PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2018

COMPRESSORS PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 09/18 www.petpla.net 20 Every day, one AF compressor is shipped somewhere in the world Getting into shape Every day for the past 10 years someone, somewhere in the world, has taken delivery of a new AF Compressor. Belgium enterprise Ateliers François S.A., the privately- owned company better known as AF Compressors, is rap- idly approaching its 150 th anniversary; for 30 of those years, since the early 1980s, it has been a leader in the manufac- turer of compressors specifically designed for the needs of PET bottle production. Its share of the blow-mould market is now estimated at 60%; it produces 400 units a year, 95% of which are destined for PET blow moulding applications. It has a global turnover of € 100 million annually, and has a client list that includes Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Danone, Nestlé Waters, and Ting Hsin, as well as major blow mould machinery manufacturers. COMPRESSORS PETplanet Insider (PP): What is it that distinguishes AF Compressors from its competition? Pascal Heyden, Sales & Market- ing Manager, AF Compressors (AF): The three-stage PET compres- sors built by Ateliers François feature a distinctive ‘’L-shape’’, for optimum efficiency while using fewer moving parts, and enabling slow operating speeds. The initial compression of the air is carried out in the first stage by one large, double acting, vertically arranged piston. Final compression up to 40 bar pressure takes place in the second and third stages by two hori- zontal pistons mounted on the same piston rod, each of which is single acting. The compressor is driven by a centrally mounted crankshaft and by an electric motor up to 550 kW. Shaft power requirements for all AF Com- pressors are below the nominal rating of the installed motor, which means that all motors are provided with a ser- vice factor of 1.0. PP: How did AF Compressors get to its leading position in the market? AF: The company has diversified its product portfolio over the years, in response to customer demand, to include two-stage, oil free, piston compressors providing 7-10 bar oil- free air utilising the same “L-shape” design and turn-key package as offered with their high-pressure PET compressors. The “OPC series” of compressors, with capacities from 7.2m³/min up to 58m³/min, can be equipped with the same optional energy efficient solutions offered on the 20-40 bar compressor packages. With hundreds of OPC references now installed, mainly in the PET and beverage industry, AF Compressors is established as a complete system provider for both high and low pres- sure compressed air applications, with full global aftermarket support and service capability to the customer. PP: How does the company sup- port its customers in the field? AF: Our Belgium HQ is the heart of our operations and, in January 2018, we inaugurated our brand new Service Headquarters, located near our main factory in Liège, close to Liège Airport and just one hour from Antwerp port by truck. This facility provides rapid response of replace- ment parts needs direct to cus- tomer’s facilities around the world. Orders placed before 3 p.m. Belgium time can be shipped the same day, by via air freight. The new Service HQ manages the storage, prepara- tion, and shipping of all completed compressor packages produced in the factory. PP: Does AF deliver all global sup- port from Belgium? AF: Definitely not! Global expan- sion requires global presence, in order to deliver the levels of support our customers expect. AF now has three production centres: in Belgium, in China, and in India. It has 15 sub- sidiaries, two distribution centres, 20 official agencies and multiple spare shops. No less than 150 of our 400 (or so) employees are specialised service engineers, specifically trained for 40 bar compressors. Official train- ing centres, available to clients for improving the skills of their in-house personnel, are located in Belgium, China, India, South Africa, Dubai and the USA. PP: AF has a reputation for high levels of reliability in use. However, the market is changing and new tech- nologies are emerging, in the PET industry as much as any other. How is the company changing to meet the demands of the industry, such as from emerging economies? AF: AF has evolved its mindset from being “just another manufacturer”