo, which gives UK companies a platform to recruit top-quality employees within their industry. We are exhibiting to showcase the compressed air industry and the variety of roles available, following successful recruitment in 2020 and completion of apprenticeships.

Starting on on March 22nd 2021, this will be a 1 weeklong “careers and skills” virtual exhibition. Made Futures is a Manufacturing Skills Initiative created to help those looking for jobs in the engineering industries.

The exhibition will include over 10 Events including Keynote Speeches, Roundtable Discussions and Virtual careers networking. Also, various opportunities to discover with more than 100 manufacturers and a Goodie Bag delivered to your door, including 100+ Page Made Futures 2021 Book, poster, lanyard and more!

We’re really excited to take part in the virtual event and we’d love to connect with you there.

Don’t miss out, sign up here for free!

Made in the Midlands Networking event

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/03/2020

On Wednesday 11^th March, we hosted our Compressed Air Best Practice Event, as a gold member of Made in the Midlands. We selected the Coventry Transport Museum as our venue because it’s home to the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles in the world (and we thought the best in Midlands manufacturing and engineering would like to check this out). Being a proud Coventry based company, we thought it was a great place to welcome visitors to the centre of our city. Not just any city either, the winner of the UK City of Culture for 2021!

The event focused on energy efficiency & reducing business carbon footprint within compressed air.

We kickstarted the event at 9am, by offering breakfast whilst attendees arrived. The Direct Air team greeted a whole range of visitors including our own customers, suppliers, fellow Made in the Midlands members, and other business owners/representatives interested in the nature of our event.

By 10am, we finished up our breakfast networking so everyone could get seated in the main room. Each attendee introduced themselves to the group with a 60 second elevator pitch and our presentation began.

After explaining a little bit about Direct Air - our history, accreditations, what we do and who we deal with – we thought it would be useful to give a brief explanation of what compressed air is. And we accompanied this with a live demonstration from the Direct Air team using some homemade props - keeping it as simple as possible!

Then came the all-important question, ‘How much does compressed air cost your business?’

Answer: it all depends upon the efficiency of your system, as leakages in the pipework can take up to 35% of the total air consumption. One of the many ways your money can vanish into thin air – literally!

We discussed the importance of energy audits, to assess all areas of your compressed air system and find the best solution for you. We consider misuse of compressed air, shift patterns and cost of electricity on-site.

Next, we talked savings! An example highlighted that by upgrading to more efficient compressed air equipment and having weekend shutdowns, savings within the region of £27,000 per year we achieved.

But the savings don’t stop there! Another customer’s compressed air savings were £37,000 per annum… from leak detection and repairs alone!

Pressure control and system design are 2 more massive saving opportunities as well as heat recovery. 10% of industrial electricity is accounted for by compressed air systems. It is a thermodynamic fact, that around 94% of this is then lost as heat energy.

This heat energy can power other components from your heating to hot water. An example demonstrated that by converting heat energy to generate hot water, totalled £28,536 of energy costs savings per annum. Alongside 149.243 CO2 emissions being avoided in the process!

So, it’s not ‘just a compressor’ after all…

The presentation came to a close at 11am. This allowed for further networking, with the Direct Air team on hand to answer any questions raised from the presentation. 12pm then marked the end of the event, followed by a free simulator ride and nosey around the museum!

How is your air compressor performing?

Direct Air & Pipework — 30/04/2018

How often do you think about how you could improve the performance of your compressed air system and, ultimately, your application and outcome.

There are a few questions you might ask yourself on a regular basis including:

What jobs will I get done today?
When is it pay day?
When will I have my next cup of tea?

But how often do you think about how you could improve the performance of your compressed air system and, ultimately, your application and outcome.

Take a read of our 6 top tips to help your compressor and business become more reliable:

Look at the data

Nothing speaks truer than the data from your compressor system. By reviewing metrics such as flow rate, pressure and temperature, it is possible to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, and avoid unplanned downtime. This could be carried out by an energy survey including the installation of data-logging equipment to drill down into the details, and also identify leaks.

Repair leaks

Following on from detecting the leaks, it is in your best interest to repair them! It is almost impossible to avoid leakage within a compressed air system and it can result in 20-30% of wasted energy. An easy way to estimate your plants leakage is during a period of non-production to see how hard your compressor is running. It is also important to design a leak prevention programme, including training for onsite maintenance.

Heat recovery

Did you know over 90% of the electrical input youre paying for is lost as heat? With rising electricity prices and the need to cut energy use, you could make significant financial benefits for your business by reusing the heat generated for other purposes in your plant. For example, you could use if for water heating, space heating, process heating and drying, and boiler houses.

Check the output you need

Is your supply exceeding your demand? If you answered yes or maybe, your compressed air system is wasting energy and creating unnecessary costs. We can help you identify the right size and technology for your purpose to ensure youre only paying for what you need.

Servicing

Regular servicing is essential to keep your compressed air system and production operating as expected. A service contract allows for your compressor to be routinely serviced in line with the manufacturers recommendations and to discover and resolve issues before anything has a chance to fail.

Speak to the experts

Weve been in the compressed air business since 1993 and we still listen to our customers individual requirements to assist in reducing their energy usage and carbon footprint. Were only a phone call, email or tweet away!

BBLIVE2020 Opening Hours

Direct Air & Pipework — 11/08/2020

We are exhibiting at #bblive2020, the Live Digital Business Festival, between August 17th - 28th. Come and see our stand and try out a new way of networking yourself at this virtual expo. Our Opening Hours, when we are available to chat on the stand, are as follows:

Monday: 9:00 - 11:30 am & 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Tuesday: 9:00 - 11:30 am & 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Wednesday: 9:00 - 11:30 am & 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Thursday: 9:00 - 11:30 am & 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 - 11:30 am & 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Saturday: CLOSED

Sunday: CLOSED

A day in the life of… a business admin apprentice

Direct Air & Pipework — 18/02/2020

Statistics and expert advice can all be very useful, but there’s nothing like a first-hand experience! My name’s Georgia, I’m a level 3 business admin apprentice. I’ve been asked to give an insight about how us newly recruited apprentices, each go about our day at Direct Air.

Meet Lauren

Lauren is 16 years old and currently the youngest Direct Air apprentice – and youngest in the company! She joined the company in October 2019 after completing her GCSE’s. Lauren has enrolled onto the level 2 business administration course and she is based in the Service department.

What do you do day-to-day?

After getting the bus and checking my schedule for the day ahead, I arrive at work and settle at my desk by 8am. Accompanied by an essential cup of tea of course! I begin my day by making a note of all the job’s we recently carried out for customers. Following this, I call each customer on the list and ask a series of simple questions. Ensuring customers are happy with our service is my main priority!

This is one of my many tasks where I’m using the phone, as I sit in the main office where all the initial incoming calls are received. So, when other colleagues are occupied, I’m on hand to take any calls throughout the day! Similarly, to this, when my colleagues are absent or overloaded with work, I am now confidently trained to help them out with various tasks. Some examples include, scheduling engineers, sending out customer quotations and transferring enquiries internally. The service department have such fast-moving processes, so it’s always interesting here. Also, hearing positive customer feedback will forever be rewarding!

Alongside doing these daily tasks, I’m also constantly maintaining my college work. I do this to maintain my 20% off-the-job training and ensure I’m keeping up with my qualification. I mostly do this after completing a task which is out of my regular job role, by recording it onto my learning log. This can be anything from an online training course, to a new filing technique that I’ve never used before. Just like the daily work I do for Direct Air; this is a really important task!

Which of your daily tasks require a lot of trust and responsibility?

Once I’ve done the morning customer service calls, I must then ensure our engineers are on track to complete their jobs for that day. I must be very on the ball for this because each engineer will have jobs lasting for various lengths of time. With over 11 engineers in the company, it isn’t all that simple to monitor, believe me! The responsibility comes into this task, as I must use our bespoke systems/spreadsheets to find the information. These systems contain client information which must be kept confidential. Not just anyone is given this database accessibility, so I must be very well trusted! I carry this process on throughout the day and conclude it as my final task before I leave at 4:30. By collating a list of any outstanding overlapping jobs, I can see what needs to be re-scheduled.

Which daily tasks do you enjoy the most? Are there any that you don’t enjoy as much?

One job that I really enjoy doing within my working role is updating our CRM system. I don’t do this daily, it’s more like once a week or so. It consists of me ensuring that all organisations and individuals’ information that we deal with, is correctly filled in. Occasionally, there will be missing pieces of information that are important, so this is where I come in! It’s interesting to find out more about the companies we work with.

I enjoy hearing positive feedback during my morning customer service calls, but there’s an aspect of calling that still makes me nervous. Before I’d had minimum experience with using the phone, so I wasn't 100% confidence with it. But I understand that practicing is important for my development. Using the phone is a huge part of my job role and I’ve already noticed my confidence with it improving already from when I first started here. On top of this, I’m enrolling onto a phone calling course, which I’m excited about because it will help to improve my competence with this task.

Meet Georgia

I am a 19-year-old level 3 business administration apprentice; but I specialise within the Marketing department at work. I joined Direct Air in July 2019 after completing my A-levels and an Art Foundation Diploma.

What do you do daily?

My mornings begin with arriving to work at around 7:45, allowing me with 15 minutes to start my day right with a crucial coffee and croissant! As 8am hits, I check our enquiries inbox and my direct work email, as I monitor both every morning and afternoon.

The remainder of my day varies massively each week due to my role being Marketing focused. I love this varied routine because it keeps me constantly on my toes and means I’m learning new skills all the time. This interchangeable schedule consists of tasks like the management of Direct Air’s internal systems. I keep on top of this by updating areas like SharePoint with new content each month. I also co-lead on Marketing/Sales projects which take part at varying times, so I pick up this responsibility whenever it’s necessary. To end my day, I always make sure to update my online Google sheet ‘to do list’. This keeps me on track and ensures I don’t miss out any important tasks within my constantly adjusting timetable! As well as setting aside time to amend my ‘to do list’, I also allow a few hours every Friday afternoon to complete any outstanding college work. To ensure I don’t forget to do this, I’ve planned a reoccurring task on my calendar.

Do any of your tasks require a lot of trust and responsibility?

I manage Direct Air’s social media, which has got to be one of my biggest responsibilities. It means being relied on to create posts that must be appropriate, relevant and captivating. I do this weekly, to ensure our followers are always up to date with what’s going on here. I’ve got to keep the content engaging and attractive (which isn’t always easy in an industrial setting!) or else it won’t entice any new customers.

Which daily tasks do you enjoy the most? Are there any that you don’t enjoy as much?

On the first day of every month, I collate the data from Direct Air’s social media and website analytics, to create reports. I love this task because it’s really interesting to analyse the statistics and see if what we’re doing is actually working! Seeing positive results, like leads reaching the website from the social platforms, is so rewarding. It makes me proud to know my content made such an impact.

Attending events and co-leading presentations aren’t daily tasks for me, but when they do occur, my lack of confidence can knock me. This has always been an issue for me, however, each time I take part, I can feel myself becoming more at ease with the situation and enjoying the process. I’m so determined to perfect this!

Read another blog like this one! https://www.directair.co.uk/news/benefits-for-both-business-and-apprenticeships/

Direct Air Support Lilley’s Cider from Mobile Air Supply to Installed Compressed Air Solution

Direct Air & Pipework — 21/12/2021

Lilley’s Cider is a Somerset based company producing award winning English ciders and perries, established in 2007 by father and son duo, Chris and Marc Lilley. They previously provided catering services but after organising several cider festivals, the duo soon realised their enthusiastic passion for cider was growing – and the same goes for their company ever since, with them currently working their way up to nearly 50 employees! Lilley’s Cider works nationwide delivering all over the UK, distributing wholesale and exporting.

Lilley’s Cider mainly use their compressed air system within the pressurising tanks, as well as bottling and packaging points in their production before beverages are sent to customers. These processes involve a lot of pneumatic movement, with key pistons and valves that now require near to constant air supply throughout the working day.

THE BRIEF

With business growing so dramatically, the mobile compressor they previously used simply couldn’t withhold their new compressed air requirements anymore…and that’s when they contacted Direct Air! Lilley’s Cider required a compressed air system with increased capacity, downstream equipment and a high quality service contract.

OUR SOLUTION

Following a site visit from Tim McGill, Direct Air’s General Area Manager to assess the company’s requirements, we supplied and installed a CompAir L11 Compressor, a Beko RA 110 Dryer and Sterling Separation CS 75. Alongside another CompAir L11 Compressor, purchased for standby purposes.

Once this system was installed and commissioned, Lilley’s Cider were able to discard the mobile compressor they were originally using, as their new solution catered for their productions increasing air demands.

As Lilley’s Cider had never had a compressed air system of their own installed before this one, they’d also never had a service provider for the equipment. Therefore, Direct Air proposed the company with a Gold service contract, which they’ve had renewed every year since the installment.

So what’s next for Lilley’s Cider? Well as this solution has now been installed on their site for over 3 years now, they’re looking to get their second standby CompAir L11 Compressor installed and up and running, to accommodate for their cider filtering system and the entire production systems growing demand for compressed air.

They’re also taking potential energy reduction options into consideration by enquiring with us regarding a leak detection survey and furthermore, repairing the leaks found. This has the potential to save the company large amounts in energy and subsequently, costs, both now and long term.

Chris Lilley, Co-Founder of Lilley’s Cider commented:

“Direct Air are an extremely efficient company who are always on target in contacting us regarding service visits to ensure we never miss a single one. They’ve always been a professional company from the beginning who supply a good service and provide official quotes every time. We have never used another provider and we definitely won’t be leaving in a hurry!”

Tim McGill, General Area Manager at Direct Air commented:

“We’ve got a great relationship with this family run business and our South West based engineers always get a warm welcome when attending their site to complete work. We’re proud to be Lilley’s Cider’s first and only ever compressed air service provider – and we intend to continue providing high quality service to keep it that way!”

We're exhibiting at Maintec 2019

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/09/2019

Maintec, is held from the 30th & 31st October 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham. With Direct Air situated in the heart of the UK delivering compressed air solutions and maintenance, we will be exhibiting again this year.

Come and visit us on Stand 69 where we will be offering free compressed air assessments and discussing our maintenance packages. We will have compressed air engineers available on the stand to discuss anything from reducing downtime with routine maintenance to heat recovery opportunities and data logging your compressed air system.

We offer a full range of flexible service contracts to meet your sites compressed air requirements and our team of Engineers will be happy to discuss our offering.

About Maintec

Maintec caters to the maintenance engineer and provides an opportunity to source the very latest technology and suppliers available on the market.

Maintec has the most diverse cross sector engineering visitor audience of any maintenance engineering event in the UK, often with engineering teams visiting the event together. In 2018, 15 of the UK’s top 20 manufacturing sites sent their engineering teams to Maintec.

This year’s exhibition will feature over 100 exhibitors, 30 respected speakers each specialising in the industry as well as offering all of its attendees 15 hours of free professional seminars, to encourage development and learning within the sector.

Benefits for both business and apprenticeships

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/01/2021

Members of the Direct Air team from across different departments discuss the benefits of apprenticeships, right from the employer to the apprentice’s themselves.

Meet the management

Allan Dolby is the Managing Director at Direct Air. He hired the company’s first apprentice in 2005. Emma Dolby, Marketing Manager, works closely with the office-based apprentices to provide any necessary support.

Reason for taking on apprentices

Allan explains, apprenticeships are an ideal way for Direct Air to take on new employees, as it ensures they receive the appropriate training. It’s proven difficult finding individuals with the necessary experience for this specialised work, being able to provide their own training suits company requirements.

Emma emphasises that apprenticeships offer the company the opportunity to attract young, local talent into the company. Direct Air benefits through the new ideas and points of view entering the business, encouraging their business to continue diversifying and growing.

Benefits for the employer and business

Direct Air’s big benefit as an organisation is that as they grow, the apprentices move into more senior roles in line with their individual progression. Seeing a young person develop through the company is very rewarding.

Apprentices have the opportunity to increase their level of responsibility and gain an overall awareness about the business, having seen how everything works from the bottom to the top.

The business size allows for government funding with apprentices aged 16-18. Despite this, whether they’re 16 or 21, the company always focuses on getting the right person for the job.

Benefits for the apprentice

Reece, an engineering apprentice at Direct Air, has benefitted by gaining top quality industry knowledge and skills. His confidence to get stuck in has improved and he’s loved the ability to work towards a qualification, whilst getting on the job experience.

Another engineering apprentice, Jack explains that achieving electrical and mechanical maintenance qualifications, has helped provide him with skills needed for his role. Each engineer offers different techniques that Jack has picked up from working with them. Expanding his knowledge and experience, the Direct Air team has given Jack confidence to complete more complex tasks he didn’t know he was capable of.

Former business admin apprentice Lauren has become a permanent customer service administrator role at Direct Air. Lauren’s confidence with talking to customers on the phone has grown and the apprenticeship provided her with a great insight of working life, after starting at the company straight from school. Achieving her L2 business administration qualification along the way worked really well.

Made Futures was created to encourage people to get jobs in manufacturing, in support of those who have lost their jobs over the course of the 2020 pandemic. There's still time to sign up and be part of the exhibition by filling in the form here.

Coventry brewery’s new canning capabilities supported by Direct Air

Direct Air & Pipework — 15/06/2021

Twisted Barrel Ale Brewery and Tap House originally described themselves as 'the UK's first Pico-brewery' brewing on 60L kit, creating just 120 bottles a time. Shortly after this, they realised they’d very much outgrown their set up and relocated to their 5 times larger current site in Fargo Village, Coventry, in 2017. This is where the team have been brewing their much-loved beer ever since.

Twisted Barrel’s products are vegan and cruelty-free, with the company focus set on delivering quality and flavour.

With the pandemic forcing breweries and pubs to close nationwide and 70-80% of kegs and barrels being produced for hospitality settings, Twisted Barrel had to re-evaluate. This gave them the push to move from using a mobile canning company to in-house capabilities, allowing them to control their margins more efficiently.

THE BRIEF

The new Micro Canning machine needed an efficient way to run and as it operates pneumatically and is software controlled, compressed air was a great solution. Direct Air were alerted to Twisted Barrel’s crowdfunding and were happy to step in to help a local small business, by donating a compressor to support their vital new equipment.

Due to the canning machine being one of the first three produced of its type, working with it involved lots of trial and error for the customer, so having a hassle-free compressor to power it was essential. They needed a compressor with the ability to constantly maintain 5 BAR, along with an effective drainage system for high condensate prevention.

OUR SOLUTION

Direct Air’s Sales Engineer, Daniel Murphy, visited site to understand the requirements the brewery needed for their new canning machine. He identified that a Hydrovane HV02 RM Air Compressor, mounted onto a receiver would best fit their requirements. With the compressed air coming directly into contact with the customers production line, Dan also acknowledged that they needed to reach the ISO121 air quality standard. Therefore, a membrane dryer kit was supplied and installed alongside the compressor.

With the compressor only weighing around 150kg, the customer expressed that “it was nice and easy to move between sites using our trailer”. This is important as Twisted Barrel share the canning machine with Stourbridge based brewery, Green Duck, who have the equipment on their site for around 2 weeks every month. They have also been contacted by other local breweries interested in using the equipment.

Around 500 cans are produced during each canning session, so to ensure reliability, they have a Gold service contract with Direct Air. They’re due to have their first visit in December, investing in preventative maintenance to limit downtime as much as possible for this busy machine.

Ritchie Bosworth, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Twisted Barrel, commented:

“The lower noise levels of the Hydrovane compressor, compared to equipment which powered the mobile canning machine we previously used, has ensured no disruption for our neighbours”

“We’ve had no issues whatsoever with the compressor at Twisted Barrel and just one call out for a drainage replacement on the Green Duck’s site, where the engineer was in and out within just 10 minutes. The service has been great so far and without the donated compressor, the canning machine simply wouldn’t work”

Chris Cooper, Co-Founder at Twisted Barrel, commented:

“When Direct Air approached us to donate a compressor to go with our newly crowdfunded canning machine we were over the moon. They supported us every step of the way through the model selection process, and I can’t fault their aptitude and service delivery at all. Thanks so much to everyone at Direct Air for their fantastic support.”

Daniel Murphy, Sales Engineer at Direct Air commented:

“Chris and the team were very helpful in outlining their requirements, so I was able to identify the perfect solution for them. Everyone at Direct Air is really glad that we’ve been able to help out a fellow small local business by donating this great bit of kit.”

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After apprenticeship achievements

Direct Air & Pipework — 20/02/2020

Despite having 5 current apprentices’, these aren’t Direct Air’s first. We currently have 3 past apprentices’, who are now full-time employees here, following the completion of their courses. This is such a rewarding achievement for the company, but let’s see what one of the individuals thinks!

Meet Tom

Tom began his career journey as a 17-year-old engineering apprentice in September 2011, at which point he was studying at college. Four months later, he was then employed by Direct Air through the apprenticeship, when he turned 18. Now 26 years old, Tom is a valued, experienced member of staff at Direct Air.

How did doing an apprenticeship help you to ease into the working world?

I had a part time job before starting the apprenticeship, but I didn't see a career at where I was. Doing an apprenticeship at Direct Air has allowed me to start a career in engineering. It was beneficial doing the apprenticeship, as I was learning the hands-on skills at site, along with gaining qualifications at college. All of this whilst earning money too!

What are your main achievements from the beginning of your apprenticeship to now?

At my college, MGTS, I managed to gain a double grade of Distinction*, which I’m really proud of. This has helped me to gain the knowledge I have needed to pass the health and safety courses Direct Air enrolled me onto. Some of these courses include CSCS, SSSTS and CCNSG. Passing these different tests, has given me the ability to have more responsibility throughout my day to day work. The skills I’ve learnt at MGTS have helped me over come situations I wasn’t initially prepared for and would’ve never learnt outside of an apprenticeship course.

What are your future aspiring achievements moving forward?

A huge future aspiration of mine would be going to University. I think now that I’ve obtained the real-life experience, studying at degree level would provide me with more knowledge in engineering. This sort of advanced learning will allow me to progress more in my career and I know Direct Air are 100% behind me with this!

What was your biggest misconception about apprenticeships?

My biggest misconception about apprenticeships, was that I would be on a poor wage for a long time. Although I understood that starting on lower pay was quite typical of an apprenticeship, I didn’t want it to become a forever situation. But, after starting at Direct Air, I noticed that my wages increased regularly throughout my apprenticeship. This was a great incentive for me to keep pushing myself during my apprenticeship and reach new levels of success.

What have been the best 3 things that you’ve benefitted from by doing an apprenticeship?

My apprenticeship benefitted me because it has allowed me to gain valuable knowledge and experience. These skills have then allowed me to overcome problems on jobs quickly, which is essential in this job role! It has helped me progress to the point where I can now take control of my own work and supervise the current apprentices who assist me on jobs. My apprenticeship has also helped me gain good working relationships with my colleagues. These connections have made (and still continue to make!) my experience at Direct Air very enjoyable.

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Top 3 New Years resolutions for your compressed air system

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/03/2022

For many industries, the compressed air system is the complete lifeline for the production or application. A compressor isn’t just the cost of the initial capital purchase, it’s also the cost of all components that make up the entire compressed air system, on top of the ongoing service and maintenance costs which filter in throughout it’s lifetime. This being said, optimising your compressed air system to function to the best of its ability should be top priority!

We’ve selected 3 important areas for you to focus on when upgrading your compressed air system…

1. Energy savings

Energy consumption is possibly the most prominent factor when it comes to your compressed air system, with it being the most expensive component and factoring into almost every other consideration.

So, how can we ensure we’re managing it and making any potential savings?

Schedule an energy audit: A standard audit would consist of installing data loggers for a minimum of 1 week, including weekends, to capture an overview of production demands before presenting a ROI evaluation. The data logging equipment allows us to compile a detailed survey of your compressed air systems condition, monitoring everything from pressure, flow, energy, operating temperature and dew point, as well as carbon reduction.
Get a leak detection survey: Air leakage is the single largest waste of compressed air, so you don’t want to miss this. Compressed air leak detection surveys are used to locate leaks, estimate leakage costs, calculate repair costs and provide a detailed report for corrective actions.
Consider heat recovery: You may already know that a massive percentage of the electrical input to a compressor is lost as heat, but were you aware that it could be converted to useful energy? Instead of simply removing the heat, it can be used to generate hot water, heating systems and application processes in other areas of the installation.
Flow monitoring: Flow meters measure the production and consumption of compressed air and are used to establish baseline air flows and energy use. This equipment helps identify potential savings, overloads and weak points within your system to pinpoint where improvements for efficiency are needed.
Get a system assessment: Direct Air are happy to offer free system assessments, with the ability to provide you with potential cost and energy savings in just 15 minutes.

2. Air quality

You might already have your compressed air system up and running, but do you have the correct air quality that your industry or end-point product requires?

Compressed air typically has three main contaminants – water, particles and oil – and having these substances come into contact with production for many industries simply isn’t acceptable. This is especially important for industries such as food and beverage and pharmaceutical if the air comes into direct contact with the product or indirect contact with the packaging.

Direct Air provide air quality testing services for both high quality air and breathing air standards including ISO 8573, ISO 12500, and ISO 7183.

3. Nitrogen Generation

If you don’t currently use nitrogen alongside your compressed air system, have you researched whether it could be the better solution for you?

Well, if you’re working with electronic applications, metal processing or beverage applications, it could be fitting for you. Also in other industries such as food and drink, medical supplies, chemical processing where C02 is currently being used, nitrogen generation could serve as a perfect alternative to combat current and future C02 shortages.

Finally, if you are already using this product, but are still getting bottled N2 delivered to your site, then onsite nitrogen generation could be much more efficient and beneficial, by saving costs, time and reducing your carbon footprint.

Don’t forget, Direct Air can provide and offer more information for all of these services, so do not hesitate to contact us if to enquire regarding all of the above.

Direct Air’s newest apprentice progresses in the Service Support team

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2024

It’s that time of year again where we spend some time talking to our apprentices about their journeys and showcasing their progression. For National Apprenticeship week 2024 we’re starting our blog series with Caitlin. All of the apprentice’s we’re speaking to this week are at different stages of the careers – and Caitlin is right at the start of hers!

Meet Caitlin

Caitlin joined Direct Air as the company’s new Trainee Business Administrator in August of 2023. Caitlin and her managers thought it would be beneficial for her to work through a course as she develops at Direct Air. Therefore, in November of last year, Caitlin enrolled onto the Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship as it aligned so well with her job role.

Why did you choose to start an apprenticeship?

I decided to enrol on to the apprenticeship because it meant I could learn on the job while gaining a qualification and for that reason I think an apprenticeship was the best route for me to be introduced to this working environment – I’m really happy with my choice so far!

The apprenticeship also means that I’m able to apply skills learnt in the classroom into my work at Direct Air. This helped me when getting used to working in an office environment, as this is different to my previous working environment.

What does your learning plan for college consist of?

At college one of the topics I am currently learning about is managing change, which is very helpful for my current situation as I have developed at work by moving from generally assisting the Service Support team to now also specialising in the Service Contracts area.

As well as this I’ve been learning about professional communication which will always be vital for me working at Direct Air, as I am constantly talking to internal and external stakeholders. Due to working more in Service Contracts I’m now speaking more to customers face-to-face because I visit customer sites with Direct Air’s Contracts Manager, Martyn.

Moving forward with my apprenticeship course, I’m also going to be developing my IT skills, which is really important for my role as the whole Service Support department uses a range of different digital documents to complete daily processes including spreadsheets, especially within Service Contracts.

Alongside this I’m excited to learn about Business Fundamentals, Planning and Organisation and Project Management.

What tasks are you taking on in the workplace?

Although my work consists more now of helping out Service Contracts, a lot of my working week still remains assisting the rest of the Service Support team. These tasks include requesting job sheets from Direct Air’s Service Engineers, as well as quoting service work with the help of our in-house Technical Support Team. I’m also on hand to occasionally cover my colleagues during holiday periods and part time working, which really helps the department stay on track and I’m proud that I have already developed the skills to be able to do this.

In the Service Contracts side of the Service Support department, I am working hard to learn about how the contracts work for different customers and assist in creating them. I’m really enjoying learning the process of costing the contracts depending on the level of the service agreement and which compressed air equipment the customer has. Drafting the contract documents helps me put the professional communication skills that I’ve been learning at college to use in a real working situation.

How will attending the workplace and college combined provide you with skills for life?

Enrolling onto this apprenticeship means that I will finish the course with the Level 3 Qualification alongside all of the working experience I’ve gained from being at Direct Air everyday. Having the skills and knowledge from the apprenticeship and the qualification to prove I am capable, means that I will be able to move forward and progress confidently in my job role at Direct Air.

I’m looking forward to completing this course over the next year and achieving a great qualification!

Direct Air gains ISO 9001 certification

Direct Air & Pipework — 16/04/2018

Our continued commitment to putting the customer first, has resulted in Direct Air recently becoming ISO 9001 certified.

ISO 9001 is recognised worldwide as the international benchmark for quality within an organisation.

To gain the ISO 9001 certification, we had to demonstrate our dedication and commitment to meeting our customers needs, operating efficient management processes and delivering consistent, good quality products and services.

Each year, an external Audit is carried out by a third party to ensure our systems are maintained and any non-conformances are noted for correction.

Managing Director of Direct Air, Allan Dolby, said:

Achieving ISO9001 I am sure will prove invaluable to Direct Airs day to day business operation. Our ISO 9001 certification will give companies confidence that we are working to standards and procedures that will provide them with a high standard of customer service.

Direct Air & Pipework have been awarded ISO 9001 : 2015 certification through QMS International. This prestigious award shows that providing the best possible products and services is of vital importance to the business.

John Flynn, Consultant for QMS international, highlighted in his findings report that many of the processes required for certification were already in place. Showing that Direct Air & Pipework had already adopted a best-practice approach, as a quality-focussed business.

John explained:

The Quality Management System Direct Air & Pipework have implemented will help them to enjoy many benefits, such as increased efficiency and continual improvement. Such advantages can be passed on to their customers, encouraging higher levels of satisfaction with Direct Air & Pipeworks services.

John was impressed with the team too, praising two individuals in particular for their hard work:

With the help of Allan Dolby and his Project Manager, Jim Maybury, the Quality System was set up without any difficulties.

If you would like to check the validity of our ISO 9001 certification or find out more about the ISO 9001 principles we follow please get in touch today, we would be delighted to speak with you.

Did you miss Direct Air’s Live Energy Q&A?

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

Did you miss our live Q&A?

Don’t worry, we recorded it for you!

Last week Daniel Murphy, Direct Air’s Sales Engineer, stepped in to answer your questions in our Live Q&A with Manufacture 2030. In our ‘Webinar series: Compressed air sustainability and optimization with Direct Air’ news, we shared the pre-recorded webinars that we had co-created with Manufacture 2030. The video’s discuss energy auditing through data logging, as well as leak detection, heat recovery and more. You can head to the news story linked above to watch the videos in full.

For those of you who were able to join live, thank you for engaging and asking your compressed air energy questions, we hope you enjoyed the Q&A and got some helpful answers.

If you didn’t get to watch the Q&A live, or just simply want to give it a rewatch, we’ve linked it below for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spd3Z17n_cw

If you need more information about any of the topics or services discussed please don’t hesitate to contact the Direct Air team, or visit our energy pages below:

Data Logging

Compressor life cycle cost: 70% of total compressor lifecycle costs are related to energy. This is means that compressed air energy savings have significant impacts on overall business costs as well as the environment.

To begin your energy saving journey, you would need to start by carrying out an energy audit on your compressed air system – data logging is a great way to start this.

Start your energy reduction journey now!

Leak Detection

Using ultrasonic leak detectors to carry out surveys on your compressed air system is the best way to know if you have leaks, how many, and how much they’re costing you. At the end of the survey, a report is produced outlying the leaks and costs to repair with support offered from our technician.

Following on from the leak detection report, repairs and maintenance can be conducted on the compressed air system to resolve the leaks identified and improve the efficiency of your system.

Heat Recovery

Approximately 10% of all electricity used in industry is accounted for by compressed air systems. It’s a thermodynamic fact that around 94% of this energy gets converted to heat. That means up to 94% of the heat energy supplied to the compressor can be recovered. It can be used to generate hot water, heating systems and application processes in other areas of the installation. It’s time to take advantage of this converted heat energy and save thousands of pounds every year!

Flow Monitoring

Flow meters measure the production and consumption of compressed air and are used to establish baseline air flows and energy use. Direct Air offer compressed air flow meters to help identify potential savings, overloads and weak points in your system to improve its efficiency. By measuring the actual flow to the various production units, you are in a position to make decisions based on facts. Measure, monitor and manage your compressed air system to reduce your energy consumption.

Free Assessment

How much money are you losing from your compressor?

We believe there are always opportunities to make energy savings and improve compressor efficiency, which is why we’re proud to offer free assessments.

Get a free full compressed air system assessment with the potential to reduce your businesses costs and improve your carbon footprint.

Energy Reduction

With Direct Air's expert knowledge, we like to offer tips and general guidance on our website to help you understand the importance of optimising your compressed air system.

In the energy savings section of our blogs, we've got a range of informative content including discussing the compressed air cost increase and how you can manage it with your system. As well as reasons to data log your system, easy tips to maximise compressed air efficiency and air leaks tips.

Direct Air place record order for Ultima Compressors

Direct Air & Pipework — 29/10/2020

This week Direct Air's Managing Director, Allan Dolby, has placed an order with Andrew Power, Country Manager at Gardner Denver, for 8 off Ultima Oil Free Compressors.

This order between two Made in the Midlands members is for a prestigious turnkey project that Direct Air will be undertaking using all the expertise of our inhouse Projects Department.

This also signals Gardner Denver's largest ever order for Ultima compressors and Direct Air continue to be proud distributors of the CompAir, Champion and Hydrovane technology.

Congratulations to everyone involved in securing the project!

Ultima technology

Ultima, a revolutionary new, water-cooled oil-free compressor, offering up to 12 per cent improved energy efficiency compared to a conventional two-stage machine with a 37 per cent smaller footprint.

Ultima is available in models from 75 kW to 160 kW and is designed for best in class performance, for applications that demand the highest levels of air quality and purity.

Unlike standard oil-free compressors, which have a single motor and mechanical gearbox design to drive the low- and high-pressure air ends, Ultima uses the U-Drive concept - two, high-efficiency, permanent magnet motors which replace the gearbox and single motor. These variable-speed motors, powered by an inverter, can achieve speeds of up to 22,000 rpm and deliver efficiencies greater than IE4.

Direct Air fundraising for Alzheimer's Society reaches over £10,000

Direct Air & Pipework — 16/07/2019

Last month we were delighted to invite Ryan Stanley, Community Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, to our office to present the cheque for £10,793.

“I’m extremely proud of everyone at Direct Air pulling together to raise such an incredible amount of money for our company charity,” said Emma Dolby, Marketing Manager and chief charity event organiser.

“We’ve never had an official company charity before either, so we’ve gone above and beyond what we were expecting for our first year. All I can say is we won’t stop here! We will carry on doing other fundraising activities and events… watch this space.”

The fundraising activities

We want to say a huge congratulations to everyone who took part in any fundraising activities from our Direct Air team

We took to the clouds for a team skydive
We got muddy at the Autumn wolf run
We filled our belly’s on cupcake day
We went retro for Flashback Friday
We donated our Christmas party ticket money
And much more…

A big thanks to...

And a massive thank you to all of our suppliers, customers, friends, family and everyone else who have donated so far! You have all really have helped improved services and research for people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. A massive well done & thank you once again.

If you would like to donate to our 2019-2020 total, please follow the link: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/DirectAir

Where will the money go?

Alzheimer’s Society 3,000 services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland offer information, care and support to people with dementia, their families, friends and carers. These include Dementia Cafés, Singing for the Brain® sessions, and Dementia Advisers, Dementia Support Workers and Side by Side volunteers who support people to keep doing the things they enjoy.

£5 – pays for one person to attend a 30-min support session at a Dementia café

£10 – pays for 100 copies of a factsheet: Understanding and respecting the person with dementia

£50 – funds a National Dementia Helpline advisor for 1 hour

£120 – pays to run the online community for people affected by dementia

Bespoke compressed air container projects

Direct Air & Pipework — 13/10/2020

Container projects are a ‘plug and play’ solution designed for customers with special requirements. These requirements could include sites which need minimal disturbances or temporary service packages. As containers are easily manoeuvred, they get used for varying applications.

Installation is complete before reaching customer site and the container itself acts as the plant room. This eliminates the need to invest in builders and furthermore reduces costs.

The container houses everything necessary for the specific compressed air system. From the actual compressors, to downstream equipment and its mechanical and electrical connections.

Direct Air’s Projects Team have delivered many container projects. One of the projects was for a UK manufacturer with international operations.

The Brief

The customer needed a container solution due to the nature of their compressed air requirements.

Our solution

Direct Air tailored the container specifically to their requirements. Due to the coastal location of the customer site, the risk of corrosion upon the equipment became clear. A high specification anti-corrosion paint was used to create a barrier against the hostile saline environment.

To meet the customer required standards, much like a manufacturer would do, the compressed air package was supplied CE marked as a working assembly. This verification confirmed that everything installed into the container was legally acceptable and compatible with international standards.

The final more technical adjustment made to this project, is that the entire system is remotely controlled. This was done due to the high importance and need of the system in the case of an emergency. It provides a lot more control, which furthermore reassures the customer too.

Steve Brant, Project Manager at Direct Air, commented:

“Container projects provide a unique challenge for us; inside space is very limited, and we need to take into account the transportation and site positioning after manufacture as well as the usual cooling, heating, and service access requirements. As we have total command over the internal space it allows us to assure the highest quality to our customer as they know the entire installation is taking place at our premises and we can control all aspects of the project a lot more effectively than one on a remote site.”

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Ultima upgrade leads to £58K energy savings

Direct Air & Pipework — 06/07/2021

Accord Healthcare opened their Fawdon, Newcastle site in 2018. A lot of work behind the scenes had happened to get this huge pharmaceutical site back up and running. The site had been completely shut down since 2015 but Accord accepted the challenge to continue domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.

To breathe life back into a historical factory, investment in new infrastructure and equipment was needed. A key element to building the site back up again was restoring compressed air and providing an efficient, up-to-date solution with potential energy savings.

THE BRIEF

Kyle Storey, Engineering Team Lead at Accord Healthcare, explained: “I was one of the very first engineers onsite. I’ve seen it come from the very start and I remember my first day here. There was no electricity, no gas, no compressed air… there was nothing, so we had to start again from scratch. We’ve done an incredible job to get to where we are.”

Accord inherited compressors with the site acquisition and it was one of the first projects to get tackled. The majority of machinery onsite is compressed air driven including conveyor systems, control systems and valves.

Kyle explains: “We use it for virtually everything onsite as its safer and fits in with our processes – anything that moves in the production section is compressed air! Every major steam valve is pneumatically actuated, so in essence if we lost the compressed air all our heating systems would shut down, and production would stop. In terms of critical utilities, compressed air is on par with electricity and water.”

The two inherited compressors were oversized and old. After discovering the compressors were no longer supported by the manufacturer, the decision was made to go to tender and consider variable speed options. Accord spoke to different providers, but Direct Air’s solution was first noticed for being recommended from Accord’s Barnstaple site.

OUR SOLUTION

Direct Air conducted a thorough site survey, including data logging the entire compressed air system. Of the existing compressors, one had suffered failure to both the main and fan inverter drives so would need significant expenditure to fix. And due to the failure, compressed air was being delivered to the facility from the other fixed speed compressor. Due to low air consumption compared to the size of the compressor, it was heavily off-loaded and was resulting in wasted levels of energy.

The data logged reported annuals levels of wasted energy were 335,824 Kw. This equates to an annual cost of £27,000 for wasted energy.

With reliable compressed air vitally important, the installation of new compressors was the best solution. And with a correctly sized variable speed compressor installed, the wasted energy could be saved.

Direct Air recommended two water cooled U75 Ultima compressors with a closed cooling water system and airblast cooler. The second U75 would act as a stand-by machine.

Kyle explained why Direct Air were the chosen supplier: “Everything just aligned. Firstly, already being a service provider for Barnstaple showed us your capabilities, as that site has been constantly in production.”

“Secondly, the level of survey carried out was exceptional. All the other companies did a very small survey. Whereas the report Direct Air produced was pretty fantastic and Allan came to site to explain how much could get saved and how we could achieve this.”

“And finally, it was a turnkey solution so to have everything included while the site was transitioning was great.”

Direct Air conducted the complete mechanical and electrical installation. The cooling water and cables installed were suitable to go to the maximum Ultima capacity (U160), to enable future production increases. The full turnkey project got completed over weekends to provide minimal disruptions.

The oil free U75 compressors immediately provided a much smaller footprint and linked to the sites BMS. They also delivered energy reduction and business continuity.

The new compressed air system got assessed after the first year. Including extra tasks such as fixing air leaks, the energy savings were closer to £58,000 – £35,000 greater than expected!

Kyle commented: “The installation went exactly as planned. Business continuity was one of the primary drivers during this installation and as a site we were vulnerable to a compressed air breakdown, we identified that one compressor was a single point of failure. So, as part of this install, we ensured a contingency was in place for compressed air and the solution was a standby compressor. One compressor is sized large enough to run the entire facility, therefore giving us full coverage.”

“The Ultima technology is a definite upgrade. They’re the way that equipment should be these days. Nicely laid out and everything works as it should. With the old systems we’d have to go over and perform manual checks but now I can see [from the office] exactly what they’re doing and how they’re performing. It’s really good.”

“I can’t imagine the pressure that I would be under if the old system was to fail, to actually stop the entire site.”

Accord have also benefitted from the Ultima’s ability to upgrade. Since the oil free compressors installation, air demand has increased onsite. So Direct Air upgraded the installed compressors from U75 to U110.

Direct Air also support the Fawdon site with routine service and preventive maintenance as a platinum service contract customer. The oil free Ultima’s have iConn installed, which is a remote monitoring service delivering real-time updates.

Kyle Storey, Engineering Team Lead at Accord Healthcare:

“The set-up of Direct Air makes life very easy for us. We don’t have to ring you to book in a service, that’s all done remotely and whenever I speak to Ross it’s very easy. And if there is ever a fault on an Ultima, I immediately get an email and text explaining the issue.”

“The fact you’re not local hasn’t affected the service level you provide at all. The last issue we actually had; Richard M rang us to talk us through some items to try to resolve the issue – while he was on the road to us! He was with us within a few hours and fixed the problem, it’s seamless.”

“The level of service is fantastic, it’s really effortless no matter who I speak to. I can’t fault anyone who comes to site but in particular, JT is superb, and he helps us a lot with a lot of the stuff that he does.”

Allan Dolby, Managing Director at Direct Air, commented:

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside Kyle and Accord Healthcare as their production grown from strength-to-strength. The U75 installed were actually the first commissioned in the UK and it’s been great to have the opportunity to show the benefits of the Ultima technology, with such amazing payback for Accord.”

“We are proud to provide them with ongoing, 24/7 support at our highest standards. And I’m looking forward to working on future projects with Kyle as we continue to provide Accord the best compressed air system possible.”

Compressed air filtration – what’s right for your system?

Direct Air & Pipework — 20/03/2019

Compressed air is vital to many production processes. But did you know that up to 10 contaminants could be present in your supply? And this rises to 15 if using compressed air for breathing air applications.

Contamination can be introduced by atmospheric conditions, the compressor itself and during distribution, by the air receiver and pipework. The contaminants can be either solid or states.

Identification of contaminants

These are the 10 major players which could enter your compressed air system:

Atmospheric dirt. How clean is the air around you? In an industrial environment, every cubic metre of air contains 140 million dirt particles on average. This can include dust and pollen. And 80% of these particles are less than 2 microns, making them too small to get captured by an intake filter.
The bacteria and viruses we’re susceptible to picking up, can get drawn into the compressed air system. The warm, moist air is the favoured environment for the growth of microorganisms. Every cubic metre of air can contain up to 100 million microorganisms.
Water vapour. The higher the temperature, the more water vapour that can be held by the air.
Water aerosol
Condensed water. In a standard compressed air system, up to 99.9% of the total liquid contamination is water.
Oil vapour. Like water, oil vapour cools and condensates once inside the system.
Liquid oil. Most compressors use oil in the compression stage for sealing, lubrication and cooling. This can get carried over into the compressed air system as liquid oil and aerosols.
Oil aerosol
Rust scale. Scale can get built up in the air receivers and pipework of ‘wet’ systems. It can break away to cause damage or blockages.
Pipe scale

It’s difficult to avoid many of these sources of contamination. With the correct filtration, it’s easy to remove contaminants from your compressed air system.

Selecting filtration

When selecting filtration, it is important to consider the following factors:

Sizing. You must use a filter which can handle the compressed air flow rate at the minimum system pressure and the maximum temperature.
Grade of filtration. A single filter isn’t designed to be able to treat all contaminants. You may need to use a combination of different grades and methods throughout the system.
Application. There are strict air purity standards in place for certain industries, such as food and pharmaceuticals.
Cost. The cost to operate and maintain a filter may vary, especially between premium and budget brands. Consider the total cost of ownership rather than the initial sale price.

To discover the different types of filters than can be used throughout your system, read the rest on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/compressed-air-filtration-whats-right-for-your-system/

Addressing Fresh Produce Shortages and Enhancing Resilience in UK Agriculture

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

The previous shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables in the UK highlighted the value of air compressors as a potential help to reduce the impact of the crisis when combined with other technological advancements.

Air compressors role in creating controlled atmospheres that extends the shelf life of produce, paired with nitrogen generation technology, has contributed to preserving the quality, nutrient content, and flavour of agricultural products. However, in order to prevent future shortages and disruption, it is crucial for the UK to tackle the underlying challenges that caused the shortage in the first place.

Factors such as extreme weather conditions, labour shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic all contributed to the scarcity of fruits and vegetables. By analysing these factors retrospectively, we can identify how the shortages could have been prevented and what strategies the UK must implement to avoid them in the future.

Looking ahead, the UK can enhance resilience through advanced weather monitoring, sustainable farming practices, collaboration, and support for local food systems.

Tim McGill, Area General Manager at Direct Air commented:

“Air compressors and related technology such as nitrogen generators are critical for our customers operating across the Food and Beverage industry. Compressed air systems help in facilities producing food and drink that is consumed daily in the UK, specifically at dairy production sites, where nitrogen injection is used to create micro-bubbles for improving texture whilst not affecting the great taste of products such as cream and desserts.

Nitrogen purging, filling, blanketing and so many more applications are used across the food and beverage industry to help prolong shelf life, preventing oxidisation and contamination and protecting our food.”

Direct Air’s Trainee Engineer thriving through the apprenticeship process

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2024

It’s day 4 of National Apprenticeship Week 2024 and today we’ll be discussing progress with Adam. We spoke to Adam one year ago when he had just joined Direct Air and enrolled onto his apprenticeship in the ‘Meet Direct Air’s newest Compressed Air Engineering Apprentice‘ blog. Since then he’s been developing significantly, not just in his apprenticeship course work, but through other training courses too.

About Adam

Adam joined Direct Air in January of 2023 as an Engineering Apprentice and he’s now one year into his apprenticeship. We wanted to chat with Adam again to see how his responsibilities, knowledge and experience have advanced since last year’s National Apprenticeship Week.

What new responsibilities have you taken on within the last year?

One of the biggest changes over the last year for me has been the independence I’ve been able to have. Using the skills I’ve learnt from shadowing the experienced Direct Air engineers and knowledge from college work I am now able to get stuck in and carry out jobs myself.

When I first started at Direct Air I was assisting the Installation Engineers regularly, but recently I’ve been more focused on Servicing which I think suits my skills and abilities really well. Along with the service work I’ve been carrying out, I’ve also attended break downs at sites to investigate what the issue is with the compressed air systems in order to get a quicker response time for customers and get the problem resolved as soon as possible.

Despite this increase in independence, I am still very early on in my apprenticeship, meaning I continue to go to senior engineering colleagues at work for reassurance when I’m faced with challenges I haven’t come across before. Knowing I have a helpful team around me provides me with even more confidence to explore more capabilities.

Can you talk us through the training courses you have completed?

Over the past year I’m proud to have completed a range of courses including:

BOGE compressors manufacturer course
F-Gas refrigerant dryers course
Beko Technologies manufacturer course
Parker Hannifin compressed air treatment and industrial gas nitrogen generation systems course

The skills I have gathered from completing these courses combined has allowed me to learn more specific knowledge about the actual compressed air equipment on top of the general engineering knowledge that my apprenticeship work is giving me. It was also great for the courses to be lead by the brands that Direct Air distributes, as this meant I was being taught first hand about the compressed air equipment I am used to working on at customer sites everyday!

Will you be enrolling onto anymore courses?

After doing the above courses I now understand how vital they are to my development. Therefore, I will be continuing to complete more courses in the near future. Some that I am currently signed up for consist of:

MGTS college Electrical Maintenance course
CompAir L-Series compressor range course

I think that doing these courses alongside my apprenticeship and on-site work will ensure I’m progressing at a significant pace.

Are you enjoying your job role and what are you most looking forward to after your apprenticeship is complete?

One of the main things I am enjoying about my role at the moment is being able to go out and use my knowledge to solve problems for Direct Air’s customers where I can. When I finish a job and the customer is happy with the results it’s really satisfying and rewarding.

Once I have successfully completed my apprenticeship I am looking forward to focusing more on my time at work and putting every bit of the knowledge I’ve learnt on the way to use.

Although I’m excited to be working full time, I also want to secure my Compressed Air and Vacuum Technician NVQ and continuing my education through other courses after my apprenticeship is still something I will be doing as I think it is vital.

Do you feel like the apprenticeship, alongside working on the job, is providing you with skills for life?

Some of the key skills for life that this working journey is providing me with are Communication skills with both internal and external stakeholders, as I am conversing with fellow engineers, Direct Air office staff and customers on a daily basis.

Also, my problem solving abilities have been enhanced in a whole new way. I think is such a valuable skill to have in engineering and it’s something that I will be able to develop with each year of experience that I gain working in the compressed air industry.

Finally, I think I have learnt how to efficiently cope with working and learning a qualification at the same time by established a good balance. Doing this means I don’t get behind on my college work whilst also maintaining good value to the company with my working hours.

Over 10 years of complete compressed air solutions for Swish Building Products

Direct Air & Pipework — 08/12/2020

Swish Building Products is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of low maintenance cellular PVC building products, including fascias, bargeboards, rainwater, internal and external cladding.

Swish are a long-term customer of Direct Air’s, after their first system audit was conducted all the way back in 2009.

Direct Air were first approached by Swish when they began to question their current compressed air system. Swish predominately uses compressed air for material transfer, along with numerous filter purging and a multitude of pneumatic equipment.

THE BRIEF

They identified that they needed a reliable service provider who could supply and update areas of their compressed air system. The supplier would also need to maintain the system following any new installations.

The team at Swish understood that their compressed air system lacked efficiency, but they did not realise the full extent until after the initial audit.

OUR SOLUTION

Their first ever audit in 2009, revealed that the customer had 27% inefficient air off-load. This accumulated to £33,546 per annum of their £126,700 per annum worth of air generated.

Following on from the results of the audit, Direct Air were able to identify a solution. Swish were able to save the non-productive energy by upgrading their compressed air system.

Alan Tunnicliffe, Process Improvement Manager at Swish Building Products, explains over the last 10 years: “I would estimate the energy savings to be 700,000 KW/hrs per annum.”

It started with an energy audit but developed past solving the initial energy inefficiency problem. Swish are a Gold Service Contract customer, to ensure efficiency and reliable compressed air support.

Over the last 10 years, Direct Air have provided and maintained a complete compressed air system for Swish Building Products. To further improve the service offering, remote monitoring software was installed. This provides real-time updates on machine performance.

As Swish’s requirements have changed, Direct Air have installed more equipment including a variable speed compressor in 2012 as a solution to an increased demand of air, as well as the installation of an L132RS in 2016 with heat recovery.

Alan Tunnicliffe commented:

“It has been a journey over the last 10 years with respect to compressed air, as our business has grown and evolved. Direct Air have continued to provide a world class support service, even when its outside of office hours.”

“We have benefitted from reliable compressors which are well maintained, with sufficient back-up to ensure our 24/7 350 days per year operation continues with uninterrupted compressed air supply. We have resolved numerous challenges around pressure control, moisture, pressure drops along with the added benefits of space heating which has also reduced our heating costs by £50K per annum.”

“Initially, I was impressed by the technical knowledge of Allan and Will upon our first few meetings and that has only continued with the service engineers who attend site. All the Direct Air engineers are extremely knowledgeable about their line of work and always willing to go the extra mile to resolve my queries or escalate them to someone who can provide me the answers I seek.”

Martyn Edwards, Contracts Co-ordinator at Direct Air, commented:

“Alan and Rob are great to work with and will always offer to help us when we attend site. As a customer, they’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to unitise their energy usage, and this is evident in the investments they’ve made in relation to their compressed air equipment.”

Enjoyed this case study? Read this one about another company's compressed air system we've maintaned for many years: https://bit.ly/2VkJ2iY

Direct Air & Pipework's Best Practice Event

Direct Air & Pipework — 13/03/2020

Leading manufacturer of compressed air solutions, Direct Air & Pipework, recently held a Made in the Midlands best practice event at the Coventry Transport Museum where 30 members from the region gathered to learn more about the company, its best practices and to network with other members.

The event kicked off at 9 am in the museum’s conference room, where members had the opportunity to network and indulge in refreshments before the presentation took place.

The Made in Group’s Director Ilona Pitt introduced the event, where she also discussed some of the upcoming events that the group is holding, including the 2020 Made in the Midland Exhibition.

Afterwards, Website and Marketing Manager Emma Dolby took to the stage to introduce members to Direct Air & Pipework. Speaking about the choice of location, Emma said, “This is our second Best Practice event with the Made in Group. For this one, we’ve decided to hold it at the Coventry Transport Museum, which has the world’s largest collection of British made cars.”

During the talk, guests learned more about the 25-year history of Direct Air & Pipework, who have for the last quarter of a century, delivered bespoke compressed air solutions and maintenance to businesses of different sizes.

One technical element that was brought up was the fact that between 20% to 40% of a company’s generated compressed air will end up being lost due to leaks. This will have the direct knock-on effect of increasing the running hours, which in turn leads to more energy being required and your system requiring more frequent services.

In the words of Direct Air & Pipework, “This is the most expensive commodity that you’ll have in your facility.”

To round up the presentation, the team from Direct Air went on to explore the costs that these leaks can have on a company, giving the example of one client in Coventry that managed to save over £17,000.

This highlighted one of the key strengths of the company, which can, in their own words, “We are committed to providing the most energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions to customers by communicating our expertise and technical guidance. Our technical team will use ultrasonic leak detectors to pinpoint leaks in compressed air systems, even during noisy production periods. The leak detector measures and photographs the specific location of a problem, and it signals in real-time for immediate maintenance.”

The event finished off with more networking and refreshments, giving guests the opportunity to ask Direct Air & Pipework staff any questions they may have. Following on from the event, members were able to explore the Coventry Transport Museum free of charge.

Direct Air exhibiting at Backing Britain Virtual Expo

Direct Air & Pipework — 22/06/2020

In response to the global Covid-19 crisis, Made in Group were forced to cancel their annual manufacturing exhibition and will now hold the industry’s first virtual exhibition of its kind. Beginning on August 17th, this will be a 2 weeklong “Digital Business Festival”, featuring over 30 events and aiming to feature 5,000 delegates.

Backing Britain Live 2020 is being organised by the Made in Group which has two strong networks in the Midlands and Yorkshire, its aim to keep industry connected and help manufacturers collaborate, share best practice and promote British manufacturing.

This will include: Webinars, Conferencing, Round Table Discussions, Networking, Virtual Expo Hall, Digital Mastermind Groups and a Physical Goodie Bag.

Jason Pitt, Chief Executive of the Made in Group, said:

“Made in exhibitions are significant events that many members and visitors look forward to, but like many aspects of our way of life, we have had to make considerable adjustments. We are an innovative organisation when it comes to technology. We do more than many realise. As a business, we have developed a digital platform that allows members to create their own social media microsite, upload news, attend virtual webinars and soon to include virtual mastermind groups, question-and-answer sessions and panel discussions.”

Direct Air’s Managing Director, Allan Dolby said,

“It’s important to have a strong national supply chain so that we can deal with the crisis we have just seen, any event that aims to secure localisation of supply chains can only be a good thing. Our business was founded upon supporting Midlands manufacturing, and we provide maintenance and advice to local engineering businesses. We have a talented workforce and unrivalled quality, it’s time we show how good we are.”

Direct Air are proud and excited to be exhibiting at such an iconic moment in modern industry history and be at the forefront of technological innovation. It is the time for the industry to not only stand up and be counted, but to ultimately embrace change and be enthusiastic in the face of new ways of working, such as virtual networking.

The exhibition already has more than 200 exhibitors confirmed with a footfall target of 5,000 delegates. We’d love to virtually connect with you on the day.

Visit Direct Air’s virtual Backing Britain expo stand

Direct Air & Pipework — 24/03/2022

Backing Britain 3.0… how does it work?

The Backing Britain 3.0 exhibition has been created with the aim to maintain that vital networking opportunity that events bring, whilst reducing environmental impact and encouraging manufacturers to utilise the digital world.

Both the virtual and physical aspects of the event begin on the 26th April 2022, but let’s delve into how they will vary.

The digital element of Backing Britain will involve virtual stands of each exhibitor for visitors to work their way around and interact with suppliers as they would at a regular event – except at their own convenience alongside multiple other benefits!

The physical side to the event will consist of three live face to face networking opportunities kicking off at 16.30pm, before the speakers begin their talks on stage at 17.30pm, followed by a 10 minutes Q&A and further networking until 19.30pm.

What are the features of Backing Britain?

Virtual	Live
On demand videos of expo speakers Participate in expo roundtable events Virtual expo stand available 365 days per year	Keynote speaker at each event Meet hundreds of MIM members Interact with 3D VR headset equipment

What’s Backing Britain like in numbers?

300 live event attendees
3,000 virtual attendees
Attendees at director level from engineering and manufacturing companies

The Backing Britain 3.0 exhibition is Free-to-register and will be held virtually along with networking events in Wolverhampton, Derby and Leeds. It’s taking place on from 26th – 28th April 2020.

F-Gas certifications achieved by Direct Air’s Service Engineers

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

Two of Direct Air’s newest engineers entered the new year with F-Gas certifications!

We last spoke to Adam during National Apprenticeship Week 2023 in our ‘Meet Direct Air’s newest Compressed Air Engineering Apprentice‘ blog when he had just started at Direct Air. Adam is now continuing to progress in his engineering role. Josh joined Direct Air later in 2023 and has been progressing in Service Engineer training ever since.

In order to continue progressing, both the engineers are completing courses such as this F-Gas one, developing their skills and knowledge further. Let’s see how the two of them found the course…

About Adam & Josh

Adam went from Military to Maintenance in January of 2023 when he joined Direct Air as an Engineering Apprentice. He now has one year of valuable experience in air compressor servicing behind him.

Josh joined the company later that same year in July of 2023, extending the department even further as Direct Air’s new Trainee Service Engineer, after saying goodbye to the Royal Navy Submarine Service. He’s been moving forward in the Service team ever since.

Adam and Josh recently enrolled onto the F-Gas course and completed it successfully, with both engineers exceeding the 60% pass rate.

What did the F-Gas course involve?

The F-Gas course consisted of one day to complete the theory side. During this, we were learning about the refrigerant system before beginning the practical part of the course.

After learning the knowledge, it was time to put the skills into play by carrying out the practical. Here we learned how to reclaim refrigerant and put it into systems, as well as refrigerant fault finding. Being trained in how to gas and degas safely and efficiently was a really important step forward for us.

Finally, we had to go through the assessment in order to complete the course. To do this, we carried out the practical tasks again but this time we were being assessed on our abilities. During the assessment we displayed that we are confident to braze purge, pressure test and run the system afterwards. On top of the practical, we had 40 questions to answer about everything we had learnt throughout the course.

How has the course helped you to progress in your career?

Having this certification under our belts benefits our development and career progression as now that we’ve successfully completed this course, were able to carry out a wider range of jobs moving forward.

Our new F-Gas skills mean that we can attend customers sites when servicing and degassing of dryer machines is required. Maintaining an efficient compressed air supply is about more than just the compressor, as other components involved in the system are just as important – such as dryers!

Have you got any other courses lined up?

After being so successful on this course, we are looking forward to continuing our education by moving onto the next! In 2024 we have a Nitrogen Generation course lined up, as well as an Air Treatment course and Electrical training too.

Direct Air awarded ISO 45001 certification

Direct Air & Pipework — 07/01/2020

Direct Air are delighted to have been awarded the ISO 45001 certification for our responsible approach towards Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) in the workplace.

This international standard demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to providing a safe environment to work in for our staff and customers. The ISO 45001 management system ensures that the performance of the company matches the high levels of environmental performance of the products we supply.

The recently released ISO 45001:2018 OHS, the successor to OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series), is an internationally recognised standard which requires organisations to identify, manage and strictly control health and safety risks in their workplace, and create better and safer working conditions for their employees.

The certification complements the ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management) standards also held and further demonstrates our commitment to continual improvement.

Allan Dolby, Managing Director, commented: “Gaining ISO 45001 certification is a great achievement for the company that reinforces our commitment to safe working practices and the health and well-being of our workforce. Continual improvement of our QHSE system is something we have always striven to do, in order to ensure our staff operate in the safest possible working environments.

“This new standard will support our continued growth, providing increased confidence to the companies we work with.”

Direct Air Exhibiting at Air-Tech 2022

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/03/2022

About Air-Tech

Do you work alongside compressed air, vacuum or generators? Then this is the perfect event for you!

Air-Tech is the UK’s compressed air, vacuum and generator market specific exhibition. Created to cover the very latest insights and updates from the UK’s largest gathering of world-class companies in the industry. This event is the perfect opportunity to network and converse with suppliers from up and down the country.

Direct Air will be located on stand B42 at the event – come and see us!

What should you expect to see at Air-Tech?

Accumulators, Actuators, Air Delivery Systems and Air Motors
Compressors, Cooler Tools and Cylinders
Vacuum and Generators
Displays & Meters
Filters, Fittings, Heat Exchangers and Hoses
Instruments, Lubricators, Manifolds and Mobile Compressors
Pumps, Regulators, Sensors, Software and Valves

What will Air-Tech offer you as a visitor?

World-class suppliers from around the world
Full programme of FREE technical seminars with top class speakers offering expert insight and practical advice on the issues that affect you the most
Co-located with Drives & Controls, Fluid Power Systems, the inaugural Smart Industry Expo, Plant & Asset Management Exhibition, Mach and What’s New in Electronics live bringing over 40,000 visitors to the NEC in 1 week.

The Air-Tech exhibition is Free-to-enter and will be located at the NEC Arena, in Birmingham. It’s taking place on from 5th – 7th April 2022 and we hope to see you all there!

Free Compressed Air System Assessment for MIM Family

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/07/2018

Direct Air had a fanastic debut Made in the Midlands Expo on June 21st, where we happily caught up with customers and managed to speak to many new leads.

On the day we were offering attendees the opportunity to get a free compressed air system assessment with the potential to reduce business costs as well improving the organisation's carbon footprint.

And we would like to extend this offer to our fellow Made in the Midlands members, who we may not have had the chance to meet and speak to on the day!

Just ask yourself: how much money are you losing from your compressor?

If you'd like to find out the answer as it may be more than you think, contact us today!

Christmas Shutdown

Direct Air & Pipework — 18/12/2020

The Christmas holidays are coming and we would like to inform you of our scheduled shutdown over Christmas and New Year holidays.

The offices will be closed from Thursday 24th December and will reopen again on Monday 4th January 2020.

From everyone at Direct Air & Pipework, we'd like to thank you for your continued business in 2020 and we're looking forward to another year working alongside you and your business.

We'd like to wish all our customers, suppliers, colleagues and friends a happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2021!

Laser specialists spared from unplanned downtime with Direct Air’s speedy response

Direct Air & Pipework — 15/08/2022

Central Laser Services are Metal Laser Cutting specialists based in Redditch, who have been serving businesses throughout the UK since 2003. Over the last 18 months the company has been investing significantly into rapid processing power laser machinery, allowing them to offer efficient cost-effective laser cutting of all common materials, right from prototyping to large scale production requests.

Central Laser Services uses compressed air to provide power for their 8Kw Trumpf 5030 Tru Disc 2D fibre optic laser cutting machines, which run 19 hours a day. Compressed air is critical for driving the air operated components inside this professional laser equipment.

THE BRIEF

As a company that’s undergoing growth and progression within their technology, it’s vital that Central Laser Services have a reliable compressed air provider behind them every step of the way. Steve Evans, Director at Central Laser Services, knew this from the get go and the company have now been a customer of Direct Air’s for almost 15 years!

Despite the extremely smooth journey Central Laser Services have had with their compressed air equipment over the years, just recently the importance of Direct Air’s hands-on support really shone through… when a breakdown struck!

A concerned Steve Evans immediately called Direct Air’s number as he noticed smoke coming from the vents of the compressors electrical cabinet. He needed a fix quickly to ensure minimal time without power to his production.

OUR SOLUTION

Following the call out Direct Air’s Service Engineer Jon Tromans attended site, and after conducting an initial inspection he identified that their CompAir L15 compressor had an inverter issue. Despite spotting this, Jon needed to be sure that there were no other underlying issues, but he also wanted to prioritise Central Laser Services’ air supply to get their production back up and running as soon as possible. Jon decided to take the most efficient action available by removing the compressor to take it back to the Direct Air workshop for full inspection, and in the meantime a hire L15 compressor was installed in its place.

At the Direct Air workshop, it was confirmed that luckily there were no further issues than the inverter requiring replacement. Our engineers quickly fixed the compressor up and returned it back to Central Laser Services.

Central Laser Services received the repair completely free under the CompAir Assure Extended 6 Year Warranty, and from the breakdown call out to the interchanging of compressors, the company only resulted in a total of 4 hours downtime.

Steve Evans, Director at Central Laser Services commented:

“Direct Air have maintained all equipment within the many years we’ve used them and never caused me to consider approaching another supplier. The service costs are very reasonable, and timing of service is always as per the manufacturers recommendations. There has been very little down time & even when we had a serious issue, Direct Air have rescued the situation with replacement equipment. I can’t fault the team, with their friendly engineers and service staff who are very approachable and always make time for a chat – specifically Jon Tromans and Ross Scimeca.”

Jon Tromans, Service Engineer at Direct Air commented:

“Central Laser Services are a brilliant long-standing customer of ours. I established a great working relationship with Steve after servicing visits, sorting their unexpected compressor breakdown and living just down the road from the site means I’m able to pop in if he has any queries. A friendly customer we hope to continue working with for any more years in the future!

Since then, we’ve continued to complete regular servicing visits in line with Central Laser Services’ Gold Service contract, ensuring their equipment keeps running as smoothly as they do!

Looking to the future, Central Laser Services are taking on even more laser cutting machinery in their factory as the business continues to expand. Direct Air will be working alongside the company to support them and their exciting new equipment.

What happens during a compressed air system service?

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/04/2019

We’ve spoken about the importance of creating a compressor maintenance strategy. We’ve also highlighted the importance of using genuine parts and lubricants. But what actually happens in a compressed air system service?

With production reliant on compressed air, it's useful to know what to expect from a scheduled compressor service. The purpose of routine servicing is to keep it reliable and ensure it has a long operating life.

The exact service schedule details will depend on:

The type of air compressor – oil-lubricated or oil-free, rotary, scroll, screw, piston etc.
The make and model – CompAir, Hydrovane, BOGE, Atlas Copco, HPC, Mattei, ABAC and so on.
The level of service is being carried out - major or minor.
The current hours run.

Regardless of this, there are some common things checked, serviced & replaced.

Air compressor checks

The service engineer will check the machine is running correct and there are no major issues with the compressor.
As well as examining the internal components, the external panels are checked for mechanical damage.
Checks for oil and air leaks can often show if there are any extra issues the engineer needs to know about.
The engineer will examine the fault history of the machine using the controller.
Oil and air filters get changed. The filters prevent particles from entering the compressor and causing internal damage. A filter may seem a small component, but it is far from insignificant. As soon as the condition of the filter starts to deteriorate, so does its performance in preventing contamination.
The oil level is either topped up or changed, depending on the service. Lubricant in the air compressor has many jobs including cooling and sealing. The oil does degrade over time which is why it gets replaced. The replacement oil must match the specification required. For example, some food production companies used food-grade oil. It is also important the correct amount of lubricant gets added. Overheating can happen from too little oil, and damage to compression elements and valves with too much oil.
Depending on the type of compressor, the oil separator will either get cleaned, inspected or replaced.
If belts are fitted, they may need changing as they wear over time which reduces efficiency and can lead to the belt breaking.

To read on about downstream equipment checks and what the engineer does before leaving site, read the full blog on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/what-happens-in-a-compressed-air-system-service/

Direct Air & Pipework will be amongst the hundreds of members exhibiting at this year's Made in the Midlands Exhibition, which takes place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on June 20. To join them, register for tickets by clicking on the banner below and don't forget that for more details on the event, visit our new website - www.madeinthemidlandsexpo.co.uk

Direct Air meet Coventry City F.C.

Direct Air & Pipework — 05/06/2023

Following the conversation with Fankaty, Direct Air staff took a seat to watch a great session of the Coventry City team training and showcasing their skills in preparation for the next game this Friday.

Direct Air continue to be a proud sponsor of the football team and we wish them the best of luck for the rest of the season!

We’d like to say a massive thanks to the whole Coventry City F.C. and the organisers for being so welcoming whilst hosting the fantastic sponsors event, and being especially accommodating to the infant member of the Direct Ait team!

Direct Air awarded ISO 14001:2015 certification

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/12/2019

Direct Air is delighted to announce that we have been awarded ISO 14001:2015 certification, recognising our commitment to identifying, managing and reducing the impact on both the local and wider environment through implementation of a comprehensive environmental management system.

Through the process of implementation and achieving this ISO standard responsibility and communication throughout the business has been improved, providing a conduit and structure for everyone in the company to positively contribute to reduce the environmental burden and make a real impact in the performance and profitability of the business.

Allan Dolby, Managing Director, comments: ‘We are delighted to be awarded this ISO 14001 accreditation, which is recognised not just in the UK, but across the world. Our teams have worked very hard to in order to receive this accreditation.’

‘We want to give our customers a strong message that we are compliant, operating responsibility and that the quality of our business is constantly improving.’

Reducing waste and energy is primarily beneficial to the environment but will also provide additional benefits to Direct Air in improved efficiencies and reduced operational costs.

This accreditation joins our current ISO 9001:2015 quality management credentials, as well as recently acquired ISO 45001 for health and safety management.

The real cost of compressor condensate

Direct Air & Pipework — 31/05/2018

Are you aware of how to properly dispose compressor condensate? Because if the answer is no, you could be breaking environmental laws and risk a hefty fine!

The condensate released by your compressed air system has particles of oil in it, so tiny that they arent visible to the naked eye which is why it needs to be disposed of correctly.

Compressor condensate discharge: the legal stuff

To help you understand why compressor condensate needs to be responsibly disposed of, here is a quick summary of important legislation.

The Water Resources Act (1991) Chapter II, para 85, (1) refers to an offence of knowingly polluting controlled waters, by the disposal of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter. Compressor condensate falls within this category, and can render the polluter liable to fines of up to £20,000 or imprisonment for up to 3 months.
The Health and Safety Commission Statutory Instrument 1989, No 2169 covering Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers makes it clear that as from 1994 all new installations should have condensate drainage points feeding into an oil/water separator prior to final discharge.
Finally, the British Compressed Air Society, in its publication CAC 9407 summarises the position by stating categorically that: under no circumstances should it be permitted to discharge untreated compressed air condensate to public surface water, sewers, or to ground.

So now you have the know-how, how can you stop your compressed air equipment catching you out? Its time to get pro-active with your condensate management!

Compressor condensate drain

Zero loss drains are designed to remove condensate from your compressed air system, while ensuring no compressed air escapes during the removal process. This is also good for energy efficiency as youre not having to re-compress air lost when manually draining condensate.

Oil-water separator

Check where your condensate drains are piped to as it should ideally be an oil-water separator. Approximately 99% of condensate is water, which after treatment, can legally be disposed of down the drain saving costs on waste disposal companies.

Portable and without any electronics, oil water separators supplied by Direct Air & Pipework have no moving parts meaning very little maintenance is required until a service exchange is due.

Emulsion

In addition to the above, you may also have to consider other oil-containing industrial waste-waters such as emulsion. Splitting plants enable these to be processed along with your compressed air condensate. Water-insoluble organic substances and a large variety of solid contaminations are removed from the water and any heavy metals, dirt and paint particles contained in the water are reliably adsorbed.

Following the above steps will keep your business compliant with the latest regulations regarding compressor condensate.

If you would like any further advice or information about how to implement the suggestions contact us today.

A day in the life of… an engineering apprentice

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/02/2020

Apprenticeships vary, like the individuals undertaking them. So, we thought it was important to gain a wide range of feedback.

We spoke to some of Direct Air’s current engineering apprentices’ about their personal experiences!

Meet Reece

Reece joined Direct Air in the summer of 2018, where he gained his EAL level 2 at college. He’s now 20 years old and is currently a BTEC level 3 engineering apprentice, working towards his NVQ.

What do you do day-to-day? And where do your biggest responsibilities lie?

An average day will consist of arriving to work, ready to set off to my first job at 7:30am. I know my scheduled jobs for the day, by looking at the timetable emailed to me the previous evening by our Service Co-ordinator. So, my daily job roles differ from day to day, depending on business needs and requirements. For example, one day I could be on a pipework job and the next I could be servicing an air compressor. These can include installations, alterations, fault finding, or modifications the machines. These tasks are very important to get right, as I am working with sophisticated (and very expensive!) equipment. Also, the customer is relying on me to deliver a quality job – that’s a huge responsibility! My day will also include completing some college work; but I will usually do this when I’m at college or home, as that’s what works best for me.

As my day comes to an end, I help the engineer that I’m working alongside to clear up. If I’ve been working on a site where we’ve done a big job, I must clean down any effected equipment or surrounding areas in the plant room. Ensuring the customers site is left spotless is crucial! Or sometimes I do work in Direct Air’s own workshop. In this situation, I return any tools to their correct place and leave the area so that it’s safe and accessible for others.

Which daily tasks do you enjoy the most? Are there any that you don’t enjoy as much?

I love all aspects of my job, as they are challenging yet rewarding once I’ve completed them. I look forward to getting out on the road and going to different work sites. Working at different locations helps me to learn and develop new skills from other engineers, as well as practice what I have already learnt.

A task such as cleaning up an oil water separator that has overflown is a very dirty job to complete. Yet, it is vital that we get it done, so our customers are happy. Although this job isn’t the cleanest to do, I know it’s important for the expansion of my development. Revisiting this job has taught me how to deal with this specific issue and I feel proud to have accomplished that.

Meet Jack

Jack is 21 and is also an engineering apprentice at Direct Air. Throughout his time at the company, he has achieved a range of qualifications. Some include level 2 and 3 in electrical and mechanical maintenance, along with level 3 NVQ practical skills.

What do you do day-to-day? And what tasks mean you must be trusted?

Similarly, to Reece, my routine is never set! I could be carrying out a standard service on Monday, then fault finding on a different compressor on the other side of the country by the Wednesday! Through the week, a schedule is made with jobs that are booked in and I can easily get all my parts ready for the week in my van. Having my own van is a huge responsibility because I’m being trusted to look after the vehicle and not go off track when I’m out doing jobs alone.

Despite the weekly schedule provided, there are occasions where jobs don’t pan out as planned. This can be due to various reasons, from either the customers end or our own accord. In this instance, I will receive a call from the service team to inform me of the changes. Working in a role where this can happen at any time, means I must stay alert and it definitely keeps things interesting!

With the many service contracts that Direct Air maintain, it enables me and the other engineers to work at very high-profile customer sites. Aerospace company sites are fascinating to work at and national sites such as Royal Mail, give us the opportunity to travel up and down the country.

After completing a job, I must fill out a job sheet about the customer and how the job went. This is really important because it lets everyone in the offices know where we’re at with each customer. As well as preventing confusion, these sheets provide me with the opportunity to recommend any further work for the customer. I end my day by ensuring all of my job sheets for the day have been correctly filled out - accuracy is essential!

Which daily tasks do you enjoy the most? Are there any that you don’t enjoy as much?

The main reason I love my job is the variety that comes with the role, how day to day can be so different. This is important for me because being active keeps my mind engaged, meaning I’m constantly eager for more work. Having the opportunity to see so much of the country, whilst travelling to different sites is also a favourite aspect of mine.

Of course, the job comes with aspects that aren’t as enjoyable - any job will! Cleaning tasks aren’t the most fun for me, but it’s part of the role and one reason why we provide such a high standard service. Tasks like this allow us to show our professionalism.

See more National Apprenticeship week blogs! https://www.directair.co.uk/news/after-apprenticeship-achievements/

Direct Air achieve new accreditation : Achilles UVDB verification

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/08/2022

The Direct Air team have worked hard across departments to achieve the Achilles UVDB verification for the company!

This accreditation is used by Direct Air and the utilities sector in the UK to manage risks within the supply chain and comply with UK regulations. Achieving the Achilles UVDB verification demonstrates our commitment to Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality legislations. Direct Air’s dedication to becoming Achilles UVDB verified ensures we are in a position to support our customers to the highest quality.

On top of these requirements, being UVDB Verified provides us with growth benefits including the ability to showcase Direct Air’s capabilities and access multiple contract opportunities.

Achilles UVDB Verify provides Direct Air with:

A demonstration of capabilities to key clients within the sector
Credibility and recognition in the market place
A programme designed by the industry for the industry supporting continual improvement.
Practical guidance and feedback from an Achilles auditor

Providing you with confidence in your compressed air specialists!

Check out the accreditation certificate here.

The journey from apprentice to multiskilled engineer of eight years

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/02/2024

Although it’s great to talk to our current apprentices, we also think it’s important to get insights from members of the Direct Air team who are now thriving in their roles after successfully completing their apprenticeship courses.

Today we’re talking to Jack, we last discussed apprenticeships with him back in 2020 within our ‘A day in the life of… an engineering apprentice‘ blog post. Keep reading to learn more about Jack and hear about his progress in his own words.

About Jack

Jack joined Direct Air in 2017 as an Engineering Apprentice. Whilst completing the apprenticeship, Jack was working and learning alongside Direct Air’s Service Engineers. After the apprenticeship, Jack gained some experience and explored different areas of the business such as Pipefitting. During this time Jack realised that working in the Installation Engineering department was a better fit for him. In order to support National Apprenticeship Week this year, Jack is going to tell us a bit about how he’s getting on now.

Can you tell us about the different types of education and courses you've completed?

During my first few years at Direct Air I worked hard to complete my apprenticeship and achieve my level 2 and 3 qualifications in electrical and mechanical maintenance. Following this I did the level 3 NVQ practical skills course straight after my apprenticeship, which was very important for my future development, especially when I transitioned from a Service Engineer to Installations Engineer.

More recent achievements include getting my Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) certification as well as gaining my Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Gold card.

How did your apprenticeship help to get you where you are in your career today?

Entering the working world through an apprenticeship provided me with core engineering skills and deeper knowledge about how air compressor machines work. I gained this knowledge through a combination of servicing compressed air systems to fulfil the practical side of my apprenticeship and working through weekly lessons at college for the theory. Working hands-on with the machinery whilst servicing meant that I got to know the parts of different compressors well, which widened my understanding of electrical and mechanical maintenance to help me when it came to displaying my learning on paper in my assignments.

Completing the apprenticeship meant that I was able to go on to gain my level 3 NVQ, without this qualification I wouldn’t have been able to enrol onto the vital courses that needed to including SSSTS certification and CSCS Gold card. Qualified Installation Engineers are required to have SSSTS certifications and CSCS Gold cards to work on-site independently, therefore without this I’d be restricted to progress in my career.

What is your favourite achievement so far?

Moving from being a Service Engineer to Install Engineer and completing installation training is my favourite achievement because it has provided me with such versatile skills. Although servicing isn’t what I ended up doing, I’m still glad that I worked in the department because it means I’m now a multiskilled engineer which gives me flexibility. With my installation training I’m now capable of installing different types of equipment including ducting for heat recovery and pipework for hot water heat recovery. As well as ventilation for heat management, catering for the environment that is housing the compressed air system as well as installing the complete system itself.

Also, receiving my 5-years of service award from Direct Air’s MD Allan Dolby at the company’s 30th anniversary event is up there with one of my favourite achievements. To be acknowledged for how far I’ve come felt really rewarding and gave me motivation to reach the next milestone – 10 years!

What are you looking forward to in the future?

Having certifications such as SSSTS, paired with my experience and knowledge, means that I’m able to supervise and manage my colleagues on-site during projects. This is specifically helpful for mentoring apprentices, as they are able to come to site with me to learn the ropes. I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my role further and provide useful knowledge to future apprentices who join the Installation team at Direct Air.

My Trade Counter: Issue 5

Direct Air & Pipework — 22/08/2018

Due to the high demand and popularity of the My Trade Counter Products, we have extended Issue 5 until 31st October.

Offers featured include Gripster Skins Gloves, Blowguns, Tyre Inflator Hose and more.

You can view the full issue on our website.

All products are avaialble on order via our Online Shop, by emailing enquiries@directair.co.uk or calling 024 7668 8890.

Win a hamper full of Cov & Warks goodies!

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/06/2018

With only 2 days left until our debut Made in the Midlands Exhibition, we are delighted to announce that we will be running a competition on Stand 94 to give away a hamper jam-packed with local foodie goodies!

With the Ricoh being only just down the road and #MIMExpo celebrating Midlands manufacturing, it just felt right to continue supporting local by creating a hamper filled with our favourite Coventry and Warwickshire food and drink producers.

Our hamper on offer is filled with:

Twisted Barrel Craft Beers - Coventry
Church Farm Brewery Ales - Budbrooke, Warwickshire
Bearley Wines - Bearley, Warwickshire
The Fudge Factor - Harbury, Warwickshire
Springfield Kitchen - Rugby, Warwickshire
Oakes Farm Shop - Balsall Common, Coventry

And we will also be fundraising on the day for our company charity Alzheimer's Society, so please drop any change you can spare into our tins!

How do I enter?

It's easy - register for your free ticket and visit Allan, Dan, Emma and Michelle on Stand 94.

Do you have a compressor maintenance strategy?

Direct Air & Pipework — 13/03/2019

You've secured the capital cost and spent it on a new compressed air system. Production is now underway using the new compressor. You’ve thought of everything… right? Your compressor is only as good as the maintenance strategy you’ve put in place. Make sure it doesn’t end up costing you more than it should!

When investing in a new compressor it is time to start considering the total life costs. The same is true when you inherit a system. Servicing and maintenance should be in line with initial buying decisions. Effective maintenance strategies can save money, reduce downtime, and increase efficiency.

And the first decision to make is who carries out the maintenance and service support. Now you could self-service your own equipment. But you’ll be adding an extra job to do, more skills and information to learn and, if something goes wrong, it’s your fault.

A service contract with a compressor company gives you all the benefit of their compressed air expertise. The maintenance responsibility falls on the service company. They guarantee availability of the equipment and maintain the manufacturer’s standard.

Read on to discover the most effective maintenance strategies for compressed air:

Genuine parts v pirate knock-offs

During routine servicing components such as filters, valves and oil get replaced.

It can be tempting to opt for usually cheaper non-genuine spares. Especially when you’re trying to cut costs in your maintenance budget.

But non-genuine parts can be harmful to your compressed air system’s performance. They can affect efficiency and energy consumption. And sometimes they can be very damaging, causing your system to fail completely.

So, the initially cheaper parts can cause expensive repairs and unplanned downtime. All costing your business money.

Manufacturer's genuine spares are the same standard as the compressor they're intended for. They get tested in a quality-controlled environment to ensure the highest standard of reliability. And you will peace of mind of exactly who and where your parts come from. For example, CompAir and Hydrovane, even manufacture their own airends!

The key components use genuine parts for are filters and lubricants. Filters protect the entire compressor system, including up to point of use, from dust and dirt which could cause unnecessary wear and tear. Non-genuine filters are more likely to have limited capacity for catching particles, allowing more contaminants into the system.

Genuine lubricants not only improve the performance of all the system’s components but can help to extend oil change intervals. This reduces the cost of oil changes and reduces the environmental impact of oil disposal.

So, can you rely on pirate parts?

Read the rest of our tips covering warranty, pipework & remote monitoring on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/do-you-have-a-compressor-maintenance-strategy/

Hire & Standby Compressed Air Equipment Available

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/03/2020

If any of our fellow Made in the Midlands members are experiencing disruption to their workforce or reliablity during these uncertain times, we'd like to try to help by offering our support with your compressed air systems via standby and hire equipment.

This may be especially useful for the brilliant manufacturers and engineers who are tackling the challenge of producing vital ventilators for our country.

We have compressed air equipment available for you today.

This is not a sales pitch, it is simply an offer to help in the only way that we can, helping your compressed air system keep your production running.

We're all in this together.

?0800 021 6800

? http://bit.ly/38ZSKvG

? enquiries@directair.co.uk

We're Hiring: Business Admin Apprentice (Projects)

Direct Air & Pipework — 23/11/2020

Due to continual expansion Direct Air are seeking a Business Admin Apprentice based at our Coventry offices. You will be working in a business environment supporting the Projects Department. This role will involve assisting Project Engineers in their ability to quote, design and manage installation projects.

The role will involve:

Working closely with members of our projects and installations teams
Dealing with email and customer queries
Producing business documentation
Reporting on projects and quality
Management of bespoke databases and CRM systems
Information management
Providing administration support
Compliance management
Opportunities to develop CAD design skills

You will receive full on the job training in all aspects of compressed air. This role will have great opportunities for progression for those who demonstrate the necessary application and aptitude.

Key competencies

Ideally an interest in CAD design and/or engineering.
Ability to also work as part of a team is essential.
Effective communication with colleagues and customers.
Commutable to Coventry.
Strong communications skills, written and verbal.
Strong organisational skills.
Target driven.
Able to think quickly and make decisions.
Experience in all OFFICE software including Word and Excel.

Starting salary: £4.80-£7 per hour
Hours: 39 hours per week, Mon-Fri
Development: opportunities for role to develop, in which the salary would increase alongside.

How to know if you’ve got a leak

Direct Air & Pipework — 21/05/2018

It is important to prevent leaks as it can impact on energy saving and getting the most from your compressed air system, but you might be asking this simple yet very important question: how do I even know if Ive got a leak?

Well compressed air can sneak out of your system from many places: valves which dont close completely, poorly fitted connections, point of use devices just to name a few sources. And while it may not sound like much, escaping air can add up costing you money!

There are a few tell-tale signs to look out for which may identify that youve got an air leak:

Listen for leaking air

Large air leaks are less common than smaller leaks but do waste lots of compressed air so worth checking every few months. Larger leaks are audible, so during quieter production periods take the time to walk through your system to ensure you cant hear a hissing sound that shouldnt be there.

Pressure losses

Have you noticed the pressure in your system going down? Your compressor could be working harder to supply the same pressure and airflow it used to provide which means you may have a leak, or in fact lots of smaller leaks combining to cause this issue.

Losing air during downtime

No one likes to waste money and energy, so why would you want to lose compressed air when youre not using it? Observe whether youre using air even when production machines are not operating, as this air will be feeding little leaks throughout your system.

How old is your pipework?

Piping systems more than five years old have been shown to exhibit leaks of up to 25% and a single quarter-inch air leak at 100 psi could cost more than £1700 a year! You could consider installing aluminium pipework to correct this as its easy to install with leak free connections.

So, you think youve got a problem, what next?

A leak detection survey can pinpoint exact leaks in compressed air systems, even during noisy production periods, and produces a report outlying all leaks in order for them to be repaired.

Spot it. Tag it. Fix it.

The ultrasonic leak detectors remove the need for guesswork and you can improve the efficiency of your system!

Direct Air at Maintec 2023

Direct Air & Pipework — 05/06/2023

Once again, this June, Direct Air will be exhibiting at the Maintec event!

Direct Air will be on the stand for both days of the exhibition, come and visit us for expert advice, discussing your compressed air options and our offerings for you.

Maintec is the UK’s premier maintenance engineering exhibition and is part of the Manufacturing and Engineering Week 2023 shows. This means that Maintec is co-located with shows including the Design + Engineering expo, Smart Factory expo and the Drives and Controls zone.

Maintec will be taking place from 7th – 8th June 2023 at the NEC area in Birmingham.

Direct Air will be located on stand D40 at the event – come and see us!

Why visit Maintec?

The event welcomes professionals from buildings, supply chain & industrial maintenance sectors.
Maintec is being held at the NEC once again, which is the UK’s most accessible exhibition venue with over 16,500 car parking spaces.
This exhibition is a completely free-to-attend.
Maintec is backed by leading industry partners to ensure you are getting the most out of your visit from the experts.

What’s on at Maintec?

Conferences and workshops
Products and Services
Unrivalled Networking
Co-located Events

Register here: https://maintec-2023.reg.buzz?exhibitor-inviter=2f116898-abb5-11ed-8ef9-000000000000&badge-type=8f3012e2-903a-11ed-aba4-000000000000&timestamp=1717504482&signature=NWUyY2IwNTllMDE0OWE1Y2JiNjM5YzZjYjNiMTg1MDZiY2I1NGE5Mg%3D%3D

5 common myths about oil free compressors

Direct Air & Pipework — 26/02/2020

Specifying the right compressor or identifying a suitable replacement can become a daunting job.

Before even considering different types of compressor, you’re often faced with the question, ‘does it need to be oil free?’

A recent report shows the oil-free segment now holds the largest share of the compressed air market. And it will grow at a faster rate than its lubricated counterpart. These trends are driven by the fact that some compressed air users believe that oil-free options offer improved air quality, as well as reduced costs for purification equipment and maintenance.

There are pros and cons for both oil lubricated and oil free compressors, misconceptions about oil free have spread far and wide. So, we’re going to tackle some popular myths about oil free air compressors – and oil free compressed air in general!

Myth 1: Oil free compressors provide contaminant free air

False! While oil free compressors reduce the amount of oil that needs to be removed from compressed air, there are many contaminants found in atmospheric air and throughout the entire system.

Generally, there are 10 contaminants found in a typical compressed air system:

Water vapor
Oil vapor (from atmosphere)
Oil vapor (from lubricated compressor)
Atmospheric dirt
Microorganisms
Oil aerosols
Condensed liquid water
Water aerosols
Rust
Pipescale

The use of an oil-free compressor alone will only remove one contaminant. Yet, oil vapour can still enter the system if its present in the atmospheric air such as from vehicle exhausts and industrial processes. This is something you can’t control.

So, oil free compressors don’t guarantee contaminant free air. Regardless of the type of compressor you select, further filtration and purification is required.

Myth 2: The air compressor is solely responsible for contamination in the compressed air system

False! Contamination in a compressed air system comes from four different sources:

Atmospheric air
Air compressor
Compressed air receiver
Compressed air distribution pipework

So, if the air drawn into the compressor is already contaminated by oil vapour in the ambient air, the oil free compressor will be unable to remove it.

This counter argues the common practice of removing downstream filtration when using an oil-free compressor. Installing filters is essential for removing existing contaminants and reaching the purification required for the application.

Myth 3: Oil free compressors do not use oil

False! The biggest myth is that oil free compressors do not use oil. Oil free compressors do not use oil in the compression chamber, so oil doesn’t contact the air being compressed. But oil can still be used to cool the compressor and lubricate the moving parts. Have no fear, sealing systems are used within the compressor to block any oil from entering the compressed air system.

Myth 4: Oil free compressors are more expensive

Up for debate! So, oil free compressors do have a higher initial capital cost than oil lubricated alternatives, by up to 40-50%.

Now let's consider the lifetime cost. For sensitive applications that need oil free standards of compressed air, the lifetime cost could be less than ‘technically oil free’ alternatives. The risk of contamination from ‘technically oil free’ options is always there. Can you risk failure if it results in downtime, loss of production and damage to product? What would be the cost of this?

Myth 5: Oil free compressors provide compressor air to Class 0

Up for debate! ISO8573-1 is the International Standard for Compressed Air Purity. This provides differing classifications for air quality. Class 0 is the strictest of the classifications. Many compressor manufacturers claim oil-free compressors are compliant with Class 0.

Class 0 does not mean zero contamination. Testing a compressor in sterile conditions, the contamination detected at the outlet would be minimal. Now take the same compressor and install in an industrial environment. The level of contamination will be dependent upon what is drawn into the compressor intake, making the Class 0 claim invalid.

And what about the journey throughout the system? Just because Class 0 was achieved at the outlet of a compressor, doesn't guarantee that the air will still be Class 0 at the point of use. Don't forget contamination already in the air receiver and distribution piping will contaminate the compressed air.

It is wrongly assumed that Class 0 refers only to oil, whereas ISO8573-1 has classifications for Particulate, Water & Oil. When claiming Class 0, specifications should state which contaminant the Class 0 refers to.

After reviewing the myths and giving some insight into them, it’s clear that oil free compressors and air quality should be considered simultaneously and, on a case-by-case basis. Some useful questions to ask are:

What quality of air do I need to achieve?
Where is my compressor located/going to be located? How will the atmospheric air affect it?
What impact would oil contamination have on my application?

Unlocking Sustainability and Cost-Savings in Compressed Air Systems

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/01/2024

The cost and energy consumption of compressed air generation are significant factors that impact the overall expenses of a company. Allan Dolby, Managing Director at Direct Air, sheds light on how companies can enhance their sustainability while reducing energy consumption from compressed air systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52YTWrD2o98&t=2s

“Compressed air generation accounts for around 30% of an average company’s overall electricity bill. In the UK, it accounts for about 12 terawatt hours of energy consumption, which translates to one and a half billion pounds of costs for companies. It is a very large consumer of energy.”

How can companies improve their sustainability and reduce energy consumption from compressed air systems?

Conduct a Compressed Air Audit and Visual Inspection: A compressed air audit involves fitting data loggers to compressors for seven days to gather necessary information and analyse the compressor system’s efficiency. A visual inspection of the site can also provide valuable insights.

System Upgrades and Energy-Efficient Equipment: System upgrades and investing in more energy-efficient equipment, such as variable speed drives and control systems, can significantly reduce energy consumption.

Leakage Control: All compressed air systems leak air, and even a 1.5mm hole can cost about £2,000 per year. Conducting a compressor leak detection survey and repairing leaks can lead to substantial cost savings.

Optimising Compressor Usage: Automating the start and stop times of compressors and zoning systems to supply air only to the required machines can be more cost and energy effective.

Pressure Optimisation: Most systems run at a higher pressure than needed. Reducing the pressure by half a bar can improve efficiency by about 4%.

Heat Recovery: Approximately 10% of all electricity used in industry is accounted for by compressed air systems. It’s a thermodynamic fact that around 94% of this energy gets converted to heat. That means up to 94% of the heat energy supplied to the compressor can be recovered. This heat can be repurposed and used to help in other areas of your facility such as heating water or radiators in the building, which can result in significant savings.

Regular Maintenance: Regular air compressor maintenance ensures they run efficiently, reducing energy consumption and costs in the long run.

In conclusion, by conducting audits, upgrading systems, controlling leakage, optimising compressor usage, pressure, and heat recovery, and maintaining equipment regularly, companies can significantly enhance their sustainability and reduce energy consumption and costs associated with compressed air systems. If you require assistance with your compressed air system, feel free to reach out to Direct Air, and we will be happy to help.

“Price is important, but it shouldn’t be the number one driving factor. Not all compressors and systems are the same. Compressed air is a very high user of electricity, and there are not many systems that we get involved with where we can’t provide recommendations and advice to assist a company in saving money.” – Allan Dolby.

Direct Air’s Engineering Apprentice develops further skills and knowledge as his on-site experience increases

Direct Air & Pipework — 09/02/2023

Why did you choose to start an apprenticeship?

I decided to start an apprenticeship instead of a different path because I prefer to get stuck in and be working in a hands-on environment, so this was the perfect opportunity! Although I am only part way through my apprenticeship, I know that this was the best route for me to develop my skills and knowledge for my style of learning.

The apprenticeship requires a 50/50 split of workplace on the job training and class-based learning, this keeps me engaged and motivated as I am always doing something different and new.

What does your learning plan for college consist of?

Although I have done some classroom based work at college, MGTS’s facility has allowed me to also be hands on whilst I’m there. One example includes maintaining moving systems, such as conveyer belts, and concluding with a write up to establish how I overcame obstacles during the practical session.

Whilst in the classroom, I’ve also had the chance to learn about, and use, digital systems such as CAD which has helped me to understand different drawing techniques for projects. I found this very enjoyable, and it has provided me with a wider range of knowledge about aspects of my trade and how important this technology is for the compressed air industry.

What tasks are you taking on in the workplace?

After finishing my level 2 diploma at MGTS I am now able to spend the majority of my days in the week at Direct Air. This means I’ve started to work with a range of experienced engineers which felt really refreshing and exciting after attending 1 year solid at college.

As I have been out with many different engineers it has helped me gain such a range of different techniques for completing tasks in the most efficient, yet safest way. I first started doing smaller jobs such as cleaning the machines and fetching tools for the engineers while I watched and studied how they completed the job. However in my recent weeks, as I have gained more knowledge than ever, I have begun getting involved with more essential jobs such as oil changes, separator swaps and cooler changes – all guided and supervised by my manufacturer trained co-workers of course!

Recently I also have been doing a lot more of the pipework side of the job with the installation engineers which I’m really enjoying. I feel as though I’m picking things up quicker now due to the knowledge and experience I’ve already gained of compressors from working on-site with the service engineers.

What’s your favourite thing about the apprenticeship?

I have found pipefitting one of the most enjoyable parts of my apprenticeship as every job I have done so far is different from the last. Completing the jobs alongside the rest of the team also gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction once the work is finished.

Although the workplace, hand’s on side of my apprenticeship is what I prefer, I understand how beneficial the college and classroom learning side is as it provides me with the vital knowledge before heading into the real world of compressed air engineering.

How do you think the skills gained from the apprenticeship will help you to develop into successful career?

Both sides to my apprenticeship include many different challenges and obstacles I’ve been placed into; I think these aspects combined are providing me with skills for life.

The skills I’ve learnt so far in my one and a half years at Direct Air have been crucial, with information on tools, methods and safe working practices I knew nothing about before starting the apprenticeship. My assignments and work completed during my first year of college has taught me about various types of machinery that I’m likely to come across at different points in my Direct Air career.

Now that I have picked up these traits I can use them in any part of my career for the future, as well as helping me to continue successfully through my apprenticeship, gaining my qualifications at MGTS to a level 3 NVQ standard.

Direct Air at Foodex 2023

Direct Air & Pipework — 04/04/2023

For the first time ever Direct Air are exhibiting at the Foodex Manufacturing Solutions event!

Foodex Manufacturing Solutions features the Ingredients zone and will be co-located with the Food & Drink Expo, Farm Shop & Deli Show and National Convenience Show as part of the UK Food & Drink Shows. The show will take place from the 24th to the 26th of April 2023 at the NEC.

The great news is that because all of these shows are running alongside each other, registering for just one of the UK Food & Drink Shows provides you access to all of the co-located shows at the event.

Foodex Manufacturing Solutions is the UK’s leading trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging and logistics industries.

Direct Air will be located on stand H141 at the event – come and see us!

Why visit Foodex?

This is where the processing, packaging and logistics sectors meet.
The event gives you the chance to learn more about ‘industry 4.0’ by networking face to face.
You will meet a range of innovators, speakers and exhibitors from a range of industries.
Over 25,000 other visitors are attending as well as 1,500+ exhibitors across the 3 days of the show.

Benefits of aluminium pipework for compressed air

Direct Air & Pipework — 17/04/2019

Look around compressed air systems, new and old, and you will see a variety of materials used for pipework. Installations could be using galvanised steel, stainless steel, crimped pipe, and even plastic.

Traditionally galvanised steel gets used for compressed air systems for a few reasons:

Contractors are familiar with the material, so it gets included in specifications
Material costs are low
The pipe and fittings are common, making them easy to get
It's rated for high pressure

But aluminium pipework is becoming another option and it's considered a superior material. It solves some of the disadvantages of traditional pipework systems.

So, what are the benefits of swapping aluminium pipework into your installation specification?

Minimising pipework leaks

Threaded connections will unavoidably leak with 8-10% of the compressed air escaping. Compressors have to run harder and for longer to make up for the leakages, which increases energy costs.

Remember the fittings used with aluminium pipework fit more securely? This reduces compressed air system leaks and improves energy efficiency.

Reducing installation costs

Aluminium pipework systems are much easier to install, and change compared to steel or copper systems.

Steel needs to be threaded to join pipes and install fittings. This process has to be carried out by skilled workers which automatically increases labour costs. It is also more difficult to modify and maintain a system made with steel pipe. Steel is a heavier material so would again need more labour.

In comparison, aluminium pipe comes ready for use. The only preparations required are cutting, deburring and chamfering. There are no special tools needed to prepare the pipework. As aluminium pipe is calibrated, it strictly controls the diameter. This means quick connect components fit more securely, making installations quicker and easier.

Aluminium pipe is also much lighter, reducing installation and modification costs. With particular aluminium brands, such as Teseo, there is also the ability to hot tap. Modifications can happen even when the system is still under full working pressure.

Read more of the benefits over on our blog: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/benefits-of-aluminium-pipework-for-compressed-air/

5 tips to lower compressed air costs

Direct Air & Pipework — 27/03/2019

Compressed air is one of the largest consumers of energy. It’s time to think about costs with energy prices not looking to decrease anytime soon. Your compressor becomes no.1 suspect for the big bill landing on your desk at the end of each month!

An obvious suggestion is to turn off your compressor when it is not in use. But what do you do when you run a three-shift system in a 24/7 production facility?

Read our 5 tips to reduce the running costs of your compressed system without altering schedules. Let’s make the fourth utility more affordable.

1. Reduce the pressure

In many systems the pressure is set to a higher level than actually needed. This uses more energy to compress the air to reach the needless high pressure. The result is large volumes of wasted compressed air. For every extra 2 psi, energy costs increase by 1% – which soon adds up!

If you’re increasing the pressure to operate many end uses, can you use a separate compressor? This allows the system to operate at a reduced pressure, decreasing energy consumption.

2. Fix air leaks

If the compressed air system is more than 12 months old, it will have some leaks. The leaks could be in the pipework, fittings or the point of use equipment. Even a small leak, one that is too small to hear with the naked ear, will be wasting energy and costing you money.

On average a small compressed air system will have between 10 and 30 separate leaks.

To fix a leak, you need to identify it. Ultrasonic testers listen to air leaks, allowing you to repair any significant leaks. Begin the pay-back period of the test – don’t let leaks go unfixed!

3. Track air usage

You can’t put in place cost saving initiatives until you know what’s happening in your system. Investing in equipment to measure pressure, volume flow and leaks has cost-savings benefits.

Highlights savings potential
Reduce the escape of expensive compressed air
Assign costs to individual production processes
Prevent possible breakdowns by alerting you to any changes

Want the final 2 tips? Read them over on our blog: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/5-tips-to-lower-compressed-air-costs/

Visit Stand BB40 at Foodex 2021

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/05/2021

We're exhibiting at Foodex 2021 on stand BB40 from 5th to 7th July.

Direct Air will be on stand BB40 demonstrating how we can support businesses in the food and beverage industries. We will be discussing and presenting our solutions for oil free compressed air, air quality testing, vacuum solutions and nitrogen generation.

About Foodex

Foodex is the UK’s leading trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging and logistics industries. The show covers every food production sector, providing a platform for professionals from the bakery, beverage, dairy, fresh, logistics, meat and seafood industries.

Why you can’t miss Foodex:

The whole food and drink supply chain under one roof
View the latest product launches
Be updated on the latest legislation and best practice
Discover ways to improve efficiency and save money
Compare suppliers and negotiate offer

COVID-19 Production Downtime: Compressor Dos and Don’ts

Direct Air & Pipework — 25/03/2020

At Direct Air, alongside our key suppliers, we are making the necessary adjustments to continue conducting business activities with minimum interruptions while taking the measures to protect public health and follow governmental guidelines.

Please stay assured that we can meet our commitments to you while addressing any concerns you may have at this time.

We are still operating and at your service to supply parts, compressed air system maintenance and advise.

However, we want to prepare you for any instances where you may have to reduce or stop production. Switching off your compressor isn’t just as simple as turning it off and on again, you need to follow a certain procedure.

We are here to assist you with technical advice on how to safely shutdown your equipment to avoid future problems and protect your warranty.

Read over the following dos and don’ts created by leading manufacturer, CompAir, to prepare you for any COVID-19 related downtime.

Taking your compressed air equipment out of service

Do

Bring any alternative equipment online first
Shut down all equipment using the stop button
Open any manual condensate drains
Isolate from air mains
Isolate from any water supplies
Ensure any receiver tanks are drained
Ensure lock off and tag procedure is used
Ensure all internal air pressure is vented
Ensure to comply with long term storage guidelines if the shutdown period is over 1 month

Don’t

Do not press the emergency stop button to shut down any equipment
Do not leave any water supply on to any equipment
Do not rely on non-return valves to isolate from any pressurised systems

Putting your compressed air equipment back into service

Do

Restore power to the equipment
Remove any isolations that were placed and close and manual condensate drains
Ensure all ancillary equipment such as water pumps is working
On oil free screw machines check for free rotation by hand before attempting to start
Follow all guidelines for start-up in the user manual
Check all temperatures and pressures
Ensure any service due is done ASAP

Don’t

Do not try to start equipment with isolations in place
Do not start equipment without water supply fully functioning
Do not rely on non-return valves to isolate from any pressurised systems

If you need any assistance at all with your compressed air system during this uncertain time, please contact us today.

Key benefits of financing compressed air equipment

Direct Air & Pipework — 11/01/2021

An insight into the wide variety of advantages which can come with choosing to finance compressed air equipment.

Many businesses balance maintaining and investing in the right equipment needed to guarantee success and growth. The reality is that this gets navigated by the ability to raise finance in the first place. And to equip a business with the correct tools can be costly.

Operating cashflow can pay a large sum upfront to secure the required equipment. But there is also a variety of different equipment financing options available. These enable the flexibility to extend the payment terms over a period of time, rather than all at once.

Equipment financing can cover any kind of business operating expense. We’re familiar with company cars, vehicle fleets and smartphones being on finance deals. So why not consider this for larger machinery, such as compressed air systems?

A compressed air lease package is like the traditional car lease plan. The business will make monthly payments to a leasing company to cover he equipment rental payments. So, by leasing you can have access to upgraded compressed air plant without the expensive hit on your cash flow. The finance agreement could be for a compressor, downstream equipment, or even a nitrogen generator.

And once the terms of the lease agreement are up, there are usually three options:

End the terms and return the equipment
Extend the lease agreement
Option to buy the equipment

Benefits of compressed air plant financing and leasing

There are several benefits of equipment financing for business owners and decision makers.

1. It can increase your working capital

The most obvious benefit is avoiding paying a large sum of money upfront for compressed air equipment. Every business has periods of time where cashflow can be irregular. But using equipment financing frees up the capital for other necessary expenses.

2. Flexible finance solutions

The type of financing solution available can get tailored to your exact needs. This includes covering different periods of time starting at a 2-year period, to leasing extension and buying options. Whenever considering new compressed air plant, why not ask your supplier for a finance package option to consider?

3. Keep up to date with the best compressed air technology

Does your compressed air plant need upgrading to improve efficiency? Not all businesses can afford the newest equipment. Improved compressed air equipment often leads to an increase price tag. Leasing gives the option to get the newest technology without paying out all at once for it.

4. Equipment expertise

Could you lease equipment from a dedicated compressed air supplier? They will be the equipment experts and will often include maintenance support within the package. With this ongoing support, you will have the confidence in a reliable compressed air system.

5. Increase competitive advantage

Does your competitor have an updated compressed air system? Investing in a reliable and efficient compressor can actually improve your business processes and beat the competition. Equally, not having access to the latest tech could see your competitors pull out in front…

6. Reduce risk

And finally, every business decision involves a degree of risk but if you can limit it that’s an ideal situation. Even if you have the capital on-hand to invest in new equipment, it might make sense to preserve it instead of spending it. Financing removes many unnecessary financial risks and allows you to focus on what you do best, growing the business. best, growing the business.

Another great informative blog of ours: https://bit.ly/36rxe4L

What scares you the most about your compressed air system?

Direct Air & Pipework — 27/10/2020

It’s the stuff of nightmares. It’s the start of a new week, you walk into your production facility ready to take on the day. But something isn’t right… and that’s when it hits you! The compressed air system you rely has gone wrong. One compressor is dead and the other is making a strange noise you’ve never heard it make before.

Now what?…

Or do you have the reoccurring nightmare when you receive an urgent message at 3am? From your 24/7 manufacturing operation to say, ‘we’ve got no compressed air!’

Uh-oh, it’s enough to make you shiver!

When you’re reliant on compressed air to ensure your operation runs smoothly, it’s only natural that these issues can cause concern. Simple and complex problems can attack compressed air systems without any warning.

The first step to identify and resolve these problems is having the knowledge to know what you’re dealing with. So, the best way to avoid these horrors is understand the monsters you could potentially be dealing with.

Problem 1: Quality
Problem 2: Quantity
Problem 3: Maintenance
Problem 4: Sizing
Problem 5: Reliability

Problem 1: Quality

Air quality is a key influence on the effectiveness of your compressed air system. Poor quality air can lead to extensive damage to equipment and performance. Contaminants in the air such as particulates, moisture and oil are commonly associated with air quality issues.

If you’re having issues look into the air treatment within your downstream equipment. Or have the quality tested and get recommendations to achieve the standard you need.

Problem 2: Quantity

It’s difficult enough to balance air demand and supply for your applications… without having to worry about other complications thrown in. Are you experiencing issues with pressure drops, leaks or not enough air?

Avoid these problems from the start by designing the system and distribution before install. With an existing system, regular leak detection inspections will be useful. And modifications to pipework can help to improve reoccurring issues.

Read how to avoid & resolve the other problems on our blog: What scares you the most about your compressed air system?

How noisy is your compressor room?

Direct Air & Pipework — 23/07/2018

Air compressors are brilliant sources of energy for manufacturing processes but there is also another energy by-product which needs to be considered – sound!

With 17,000 people in the UK on record as suffering with hearing problems from excessive noise in the workplace, the importance as an employer to control noise is obvious.

What impact can noise have on a person?

Noise at work can cause effects which can be temporary or permanent including:

Irritation or anger, from sound levels from 35 decibels (dBa)
Nervousness, stress and interrupted concentration, from sound levels from 65dBa
Hearing impairment including damage to the inner ear, from 80dBa
Mechanical damage and complete deafness, from 120dBa upwards

Noise can be hard to avoid if you’re working in an environment with tools or machinery, and while compressed air systems may not be the main perpetrator, the input still adds to the overall noise levels.

Here are some effective means of reducing the impact the noise from your compressor can have on the workplace:

The design of the compressor itself as some stationary compressors have started to minimise the amount of moving parts to reduce noise. Many of CompAir's compressors including the Ultima and Quantima ranges have very low noise levels compared to their size and power. This is a great benefit for when you want to use the compressors at point of use.

Firstly, consider the placement of your compressor; does it need to be positioned in an area used a lot by workers? If possible move your compressors to a dedicated room and plan pipework to feed the application.

Alternatively, you can place an acoustic barrier to between the source and the receiver to insulate part of the sound. By attaching absorbents to the barrier, such as polyurethane foam or heavier cloth applications, this would further reduce the sound level.

Finally, while it may appear obvious and should never solely be relied upon, everyone working in the environment should be wearing the appropriate PPE such as ear plugs or defenders to reduce the volume of noise.

Lottie Tour Day 1: Project Engineers

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/12/2021

From 8th – 12th November 2021 it’s Tomorrow’s Engineers Week. So, we’re joining the #LottieTour with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to showcase to young people what it means to be an engineer at Direct Air – today Lottie is in the projects department.

Lottie begins her week upstairs in the office’s of the Direct Air Coventry site, holding work space for 7 different departments within the business and a station for 13 of our very own engineers, using their skills across the West Midlands and surrounding areas – leaving the South West of the UK to our staff based at Direct Air’s Cheltenham site of course!

Before we venture into the service and pipework engineers role later in the week, let’s show Lottie the vital work that happens prior to the on-site jobs by different engineers… project engineers!

What happens in the projects department?

Lottie began her day in the projects office by working on our CAD (Computer Aided Design) system with Direct Air’s Project Engineers, Joseph Donnelly and James Lockwood. Joe and James use CAD to produce 3D models and drawings that give a more detailed display of our compressed air system designs, making it easier for the customer to visualise their system in the lead up to an order. It also allows us to edit the layout of any plant and pipework quickly and efficiently!

Here you can see Lottie is using the unique control panel to navigate her way around the 3-D model on Joe’s screen. Across the projects team made up of Steve Brant (Project Manager) and our Project Engineers Jim Maybury, Joseph Donnelly, Nemo Choudhary and James Lockwood, they all work closely to produce and use other CAD creations including 2-D drawings, renders and wireframe drawings.

How do the projects team contribute to the engineers work on-site?

The work done in this team is really vital for compressed air projects, especially big ones, as they often require jobs to be completed within strict deadlines. The CAD system means we a can prevent as many road blocks as possible before they crop up during the project and slow it down.

After working with the projects department on both digital and physical drawings, as seen here, Lottie soon realised that if our on-site engineers didn’t have these detailed drawings to use when completing the jobs for our customers, it would take a lot more unnecessary time and complications.

Pipework drawings are also critical to the Installation Engineers – stay tuned for Lottie’s Tuesday adventure to find out more about that!

Read about the rest of Lottie's journey's here:

Lottie Tour Day 2: Pipework & Installation Engineers

Lottie Tour Day 3: Stores & Warehouse

Lottie Tour Day 4: On-Site Service Engineer Prep

Lottie Tour Day 5: Staying COVID Safe in an Engineering Environment

CompAir extend oil free D-Series to 37-75 kW

Direct Air & Pipework — 10/03/2022

CompAir has launched their new compressor range to extend and complete the successful D-Series, with more oil-free rotary screw compressor models! We’re pleased to supply these new machines as an authorised CompAir distributor for many years, we can provide these quality products to our customers with confidence.

Not only does this range offer high-quality oil-free compressed air, it also provides reliability, dynamic efficiency and delivers lower operating costs. This range spans from 37 to 75 kW models, covering air and water-cooled technology and is available in both fixed and regulated speeds (RS). The new release could serve as a great solution for several applications, specifically of those in the most need of critically clean air, such as food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries.

New D-Series Compressor Range Benefits

Delivers ISO 8573-1:2010 Class 0 certified 100% oil-free air
Offers best-in-class motor efficiency
Provides motor with 30% or more energy savings compared to conventional compressor control
Ability to withstand the harshest environments with 46°C maximum ambient temperature

These new compressors joining the D-Series have stainless steel components, dual-vented seals, and precision machined rotors with advanced Ultracoat™ surface treatment. All of this has been implemented to enhance reliability and ensure a trouble-free, long-lasting operation by preventing contamination of the downstream equipment through corrosion.

Now lets look at the RS models specifically, as it’s hybrid permanent magnet (HPM®) motor delivers ultra-efficiency and reduced servicing expenses… but how? Well, it has no bearings, pulleys, gears, or motor shaft seals and less parts means less parts to wear out, leak or need replacing.

On top of this, on all new D-Series compressors the iConn feature comes as a standard inside the machines. The iConn is a real-time online monitoring system that allows operators to manage the performance of the compressor via data and insights. The service will send out an alert if a potential problem arises with compressors functions.

Does this range sound like a solution that could fulfil your businesses compressed air needs? Get in touch with us.

What dryer do I need in my compressed air system?

Direct Air & Pipework — 04/07/2019

Dryers play an important role in providing clean, dry air. The initial investment can result in savings by avoiding costly downtime due to contamination or moisture damage.
Water exists in air as solid, liquid and gas. So, it is inevitable that in a compressor moisture creation is going to happen. The problem is when this goes untreated as it can cause damage to the compressed air system, as well as potential contamination of the end product.

To avoid unnecessary breakdowns and expensive repairs, it’s best to be proactive. The compressed air needs to be dry, clean and suitable for your application.

There are many types of dryer available. Selecting the right dryer is dependent by the required pressure of the dew-point. Once the air quality is determined, different technologies are available to choose between.

Refrigeration dryer

Refrigerated air dryers cool the compressed air to 3° Celsius. This causes condensation of the water vapour into liquid water. Using an inbuilt water separator, the liquid gets removed. The dew-point is dictated by its ability to cool the air to the desired dew-point temperature, and then the efficiency of the liquid removal separator. This is a suitable option for applications which don’t need a critical dew-point.

There are 3 common types of refrigeration dryers:

Direct Expansion Refrigeration Dryers. This is the most common and stable type of refrigeration dryer. But as the dryer is constantly running, it can be the costliest to run.
Thermal Mass Refrigeration Dryers. Thermal mass dryers have a large mass, usually a water tank or sand, which gets cooled down by the refrigeration circuit. The heat exchange with the compressed air then takes place between the air circuit and the thermal mass. Once the thermal mass cools down, the refrigeration compressor can be turned off to save energy.
Variable Speed Refrigeration Dryer. This type of dryer uses invertor technology to vary the speed of the refrigeration compressor. It aims to match the cooling requirements of the dryer to the water vapour loading of the incoming compressed air. This can be more energy efficient than a direct expansion dryer. Yet the cost and complexity means they’re often only suitable for larger compressed air flows.

Refrigerated air dryers tend to be used in industrial and manufacturing facilities.

Discover other types of dryers including membrane, desiccant and integrated over on our blog: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/what-dryer-do-i-need-in-my-compressed-air-system/

5 reasons to data log your compressed air system

Direct Air & Pipework — 19/08/2019

The efficiency of your compressed air system has never been more important. And we’re not just talking about for production purposes. Energy costs are continuing to rise every year. Alongside the increasing environmental responsibility for businesses.

Potential savings are no longer good enough. You need cold, hard data to prove that you will reduce the carbon footprint of your business, while returning money to your bottom line.

To get the most out of your compressed air system, data needs to be collected. This identifies inefficiencies and highlights adjustments to save money in the long run.

Data loggers collect and store information relating to a compressed air system’s pressure, temperature, dew point and flow rate. Carbon reduction is also monitored. Data loggers should be fitted for at least 7 days, so that the system can be accurately monitored.

While air compressors are rated by manufactures, it’s useful to know how this reflects on your complete functioning system.

The data recorded gets analysed to show whether any cost savings can be achieved. But how else can you use data loggers?

1. Establish a baseline

One of the most important steps of managing a compressed air system is to develop a baseline. This acts as a point of reference to make comparisons from.

The relevant units of measurement are:

kilowatts (kW), which is the raw amount of power being consumed
kilowatt hours (kWh), which is a standard unit for understanding energy consumption.

Understanding the kWh usage of your system is important as this is what energy companies base billing on. You’ll also want to establish how many kilowatts of power are required to for the compressed air necessary to power your operations.

If your system is not performing like the manufacturer’s specification, there is most likely a problem.

Minor deviations from your baseline may also help highlight opportunities for change. For example, during weekend reduced production.

2. Troubleshoot problems

Data loggers are useful for troubleshooting, particularly after a system problem has occurred. It is easy to review the data sets to determine what was happening at the exact time of the problem.

Want to read the other 3 reasons? Read the full blog over on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/news/5-reasons-to-data-log-your-compressed-air-system/

Direct Air Exhibiting at AirUser Live

Direct Air & Pipework — 25/11/2021

What is AirUser Live and why should you attend?

AirUser Live is a compressed air specific exhibition which has been created to provide exclusive access to the latest industry updates.

Not only is AirUser compressed air specific, it will also be 2021’s only live UK event for the compressed air market… so don’t miss out!

AirUser Live is all about giving you the opportunity to reconnect through face-to-face interactions and network with the sectors major players and industry bodies. Some of the sponsors and supports of the event include the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS), BEKO TECHNOLOGIES and more.

Direct Air is proud to announce that we will be taking part in this expo, where we’re looking forward to showcasing our energy efficient and cost-effective solutions available. As well as communicating our expertise and technical guidance to provide support.

Register here

What will you gain from it?

Attendees will gain access to:

30+ Leading Exhibitors
6 hours of CPD Accredited Educational Content
10+ Expert speakers
Networking opportunities

The AirUser Live event is Free-to-attend and will be located at the Coventry Building Society Arena (formerly the Ricoh Arena), in Coventry. It’s taking place on 1st December 2021 and we hope to see you all there!

Register here

Direct Air Are Setting Industry Standards on Every Level

Direct Air & Pipework — 12/04/2019

As a member of the British Compressed Air Society, Direct Air are proud of their high standards for safety, their commitment to progress, and their investment in people. They’re fully accredited with ISO 9001 certification and place high value in both their staff and customers.

With three current apprentices in training, and a view to bring in more in the near future, Direct Air are offering opportunities in everything from marketing to engineering.

“Give us fifteen minutes and we can save you money,” Ms. Dolby states. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”

Direct Air will be one of the members exhibiting at this year's Made in the Midlands Expo on June 20 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. To join them or register for tickets to the event click on the banner below and don't forget to visit our new website - www.madeinthemidlandsexpo.co.uk

Could Nitrogen be your solution to the C02 shortage?

Direct Air & Pipework — 16/12/2021

No doubt you’ll have heard about the Carbon Dioxide shortage, but how severe really is the issue? Well, the UK production of C02 has more than halved during the crisis, causing threats of shortages in shop’s – leading to scares of even calling Christmas off!

Despite the Government discussing the potential temporary subsidise of the CF Industries, this isn’t the first C02 shortage we’ve had, with the most recent one occurring just 3 years ago in the summer of 2018… meaning this year’s isn’t likely to be our last.

However, it isn’t all bad news, as there is a great alternative that could be beneficial for many industries – Nitrogen!

What is C02 used for and who will it effect?

CO2 is used in food and drink, medical supplies, chemical processing and more, meaning all of these industries and their crucial applications could be affected by the shortage.

C02 is used to produce carbonated drinks, from soft drinks to alcoholic beverages but also to keep transported food fresh. Even before our food is out for delivery, the gas is used to stun live stock for slaughtering and package the meat, as well as other products like baby food and baked goods.

It isn’t just food & beverage being jeopardised, the nuclear industry will take a hit with their coolant supply and life saving emergency equipment such fire extinguishers and life jackets could be impacted to. Not to mention various surgical settings, where C02 is required to assist in breathing stabilisation and also for Endoscopy procedures.

How can Nitrogen be used and what are the benefits of on-site generation?

Nitrogen is great for blanketing, interting and purging as the gas’s inert and environmentally friendly qualities allow it to suit a range of applications within the food & beverage and chemical industries.

Nitrogen’s non-reactive profile towards the majority of materials means that the gas provides a very high level of safety, with just small amounts of Nitrogen having the ability to protect sensitive materials from potential fires and explosions. On top of this, valuable chemicals can be kept contaminant free by using the gas, increasing quality whilst preventing degradation.

Now you know applications that nitrogen can be useful for, but where do you get it from? That’s simple… your own site!

On-site nitrogen generation is an excellent solution as an extension to your compressed air system, especially if your current supply comes from bulk N2 deliveries – there could be some serious benefits in switching to on-site generation.

On-site nitrogen generation can open doors to multiple reductions across the business, including lower labour costs, less downtime, and reduced waste. Whilst increasing storage space and safety with a stationary holding tank removing risks by eliminating manoeuvring.

Cost savings, increased efficiency, practicality and sustainability are all huge benefits of on-site generation, with price increases on purchased gas and vehicle deliveries all eliminated – as your Nitrogen is right there on site!

Nationwide compressor maintenance for Royal Mail

Direct Air & Pipework — 05/11/2018

Royal Mail handles 26 million items passing through their mail centres each day. With 40,000 items sorted per hour by flat sorting machines, it is critical to their operations.

There are 27 flat sorting machines across the country for A4 sized letters, and with only one in each operation this is a single point of failure. Powered by compressors which run 24/7, there should always be a standby compressor. If both compressors breakdown, no mail can be fed, and this process must then be completed manually, which is costly and inefficient.

THE BRIEF

Compressed air plays a vital role in the day-to-day success of operations. So, when Royal Mail needed a reliable and cost-effective supplier, they went to market for competitive tendering.

Manoj Vadher, Head of Engineering Reliability and People Development explained: ‘I’m in charge of all 3rd party contracts, but at times I spend more time managing the contractors than my own engineers.’

‘We experienced recurring issues including failure to attend site following the initial call, expensive repair bills and multiple compressors stopping on single sites. This ultimately halted our production.’

‘I visited Direct Air’s stand at Maintec and discussed their compressor maintenance packages. We then invited them to tender.’

Manoj and Royal Mail expected an informed SLA which considered their geographical reach. With 30 compressed air systems ranging from Glasgow to Exeter, the response times had to be accountable for all sites.

OUR SOLUTION

Since the start of the contract in 2015, Royal Mail have only lost production once which was within the first 24 hours, and that was due to failure of a component fitted previously.

Manoj Vadher concluded: 'Direct Air are one of the best supplier contracts I have ever signed. They have taken away all the previous worries, hassles and problems.'

Want to find out more about our servicing package for Royal Mail? Read the full case study on our website: https://www.directair.co.uk/case-studies/nationwide-compressor-maintenance-for-royal-mail/

Energy efficiency requirements and finance deadlines met for powder coatings specialists

Direct Air & Pipework — 23/06/2021

Thermaset Ltd are manufacturers and suppliers of quality powder coatings, with bespoke colour matching and facilities holding a wide stock range.

Thermaset use compressed air for a range of applications, but some key appliances include paint spray guns, rotary vibrators and multiple cleaning purposes such as reverse jetting of filters in dust collector systems.

THE BRIEF

The Staffordshire based customer first approached Direct Air in the need for a larger compressor for their increased air demand. Head of Maintenance at Thermaset, Karl Greatrex, specified that another requirement was for the equipment to be integrated with energy efficiency technology – specifically, inverter driven.

They were also open to further solution discussions that could benefit their set up, with a new service provider required to accommodate upcoming compressed air needs.

OUR SOLUTION

To fulfil the above requirements, Direct Air’s Senior Sales Engineer Richard Brown recommended a Champion FM30RS Variable Speed Air Compressor, alongside Beko RA370 Drypoint RA Refrigerant Dryer, Beko MO15 High Efficiency Inline Filter and a Beko MO15 General Purpose Inline Filter which Direct Air supplied and installed.

With Thermaset being a relatively new customer and having a small existing compressor house, Direct Air worked alongside them by providing dimensions and recommendations for them to create a suitable extended facility.

Following their initial requirements being met, the focus turned to supporting that all important energy efficient equipment, to ensure performance was maintained. A Gold service plan was proposed by Contracts Manager, Martyn Edwards, to provide their required higher-level response and the contract has been rolling ever since!

Alongside providing the new compressed air equipment, Direct Air also completed an upgrade on their former compressor house pipework, to adjust connection sizes and ensure the delivery system was performing to standard in line with the efficient machinery.

With minimal production downtime required, the installation jobs were completed during convenient periods to suit the customer. This included engineers completing it outside of normal working hours.

Karl Greatrex, Head of Maintenance at Thermaset commented:

“We had deadlines due to financial grants offered by the European Regional Development Fund, in association with sben (Staffordshire Business & Environment Network) and the LCBEP (Low Carbon Business Evolution Programme). We were applicable for the grant as long as energy efficiency measures were implemented, which Direct Air were prompt in helping us meet. We reached the deadline and were all happy with the work completed.”

“Months on and the product has worked without problems so far, the installation and servicing have also been trouble-free.”

Richard Brown, Senior Sales Engineer at Direct Air commented:

“Direct Air as a whole have a great rapport with this customer and Karl communicated their compressor capacity increase and energy efficiency requirements really clearly. This allowed us to effectively reach the financial deadline with them, as well as match them with the suitable service contract.”

Take a look at more case studies like this: https://www.directair.co.uk/case-studies/

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