Competence and experience made in over half a century of activity allow Azmec to act as a qualified partner for the design and production of liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors, standing out from its competitors on the national and international market also thanks to its high added value revamping, support and consultancy services.
by Eng. Gianandrea Mazzola
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Flexible, timely in its replies and with competences and experience that have been well established for over fifty years of activity. This is Azmec, a company specialized in the design and production of liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors. A wide and diversified range of products, which over the years has been integrated with increasingly appreciated customer support services. These activities are carried out in the two operational offices of the company, i.e. Genova, where medium-sized vacuum pumps (with capacities up to 2,000 mc/h) are manufactured and third party mechanic manufacturing processes, as well as the maintenance of pumps and installations, are carried out; and Verderio Inferiore (province of Lecco),where big vacuum pumps are manufactured and all support, consultancy and intervention activities are carried out.
«Our production comprises six main lines of pumps covering a capacity interval ranging from minimum 150 mc/h to maximum 50,000 mc/h, this is completed with the production of integrated systems and complete vacuum groups, as well as a wide range of accessories, including preseparators, separators, silencers, vacuum breaker safety valves, centrifugal self-priming pumps» Claudio Vergani, Ceo.
Azmec CEO Claudio Vergani near a 160 mc/min pump of the AL series, which is extremely ergonomic (thanks to the possibility to accommodate the motor on top of the pump) and features a monolithic structure that eliminates vibrations.
Quality and performance for small and large capacities
More in detail, the company’s product range comprises the following families of pumps: AL/2000, ALBV/2000, ALZ/2000, ALC-Z, AL-B4 e AL-BC.
The liquid ring vacuum pumps of the AL/2000 series feature capacities ranging from 180 up to 12,500 mc/h. The liquid ring vacuum pumps of the ALBV/2000 series, instead, guarantee capacities ranging from 2,000 up to 7,500 mc/h and are manufactured with two vertical suction openings; this allows having two pumps in one, with each pump working at 50% capacity of the total value and with totally differentiated and independent vacuums. Two suction openings, which are not vertical, are applied also to liquid ring vacuum pumps of the ALZ/2000 series for capacities ranging between 1,500 and 12,500 mc/h. An even wider capacity range is offered with the ALC-Z series, which always comprises liquid ring vacuum pumps, yet with capacities ranging from a minimum of 150 to a maximum of 38,500 mc/h. They are built to suction from one or several vacuum m sectors, to achieve one or two degrees of vacuum which work at 50 % of the total capacity and which can be totally independent and differentiated. Also the liquid ring vacuum pumps of the AL-B4 series (capacities ranging from 4,500 to 21,000 mc/h) and of the AL-BC series (capacities ranging from 450 to 17,000 mc/h) are built with two suction openings.
Mr Vergani adds that «in spite of the various options available, these are models that can be further adapted to meet specific needs, e.g. with the possibility of further customization to make the groups soundproof, thereby solving the increasingly severe criticality of loud working environments».
Thanks to the use of soundproof panels, Azmec can namely guarantee a noise level below 80 dB on all big groups and even below 75 dB for small-capacity groups. This objective can be reached thanks to a complete set of pump and accessories, which can be applied also on already existing installations.
Services with high added value
Besides its wide and diversified range of products, the company also offers a wide range of support and consultancy services with high added value that are increasingly appreciated by its customers.
Mr Vergani himself points out that these «services not only concern the revision and revamping of pumps (revamping of both own pumps and pumps produced by other manufacturers), but they also include the study and development of customized installation layouts to meet specific customers’ needs, which are aimed at achieving maximum efficiency».
Pump revamping has registered a substantial increase in recent years, both at a national and at an international level.
Mr Vergani goes on and says that «at the request of the customer, our technicians go to the site of the customer to carry out specific tests and assess the actual feasibility of the revamping intervention. In case of possible revamping, the pump or pumps are taken away and brought to our workshop, where they are actually brought back to their initial conditions. This means that with revamping the customer can count on the same working efficiency and save even more than 50% compared to actual pump replacement».
Another important aspect that makes this service even more appreciated by customers is the working continuity of the installation, which is guaranteed by the fact that Azmec provides its customers with a replacement pump, i.e. a real “forklift truck” that prevents production downtime or reduction.
Customer support service is also highly appreciated. This service aims at maximising the efficiency of the installation rather than optimising spaces. Both in new installations and in already existing production plants, the working space is a value to optimize and use as best as possible for any company.
Mr Vergani continues and states that «once our technical specifications are accepted and followed and after a careful analysis of the site, also with an on-site inspection, our engineering department co-designs with the customer highly customised alternative solutions that make it possible for him to gain competitive edge thanks to his installations».
This utmost attention to the customer also means that Azmec works to develop ad hoc solutions, enabling it achieve a high level of efficiency both in the use of energy and in water consumption.
Mr Vergani believes that this «objective can be reached through the effective collaboration between all partners, helping to identify the best working conditions and thus the products in the most appropriate dimensions depending on each specific application».
The wide product range offered by Azmec is integrated with support and consultancy services with high added value; the picture shows the development of a customised installation layout for the GapCon paper mill in Tunisia to meet the customer’s specific needs.
In Italy and the world
Several industrial sectors benefit from Azmec’s products and services, both in Italy and abroad, including mainly the paper sector, besides the iron and steel, mining, petrochemical and energy sectors. In all these industries Azmec has reference customers in their respective areas of expertise. This is the case of the renowned important Austrian manufacturer Andritz, which bought 6 pumps from Azmec (4 of the ALC-Z series and 2 of the ALBV series) that were all installed in one of its paper mills in Japan; or Gharb Papier et Carton S.A, within a framework of an order to be delivered to Morocco that involved 3 vacuum groups of the ALC-Z series. Kenya (more specifically, Chandaria Industries LTD) was the destination of a recent project for the construction of a complete vacuum installation with 6 groups (4 of the AL/2000 series and 2 of the ALBV/2000 series), which were all delivered with centrifugal pumps, cooling tower, silencers, preseparators and spare parts. The production unit purchased by Kartotec S.A. in Paraguay last May, comprised of two ALC-Z vacuum groups, was also developed for the paper industry.
Mr Vergani adds and concludes that «another very interesting project has been recently developed in Italy for Enel Produzione SPA. In this case we manufactured 5 soundproof installations for the power stations in Pietrafitta, in the province of Perugia, S. Barbara, near Arezzo, Porto Corsini, Ravenna, Priolo Gargallo, Siracusa and Termini Imerese, in the province of Palermo».
For these installations Azmec provided on-site consultancy before obtaining the order, while for the Enel job all the start-up operations, which ended last May, were also carried out.
Thanks to the use of soundproof panels, Azmec can namely guarantee a noise level below 80 dB on all big groups and even below 75 dB for small-capacity groups. This objective can be reached thanks to a complete set of pump and accessories, which can be applied also on already existing installations.
The company in a nutshell
Azmec was established in 1960, when it started its activity as a company specialized in third party mechanic manufacturing. In 1964 it started its production of liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors, thereby accumulating experience and skills over the years that enable it to enjoy positive feedback and attract great interest at a national level thanks to the outstanding quality of its machines. In 1988 the shares were sold to the current owners, which were already active in the fild of pumps (centrifugal pumps), thereby widening the products on offer and the company’s market objectives both from a technical and a commercial viewpoint. Coordinated and led by its CEO Claudio Vergani, today Azmec is a solid family-run company with two production plants: the historical plant in Genoa, that has been in activity since the year of its foundation, and the plant in Verderio Inferiore (province of Lecco), which was established in 1993. The Genoa plant, which stretches over an area of about 1,700 sqm, is currently used for the construction of medium-sized vacuum pumps (with capacities up to 2,000 mc/h) and third party mechanic manufacturing processes, as well as the maintenance of pumps and installations. The Lecco plant, instead, focuses on the manufacturing of big liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors. This production is carried out with sophisticated CNC machine tools and is then tested in a modern and well-equipped testing room, where Azmec technicians test machines with absorbed powers of up to 250 kW thanks to the use of sophisticated equipment. Large investments in human resources and the development of new technologies have enable the company, which has been UNI EN ISO 9001 certified since 1998, to constantly grow in Italy and the world with a turnover of about 2.5 million Euros in 2015.
