Kobe Steel launches new Emeraude-ALE oil-free air compressors

TOKYO, October 13, 2016 — Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it has started marketing new models of the Emeraude-ALE series of oil-free standard air compressors from this month. The new compressors have achieved the world’s highest class of energy efficiency and one of the lowest levels of noise during operation. In addition to Japan, the same models of this global strategic product will be manufactured at overseas locations for sale in world markets.

Kobe Steel is a global manufacturer of standard compressors with one of the top market shares in Japan and Southeast Asia. Increasing sales of the new compressors and implementing other initiatives, Kobe Steel aims to further expand its compressor business in the future.

Standard compressors are utility equipment used in a wide range of industries and applications. They are primarily used in supplying compressed air to power equipment and plants, as well as for painting, powder conveying and other uses. The world market for standard compressors was approximately 1 trillion yen in 2015. By 2020, it is anticipated to grow to 1.1 trillion yen, according to Kobe Steel estimates. The new compressors are anticipated to help meet this growing demand.

The energy consumed by standard compressors generally accounts for about 20 percent of the total energy used by plants. As a result, energy-saving performance is extremely important. The new Emeraude-ALE compressors have achieved high efficiency and a thorough reduction in energy loss. The compressors have attained the world’s highest class of energy efficiency of 5.70 kW/ (m³/min), a 3-percent improvement over Kobe Steel’s conventional compressors.

Furthermore, a new global remote monitoring function that utilizes the latest IoT (Internet of Things) technology is installed in the new compressors. Through a cloud service, energy use and operating conditions can be “visualized,” providing customers with further energy savings during operation. Kobe Steel has combined both the world’s highest class of performance and IoT technology in the development of these latest compressor models.

Kobe Steel plans to exhibit the new Emeraude-ALE series at Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial technology exhibition. The exhibition will be held from April 24-28, 2017 in Hanover, Germany. Last year, the event attracted approximately 5,200 companies and over 200,000 visitors. URL: http://www.hannovermesse.de/home

Standard compressors come in two varieties. In oil-cooled compressors, oil is injected during the air compression process to improve lubricity and sealability. Compressors that do not use oil during compression to produce clean air are called oil-free compressors. In the pharmaceutical, food and electronics industries where manufacturing processes require highly clean air, oil-free compressors are often employed. The use of oil-free compressors has grown in advanced countries and is also anticipated to increase in emerging countries owing to industrial progress and stricter environmental regulations.