Waterford Crystal Realises Significant Energy Savings with the ELGi EG Series

Bengaluru, India, March 15, 2023: Waterford Crystal, the Irish manufacturer of fine luxury crystal, chose the EG Series EG22V from ELGi Compressors Europe to modernize the compressed air system at its plant in Waterford, Ireland.

Waterford Crystal needed to replace its existing compressor and commissioned Airtec Compressors Ltd., ELGi’s Channel Partner in Ireland, for a solution. Waterford Crystal required reliability and energy efficiency from its new lead compressor providing 24/7 operations for a large proportion of their industrial machinery and high-precision engraving tools that highlight the skilled craftsmanship that goes into every piece of Waterford Crystal.

Airtec Compressors, air service partners for Waterford Crystal for over ten years, conducted a detailed site study and recommended installing a new ELGi EG22V (variable speed), which was installed in April 2021.

“The main reasons for purchasing the ELGi machine were its market-leading 10-year airend warranty and the efficiency improvements it offered,” said Tony Elsted, Engineering and Maintenance Manager at Waterford Crystal. “The ELGi EG22V is our new lead compressor and has been operating seamlessly at our factory for over a year. Since installing the EG22V we have seen a large reduction in our energy consumption versus our older compressor, and despite the increased cost of electricity, the compressor has given us a payback in less than two years.”

Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or “crystal”, specialising in fine/luxury cut glass. Named after the city of Waterford in Ireland, crystal manufacturing in the city dates back to 1783 when George and William Penrose founded Waterford Crystal. The company’s offerings go beyond traditional stemware and classic interior pieces to embrace and complete the luxury lifestyle experience, including stemware and barware, fine china & flatware, vases, bowls & centerpieces, collectibles, lighting, chandeliers, paperweights, holiday ornaments, and gifts.

“We are proud that an ELGi unit is at the heart of operations of Waterford Crystal – a world-renowned luxury crystal producer – supporting the creation of beautiful crystal pieces through its reliability and energy efficiency,” said Terry McGuire, Regional Manager UK & Ireland, at ELGi. “At ELGi, our vision is to be ‘Always Better,’ and our EG Series embodies this approach with innovative technology options that help our customers be more efficient, lower life cycle costs, and reduce the environmental footprint. The EG Series stands out for its patented technologies, high efficiency, and ten-year market-leading warranty on the airend.”

The sturdy design of the EG Series compressor range enables operations at extreme temperatures – from cold to hot and from dry to extremely humid conditions, leading to improved reliability of the compressed air system. ELGi’s high-efficient airends are equipped with in-house developed η-V profile rotors, with the 4/5 lobe combination, designed to run at low rotor speeds. This unique design reduces pressure losses and, together with the OSBIC (Oil separation by impact and centrifugal action), 3-stage separation provides best-in-class energy efficiency.

Tony Elsted from Waterford Crystal continued, “Airtec Compressors have been our compressed air service partner for over ten years. Their expertise, knowledge, and recommendation have improved the efficiency of our compressed air system, and they have exceeded our expectations.”

Airtec Compressors, based in Cork, Ireland, offering nationwide compressed air services and coverage 24/7, 365 days a year, has partnered with ELGi since 2020. John O’Driscoll, General Manager for Airtec Compressors, said, “We are a dedicated 24/7 company that prides ourselves on always delivering on the promises we make to our long-term and loyal client base. We maintain this promise through a dedicated service/engineering team, highly trained and experienced in all brands, a dedicated and customer-centric driven sales team, a health and safety team, and a focused air quality team serving our client’s compressed air needs throughout Ireland.”