Mann+Hummel cuts $160k annually, clears backlog and secures a $300k utility rebate with ELGi and Pattons air system overhaul

The project exemplifies the hidden manufacturing opportunity to increase sustainability, cut costs and improve production while securing energy utility incentives.

Air is critical to business but often overlooked. Like electricity, gas and water, most manufacturing operations depend on compressed air, making it the “fourth utility.” Improving compressed air systems can have dramatic effects on a company’s sustainability initiatives, operating costs and product quality.

Mann+Hummel is one of the world’s premier providers of filtration systems, serving numerous industries that include automotive, agriculture, construction, data centers, energy, food and beverage, and many more.

The company partnered with Pattons to overhaul its compressed air system and the results were dramatic — $160,000 saved in annual costs, 2 million kWh saved in annual electricity demands, the elimination of 20 downtime incidents per day and new capacity to clear a six-month product backlog. Additionally, the company was able to secure a $300,000 rebate from its energy utility, Duke Energy.

“It was like we had a brand-new plant,” said Steven Owens, Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering, Mann+Hummel. “Every day, production would stall, maintenance teams would scramble to fix issues, and we were losing money with every minute of downtime. Once the new system came online, it was like flipping a switch — suddenly, everything just worked. For the first time in years, we had stable, reliable compressed air across the entire plant.”

Before the overhaul, up to 30 gallons of water was infiltrating the air system per hour, damaging seals, cylinders and pneumatic tools, leading to misaligned and inconsistent product assembly. Filtration components go through compressed air-driven integrity tests, and fluctuating pressure led to false failures and undetected leaks. Products were failing quality standard checks and had to be remade or scrapped.

“We had clogged systems, defective filters and increased quality complaints. Our products weren’t meeting the standards we needed,” Stevens explained. “After the upgrade, those issues disappeared. We finally had consistent air quality, and that translated into a more consistent, higher-quality product.”

Pattons replaced Mann+Hummel’s system with ELGi air compressors and dryers —five ELGi EG-160 rotary screw air compressors, three ELGi AR-2350 high-performance air dryers, an Airmatics Smart Control System to optimize operations and energy use and an Airmate Air Receiver to normalize moisture levels.

With manufacturing efficiencies and product quality improvements, the company was able to increase production and clear its backlogs. Mann+Hummel had fallen 6 million units behind schedule. After overhauling the air compression system, the company was able to steadily clear the decks.

“For a lot of customers, filtration products are mission critical. Delays can significantly affect automotive, industrial and energy operations,” Stevens said. “Keeping our equipment running consistently was the key to clearing the backlog, and the air compression overhaul made it possible. It’s hard to overstate how big of a change this was — it didn’t just improve efficiency, it completely transformed how we operate.”

Energy rebate

Pattons also helped Mann+Hummel take advantage of a rebate program offered by the regional energy utility, Duke Energy. It handled much of the work to verify and technically validate the new working system to ensure energy improvements were properly documented and verified. This included compressor performance, energy load reductions and heat recovery analysis, among other tasks.

The process involved several meetings among Pattons, Mann+Hummel and an outside engineering firm. After all of the data collection and rebate negotiations, Mann+Hummel was awarded a $300,000 rebate from Duke Energy.

“We didn’t just take the easy route and accept the flat rebate. We really got into the details, making sure every bit of savings was captured. In the end, we squeezed everything we could out of this project, and it paid off,” said Trey Carter, Systems Specialist, Pattons.

About Pattons

Patton’s Inc. (Pattons), a distributor of industrial compressed air systems and full line service provider was established in 1945, is now owned and operated by ELGi North America, a global industrial air compressor manufacturer.

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