Mining, quarrying and waterwell are the three major segments of portable compressor business. Atlas Copco offers a comprehensive range of products for these sectors. Nitin Lall, General Manager, Power Technique Customer Center, Atlas Copco (India) Ltd, shares more on the company's product range and future plans.

What is the role of portable compressors in quarrying and mining industry?
Portable air compressors play a pivotal role in quarrying and mining applications. The quarrying application specifically, is a segment of paramount importance, looking at the amount of stone which is required for infrastructure projects. Similarly, the extraction of minerals such as iron ore, gold etc with reliable portable air compressors with the lowest possible energy consumption is an important application under metal mining.

We cannot ignore that customers are also scaling up in terms of quality and service expectations, and we will continue to provide them with the time-tested Atlas Copco technology. Atlas Copco is a big investor in R&D in India. As leaders in innovation, we focus on localisation and developing new technology.

What is the capacity range involved? How flexible is your product range?
We have a good mix of compressors in our diesel range starting from 140 cfm to 1,350 cfm and pressure range of 7 bar to 35 bar, covering all pneumatic applications. We also have a good electric range starting from 45 kW up to 75 kW (300 cfm up to 500 cfm; 7 bar to 12 bar).

We also offer options such as skid- or trolley-mounted, flexible tow bars, sheet metal or hardhat canopies to suit various applications, zone-specific compressors meeting safety norms, containerised super-silenced compressors, and reciprocating booster compressors. The range combines light weight compressors with small dimensions, making it easy to manoeuvre on site.

We offer highly productive solution compressors for mining and quarrying needs with features such as: low machine downtime, operation at 50-degree Latent Ambient Temperatures (LAT), high reliability and performance, and closed-door operation and less noise with well-designed canopy.

What are the compressed air power solutions from Atlas Copco?
Atlas Copco offers several models such as the XA187, XAH236 and the XAT 197 for surface mining and quarrying applications. In terms of other applications, undoubtedly, the road segment is where power equipment such as portable air compressors and light towers are most in demand when we focus on infrastructure specifically. Atlas Copco also plays a pivotal role in the irrigation segment to provide water for drinking needs where our portable compressors are successfully deployed in large irrigation projects. We contribute to this segment in a big way, with our advanced waterwell compressor models such as XRHS650 and XRX1350.

Our portable power solutions are offered to many segments like construction, mining, quarrying, oil and gas, waterwell, and DSI segments. Each of these segments has varied applications such as drilling, hill cutting, breaking, flushing, exploring, pigging, cable blowing, sand blasting, ice blasting, cement unloading, piling, over burden removal, conveying, and testing. With our commitment to sustainable productivity, we aim to serve customers with the right mix of products and be a complete solution provider.

How do the engines and sub-systems in Atlas Copco range help enhance various performance parameters?
At Atlas Copco Power Technique, we aim to provide leading technology and fuel- efficient compressors for all our customers. Our compressors offer lower diesel consumption as compared to other compressors in its class. This provides our customers a distinct competitive edge.

The heart of all Atlas Copco portable air compressors is new-generation screw elements, which are energy-efficient and engineered to power the best. Take for example, the XRHS650 dual pressure model, which eliminates more number of models by offering dual pressure selection in one compressor.

In fact, all our portable air compressors have an advanced well designed acoustic canopy which makes operations sound-proof. Also, they are the most fuel-efficient with their energy-efficient powerful screw element design.

Further, the new environment legislation to control pollution in India has ensured that states are now actively supporting stable grids. With Atlas Copco electric compressors, there is no fuel usage, resulting in zero emissions, while the hood type canopy of these compressors is designed to ensure silent operations on site, making them ideal for usage within city limits.

Atlas Copco's newest addition to its portfolio, the HiLight V5+ LED light tower, illuminates an area of approximately 5,000 sq m with an average brightness of 20 lux. This LED light tower is the first CPCB II-compliant light tower in India, which ensures sites are brighter, safer and more productive.

We continuously invest in designing equipment, which consumes less energy while rendering higher output. A combination of smart engineering, time-tested technology and quality components all adds up to a solution that is highly reliable and energy-efficient with extreme versatility.

What are the features inbuilt that can effectively counter extreme operating conditions?
A host of unique features ensure effective operations in extreme and tough conditions.
Canopy: The modern aesthetically appealing Belgium-designed canopy is offered in two forms - gull wing design and hood type. These fully galvanised powder-coated canopies are the most durable and ensure maximum protection from heat and corrosion.
The unique patented hood-type canopy offers all-round easy serviceability, while the gull wing design canopy ensures the compressor utilises minimal frame space. The robust and compact design is built to give high stability while transporting the compressor over tough gradients and slope.
The HiLight V5+ LED light tower has a unique HardHat^® canopy as standard, which provides tough protection of internal parts against harsh conditions. Blower fan: The powerful blower fan of the radiator keeps the temperature of the internal components under controlled limits at all times. This enables the compressor to operate at 50-degree LAT, which is the best in the industry.

How do you ensure best volume of air for the end tools?
The quality of a compressor can be measured through the reliability, efficiency and durability of the compressor element used. Decades of expertise in the design of compressor elements, results in most efficient and reliable compressor, which gives maximum flow at the outlet with minimum input power.

What is the demand-supply scenario for compressors of different capacity range in mining, construction and quarrying verticals?
Mining, quarrying and waterwell are the three major segments of portable compressor business. With the revival in the mining and quarrying segment, there is continued demand for portable compressors. Besides this, the waterwell segment also contributes to the demand of large compressors for borewell applications. In times of fluctuating demand, we focus on developing productive and cost-effective products in the market and we also work on filling the product portfolio gaps to be able to meet the demands of more niche segments.

We have a state-of-the-art factory in Chakan, Pune which is twice the capacity of our earlier set-up and has a possibility to get doubled if required to meet increasing customer demands.

What customers look for while choosing a compressor?
The construction equipment industry is continuously evolving through various innovations in application and the product range. Atlas Copco is the undisputed market leader in 'portable air compressor' segment and we continuously strive to upgrade our product portfolio to provide better products and services to our customers.

We undertake a lot of field trials and invest more than a year of R&D before launching any products. A customer always sees the value he/she will get from the product he/she is buying as well as seeks to find the best productive fit for his/her application. So, other than launching new products, technology advancements are always in our pipeline and training our sales team to offer the most ideal solution for a customer's need is our main focus. Customers will focus on equipment with the least running cost (diesel consumption and maintenance cost) and maximum productivity. Our products are designed and upgraded to continuously meet these expected standards and deliverables.

What is the market growth outlook in the next five years?
With an upgraded portfolio and technologically advanced equipment, Atlas Copco portable air compressors and light towers will continue to touch lives and improve infrastructure needs of people in India.

Atlas Copco Power Technique's focus is to have a sustained profitable growth in India. We have done well for the last four years and have witnessed a healthy growth. Expectations from the Indian market is focused on contributing to Indian infrastructure projects by offering products which meet our customer's needs and ensures them long term benefits. India is a growing economy, and looking at the overall infrastructure requirements coming up, we expect this healthy trend to continue in the next five years as well.