What would you recommend plants do when they are experiencing heavy personnel losses? We cover theory, operations and maintenance. We conduct centrifugal compressor seminars in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. There has been a huge loss of experience in the field which drives organizations like Epic to focus on technical training and continuous education of employees and customer personnel. How has the experience level of operations and maintenance personnel changed over time? Customers are turning to aftermarket suppliers to supplement their own maintenance efforts. It is expensive and difficult to find skilled people for this kind of work. This fosters the need for full-service turnkey suppliers with senior field service staffs and mechanics. As workforces diminished, companies have not replaced these workers quickly. The most impactful trend is retirement of skilled field service professionals. What trends have you observed in field service? This “contract maintenance” program combines planned maintenance, parts discounts, extended warranties, and our new TurboLogic controls system to provide a maintenance program that improves compressor performance and reduces maintenance costs. We recently added a full-service aftermarket program called EpicCare that allows the equipment owner to turn the entire compressor maintenance program over to Epic Air. Epic has repaired rotors from 37 nations in the last 24 months, which is an increase of 15 nations during the previous 12 months. But we are starting to see much higher demand for creative and quality repair services in Europe and the Far East. This has been a trend in the North American market for some time. What trends have you observed with centrifugal compressor repair?Īs the cost of impellers, diffusers, and inlets has risen, demand for repair services has increased. This trend has opened up an opportunity for those compressor component suppliers with a customer-service mindset and that are willing to stock inventories in multiple locations globally. What has changed is the availability of key components as equipment owners and suppliers have cut inventories to reduce long-term costs and improve cash flow. The demand for high-quality manufactured parts, and the maintenance cycles that consume such components, have not changed much over the years. In the spring of 2018, we became a full supplier of parts, repairs, field service, and technical support for Atlas Copco HP, ZH, ZT and ZR rotary screw compressors. What new services have you recently added? This allows us to serve the world’s 50-60 Hz market and comply with major quality requirements. We have two established domestic repair facilities (Houston and Mayfield, Kentucky), a team of OEM factory-trained technicians, and the new Air Relief and TurboLogix brands. Epic Air, a division that focuses on centrifugal equipment, became a resource for the centrifugal compression aftermarket with the 2016 acquisition of Air Relief of Mayfield, KY. Our entire business is focused on the engine-compressor aftermarket without the distraction of a new equipment business. Headquartered in Houston, TX, Epic International was founded in 2015 and serves the global energy and industrial engine-compressor market with parts, repair services, and field service. Ryan Canter, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Centrifugal at Epic International, discusses the centrifugal compressor aftermarket, the skills shortage, and how to improve compressor maintenance.
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