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Oil-Free Compressors

Atlas Copco Air Powers Nestlé Gerber Facility

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“It does everything we’ve asked it to do—and then some.”

Craig Johnson, Senior Capital Engineer for Nestlé Gerber, hints at the mealtime possibilities produced by his team. “Carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pumpkins, squash—and since we’re feeding infants, quality is super important for us.”

At the Nestlé Gerber plant in Fremont, MI, oil-free compressed air is absolutely critical for ensuring that quality. “There isn’t a possibility of having incidental contact of oil with our product,” said Geoff Martin, Maintenance Team Leader at Nestlé Gerber. “We go with oil-free air so there is no question; there is no contact whatsoever.”

Nestlé Gerber has Atlas Copco’s new ZR90-160 VSD+ compressor. “It offers optimal control with dual VSD drives incorporating NEOS, Atlas Copco’s most sophisticated Variable Speed Drive technology,” said Neil Breedlove, Business Line Manager, Oil Free Air USA for Atlas Copco.

Gerber was also looking for a guaranteed pressure band and dew point. “Our older machines were load/no load and the pressure would swing 7 to 10 pounds,” said Martin. “This Atlas Copco machine will only swing 1.5 psi maximum because it has Variable Speed Drive. And the numbers that we’re seeing for dew point are about minus 77° Fahrenheit. I believe the guarantee is minus 45° so we’ve surpassed that with our MDG450 dryer.”

There will always be hungry infants, so Nestlé Gerber cannot afford down time. “These air compressors are on a SMARTLink system that’s being monitored 24/7 by Atlas Copco as well as ourselves,” said Martin. “I can talk to a service guy 100 miles away or whatever and say hey, will you look at that, and we can take next steps.”

Going back five years, Nestlé Gerber had to run five air compressors to meet plant demand. “With the changes that we made, and Atlas Copco coming on board and helping us out, we trimmed out three air compressors,” said Martin. “We’re running a ZR250 with an MD dryer and then trimming with the new VSD+. So far, we’re up to 45% more efficient because we’ve been able to shut down desiccant dryers and other machines that would sit there running loaded or unloaded for hours on end. Not anymore.”

How does Nestlé Gerber keep infants fed with Atlas Copco technology?

  • Oil free compressors for superior quality air
  • Dual VSD drives incorporating NEOS technology
  • Variable Speed Drive for consistent pressure band
  • Dew points consistently beyond guaranteed values
  • Efficiency gains up to 45%
  • SMARTLink Monitoring for 24/7 peace of mind
  • Legendary Atlas Copco reliability

To learn more about Atlas Copco's range of oil-free air compressors, visit www.atlascopco.com/air-usa!

 

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