Ask the Experts: Achieving Maximum ROI with Compressed Air Rentals

Q. What are the costs involved with purchasing a compressed air system and how can I mitigate those costs with a rental solution?

A. This is a question we hear often. It’s almost always motivated by a lack of capital funds. Here’s the short answer: Each application and equipment need is different, so for a specific cost analysis, feel free to contact us directly with your unique details.

Now for the long answer. The following is a general list of the things you have to consider when purchasing a new air compressor:

1. Researching and selecting a new machine. This can take a little time or a lot of time depending on how well you understand your equipment needs and how quickly you can secure a capital expenditure.
2. Assembling a team of engineers that can conduct a technical review of the new compressor you intend to buy. This ensures that the equipment will supply the proper amount of compressed air for your application and that it will fit in your facility with the utilities you have available (chances are the unit you’re replacing is decades old and will not have the same dimensions as a new unit).
3. Removing the old system. Air compressors are always bolted to the ground and often secured in place with concrete for additional stability. Removing them to make room for a new unit requires a professional demolition crew as well as electricians to deal with the wiring.
4. Modifying the equipment connections. As air compressor technology evolves, so does everything else involved with making a compressor functional: pipe sizes change, water connections change, metric bolts replace standard bolts, and the list goes on. Cooling water piping, air discharge piping locations, the electrical service feed, the unit’s anchor bolting—any or all of it will need to be altered to accommodate the new equipment.
5. Installing and starting the new system. Air compressors are large, expensive, high-tech machines. They don’t arrive in the brown truck with your other packages, and you don’t get them up and running with a push of a button. They arrive on skids that measure approximately 10×6 feet and you have to hire a professional to install the equipment. You must also pay a factory-certified technician to come to your facility, start the system, check the settings and ensure proper operation. Without this start-up service, you will void the manufacturer’s warranty on your new air compressor.

While necessary, this entire process is time-consuming and costly. Any interruptions to production can be seriously detrimental to your bottom line and are simply not an option. That’s why a rental solution makes sense for keeping your operation running as well as delivering a comparatively quick ROI until you can implement a more permanent system.

Consider the many cost benefits of renting an air compressor when you have an unexpected equipment need:

• Your rental system can be delivered the same week your order it (and in some cases, the same day) to minimize production shutdowns
• The rental company is responsible for conducting an engineering review as well as commissioning and starting the machine (the costs of those services are included in the rental fee)
• There are no additional installation or demolition costs (a modular rental solution can be operational with a few hose hookups and electrical power cords, and there is no need for permanent installation of the rental unit or removal of the non-operational unit)
• There are also no maintenance costs (those are also the responsibility of the rental company, similar to how you’re not responsible for oil changes or new tires on a rental car)

Exactly how much you can benefit in the short term by going the rental route depends on your specific compressed air needs, but when you combine all of the above with the greatest advantage of all—minimal downtime—a rental system will definitely help you maximize your ROI.