World-class sustainable compressed air solutions

1st May 2023

ELGi Equipments has a long history of providing compressed air solutions, with a catalogue of more than 400 air compressor products. Manufacturers’ Monthly investigates why the company is making ground in the Australian market with disruptive compressors for a variety of industrial applications.

In the 1960s, ELGi Equipments began as a garage equipment manufacturing company in India and added air compressors to its portfolio, with air compressors soon becoming the predominant product line. Today, the brand has a global presence with its range of air compressors, with manufacturing operations and representation in every continent serving markets around the world. At the forefront of design excellence, ELGi was the first compressor company in the world to be certified with ISO 9001 for quality management systems in 1994, and in 2019 ELGi was the first and only global industrial air compressor manufacturer in over sixty years to be awarded the Deming Prize for excellence in Total Quality Management.

ELGi has been present in the Australian market for over 50 years, consolidating its presence in Australia twelve years ago – headquartered in Sydney – to grow its presence for its range of compressors that can be found in operation throughout a wide range of industrial sectors, including food processing, healthcare, construction and mining.

Ramesh Ponnuswami, executive director OSEA at ELGi said “We have thousands of customers across a diverse range of industries throughout Australia and New Zealand,” he explained. “Our design capability and quality control results in a large range of products, from time-tested, robust workhorses to extremely sophisticated, high-tech solutions allowing us meet the needs of such a broad range of industry sector applications.”

ELGi manufactures a complete range of industrial air compressors that include oil lubricated and oil-free electric powered rotary screw compressors, oil lubricated, and oil-free reciprocating compressors, dryers, air receiver tanks and other accessories. Ponnuswami attributes the company’s growth to longterm partnerships and excellent customer service within the Australian market.

Since establishing a direct presence in Australia in 2011, ELGi has expanded its footprint through an acquisition and is now present in three states on the east coast, in addition to the already well established and dedicated distribution network around the country. “Many of our distributors have been with us for over 10 years now, which is testament to the quality and reliability of our products and the strong focus we have on building long term partnerships with our distributors,” Ponnuswami added.

Ponnuswami highlighted the importance of providing reliable products and quick and efficient customer service.

“Availability is something we place a very heavy emphasis on and there’s been a really good response from our customers,” he said. “The company ensures that the right parts are available and that on-time service is provided to its customers. The products are really reliable, so we see next to no issues when products are maintained as per the recommended schedule. The combination of having ready availability and quick response from a service point of view is crucial.”

With a global rise in electricity prices, and with energy costs representing around 80 per cent of the total lifecycle cost of owning a compressor, this is something that cannot be ignored. Compressors are a huge user of energy in industry, so more energy efficient solutions are not only more sustainable, they are absolutely necessary to minimise the impact of rising electricity prices. There simply isn’t enough fuel to go around at the moment, so unfulfilled electricity needs are set to continue, making the pursuit of sustainable processes and improvements essential.

Oil lubricated compressors are the backbone of varied industrial applications. ELGi’s oil lubricated range of compressors offer cost-effective, long-lasting compressed air solutions suitable for light to heavy duty industrial applications. “The emphasis on lowering the energy footprint is where our products really come into their own. By developing energy efficient, high reliability compressors that have minimal environmental impact, the customer benefits from a very low overall cost of ownership in the long run,” he said. “Fundamentally, we are a technology driven company. In this business, you have to think, act and stay ahead by embracing new technology and continuous innovation. Even very small incremental gains, just decimal improvements make a big difference when it comes to energy savings.”

ELGi’s research and development program is comprehensive, spanning fundamental research to tactical and strategic development. With a team of experts from various disciplines – including multiple PhDs and engineers – the company has sophisticated tools to simulate and ... Read More