The heat is on for AirSource after £280,000 spend
SPECIALIST in heat pumps and products for commercial and industrial heating and air conditioning AirSource has ploughed £280,000 into state-of-the-art equipment at its Eccles site, near Manchester.
The company, whose customers are mainly in the healthcare, retail, education and hotel sectors, has installed a punch press machine and a test unit.
It has spent £250,000 on an Amada EMK2510+ auto loader punch press for cutting and profiling the sheet metal required for the manufacture of air handling units and heat pumps.
The investment has resulted in increased capacity and improved component flow with just-in-time manufacture. A continuous process, the auto loader offers flexibility and spare capacity for the future.
The company has also spent £30,000 on a test rig, a model Tempair 33T heat pump from the Tempair range, delivering a variable volume up to 2.7m³/s. The unit is used to test and develop new components, provide training for commissioning engineers, check the operation of controls and demonstrate working parts to clients.
Managing director Dave Clayton said: “The test unit provides information on temperatures, pressures, volume and power absorbed and is designed to simulate operating internal and external conditions.
“The unit will soon be modified for the further development of refrigerants with low global warming potential.
“The investment in the punch press and the test rig demonstrates our commitment to future expansion, training and innovation and to the successful development of products for the building services market.
“It will help us dramatically improve our efficiency, particularly in the areas of quality, accuracy and productivity.”
AirSource has a turnover of £4m and a 40-strong workforce. Five jobs were created in 2015, including a new sales manager for the south, one apprentice and two trainees.
