Optimising Compressed Air Efficiency for a Midlands Food Manufacturer
A well-established East Midlands food manufacturer approached Air Kraft Ltd to help assess and optimise their compressed air system. After a period of growth including new production lines, and automated machinery, the site’s original compressed-air design no longer reflected its true operational demand.
To support this expansion, the customer had added three fixed-speed Atlas Copco GA55 compressors to operate alongside their existing GA55 VSD+ and GA110 VSD+ variable speed units. With all five compressors running simultaneously, the engineering team had concerns about how much air was actually being consumed, whether the system was running efficiently, and how much redundancy (back-up capacity) was genuinely available. Air Kraft were asked to provide a detailed, data-driven assessment.
Step 1
Precision iiTrack Data Logging
Air Kraft installed Atlas Copco iiTrack power dataloggers onto all five compressors. These loggers record power consumption every second and, because they are fully synchronised, they provide an accurate combined dataset across the entire compressed air network.
Once the week long logging period was complete, the collected data was uploaded into specialist analysis software. By combining the electrical current readings with each compressor’s Atlas Copco performance data, the system converts the data into precise air-flow values (l/s, m³/h, cfm). This process generates a full airflow profile for the entire week, highlighting actual air consumption, peak and low-usage periods, machine loading patterns, and inefficiencies.
Step 2
Scenario Modelling & Energy Saving Analysis
The data was used to model multiple compressor combinations, both with the existing equipment and using potential upgrades to identify the most energy efficient configuration that would still maintain full site redundancy. This modelling evaluates total energy consumed, annual kWh usage, system resilience, CO2 reduction, annual operating cost, and payback period for any proposed upgrades.
Energy Saving Results
The analysis revealed that the most effective configuration involved replacing the three fixed-speed 55 kW compressors and the older 55 kW VSD unit with two new Atlas Copco GA110 VSD+ compressors. This configuration offers a 28.98% reduction in energy consumption while maintaining full air capacity and redundancy.
Using the measured week and extrapolating over a 52-week year at an electricity cost of £0.28 per kWh, the projected saving is:
Annual Energy Cost Saving: £161,683.
The capital investment for two new GA110VSD+ compressors is approximately £100,000 (£50,000 each).
Return on Investment (ROI)
With improved efficiency, the financial return is strong.
Simple Payback Period: £100,000 ÷ £161,683 ≈ 0.62 years (around 7.5 months)
First-Year ROI: (161,683 ÷ 100,000) × 100 ≈ 162%
Outcome for the Customer
Following the audit, the customer now benefits from:
This project demonstrates the measurable value of Air Kraft’s compressed air energy assessments, combining specialist datalogging, advanced analysis, and industry expertise to deliver significant energy savings for manufacturers across the Midlands.
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