Santosh Kumar, MD, Instamod Air Pipe Pvt Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of Eco Pipe Ltd Company, makes a case for energy saving in compressed air distribution.

Wastage of compressed air is wastage of energy. How does one prevent it?

Compressed air is the most expensive utility amongst all utilities and the industry has started viewing it more seriously than ever before. We can conserve the energy by reducing the pressure drop and eliminating the leakage. This can be achieved by designing ideal compressed air distributions systems. Our aluminium pipe based ‘Air Pipe’ is one such system.

What are the products and services available for compressed air distribution systems?

We are a manufacturer of aluminium alloy compressed air piping system, which has the following salient features:

* Working temperature: -20°C to+70°C (-30°C to +80°C*-30°C to+80°C
* Maximum working pressure: 13 bar
* Vacuum degree: 0.13 bar absolute pressure
* Compatible with compressed oil
* Fireproof (meets UL-90-VC standard)
* Suitable for outdoor installation, and
* Sizes from 20 mm to 200 mm.

We do energy audits as well; our motto is to provide single window solutions for complete air distributing systems.

What is the USP of Instamod Air Pipe Systems?

Energy conservation by use of aluminium alloy based air pipe system with the following advantages:

* 30% energy saving as against GI/MS
* Quick installation
* Light in weight
* 100% recyclable products
* Blue coloured with special powder coating so that no need to re paint and its life long durable
* Zero per cent leakage and warranty for 10 years
* Optimal pressure drop
* No oxidation because of frictionless surface which is anodised
* Use of special aluminium alloy with good strength as compared to plastic pipes
* Can withstand plenty of drops in quick session without disturbing existing piping system
* Fittings are also die cast aluminium so as to have better durability
* Range available from 20 mm to 200 mm and hence capacity to handle smaller CFM to bigger CFM
* Special screws resistant to vibration and shocks
* Resistant to corrosion and UV lights, and
* CE marked.

The company specialises in air pipes of new projects. But what about retrofitting of old and existing shop floors?

This system of aluminium piping is now 6-7 years old in India and most of the companies are becoming aware of this. In fact for any new plant, 8 out of 10 now opt for aluminium pipe systems. Looking at the energy saving potential, companies with 25-30-year old piping systems are also now considering this option. But for that an energy audit is a must. While there are external agencies doing this, as an extended service, the Air Pipe team is also equipped to do audits and we have won orders after doing this exercise in many companies.

What is the nature of the company’s operation in India? Do you have any manufacturing activity?

We are one and half year old company having a 2135 sq.ft office, located in the capital of India, Delhi, and a warehouse also located in a 11,000 sq.ft at Delhi. Our products are presently imported from the parent company, but in course of time as business increases to the desired level where it becomes economically feasible, we would be going for ‘Make in India’ as per the prime minister’s vision for the country.

How strong/effective is the sales network and after sales service?

We are a 15-member team in India of which 7 are from sales while others form the HR, accounts, supply chain, warehouse supervisor and installation team as well. Apart from this we have more than 30 dealers across India and they are our extended hands that can serve the customers locally. Our dealers are also compressor dealers and they do have small capacity warehouse and installation team who can give fast service to the customers.

We are participating in many exhibitions and spreading our message through the niche technical media, announcing new products and services.

Any breakthrough product launch that made a difference?

We do not only believe in selling the product but we provide best services through our own service team as well as the team from local distributors. Continuous modification and addition of new range of products is an integral part of our mission to meet the ever increasing needs of customers. Our product quality and service has been recognised by leading industries, e.g., the world’s largest manufacturer of two wheelers Hero Moto Corp, the world’s second largest tractor manufacturer TAFE Motors, Asia’s largest gear manufacturer Elecon Gears, and so on.

What are the future plans?

In India we are increasing our strength in sales and in future there will be new warehouses in different locations to improve our services to the customer. We are looking for new dealers in the areas where we are not yet present. Our target is also the neighbouring countries where the potential is equally good for our piping systems, and very soon we would be putting in place our dealer network in these countries.