Shinheung Textiles was the first of many; Kaeser compressors are now powering the air-driven weaving machines of a whole row of manufacturers in the Korean Daegu City textile centre. The district capital Daegu City – this is where the world cup game for third place in football was played in June 2002 – is sometimes being called the Milan of Korea, a good pointer to the concentration of companies in the fashion and textile industries there. A big one in the trade is Shinheung Textiles, founded in 1973. The weaving mill produces over 1.3 million metres of cloth per month on 120 Air Jet looms installed in 1995. In 1997, the company opened its own dyeing plant, allowing independent dyeing of their complete textile production.
In 1999 the CEO, Dong Soo Lee, decided to increase the efficiency of the air supply, which would, in turn, increase productivity. This was a great chance for KAESER Korea to get their foot in the door of the country’s textile industry. It was quite a risk, in the opinion of the Shinheung managers, because no other company used KAESER compressors in Daegu City’s “rag trade” at that time. But they decided to trust the promises made in the KAESER offer of more efficient air production and the ensuing productivity leap of their mill. And they were not disappointed. Ten KAESER DSD 201 rotary screw compressors with a combined free air delivery of 195 m³/min have been supplying the mill with compressed air at 7.5 bar since November 1999. A wellproven master controller ensures that exactly the right volume of air required is supplied at all times with minimum consumption of power. Energy efficiency is a key phrase in the running of air jet weaving machines because the cost of producing compressed air to drive them is more than 85 percent of overall system costs. So, it was no wonder that Mr Lee described the energy savings of around 25 percent returned by replacing the nearly all the old machines with KAESER rotary screw air compressors as a “splendid achievement.” Further energy savings of about 9 percent were also achieved with the later installation of two KAESER DSD 281 SFC variable speed rotary screw compressors that replaced the two machines that had stayed in place after the first phase of modernisation. But the energy savings were not the only reason that they twice decided to go for KAESER machines. As Mr. Dong Soo Lee said, “The quality of the compressed air is the best we’ve ever had, and the exceptionally quiet running is another advantage Added to this is reliability, which, together with the excellent customer service organisation significantly contributed to the decision to buy KAESER compressors the second time round.” That Shinheung is a good reference is emphasised by the fact that KAESER has been able to win over other customers in this hub of the Korean textile industry. The number of air jet weaving machines now powered by KAESER compressors has multiplied many times since then.
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