Interview with Alessandro Grassi, General Manager of Frigosystem
Plastech publishes an interview with Alessandro Grassi, General Manager of Frigosystem. The company was one of the almost 700 exhibitors at Plastpol exhibition in Kielce, Poland, on May this year. Plastpol is the largest fair event dedicated to the plastics industry in Central and Eastern part of Europe.
Mr. Grassi, could you describe Frigosystem company?
Alessandro Grassi: - Frigosystem was founded more than thirty years ago. From its very beginning, the company has dedicated itself to the construction of water cooling machines and systems used to process plastics, chemicals and for machine tools.
The company, which presently exports about 40% of its production, is in close contact with the major national and international manufacturers in the field and is dedicating itself almost entirely to the design and construction of custom made systems. In fact, the client are expanding the number of machines they use, and therefore the request for centralized, modular and expandable systems is increasing and requires dedicated engineering and construction. In designing its equipment, Frigosystem dedicates much attention to both environmental protection and energy savings, so, according to this concept, it offers water recycling and water cooling systems which greatly reduce the use of energy.
We have decided to move and to establish our structure in Poland. At the moment we have two sites. One is in Wroclaw, where we have an office with a service. The second office is situated in Lodz. It includes sales and service. Thanks to this location we are able to cover the south-east of the country with the first office and the north west (above Warsaw) with the office in Lodz. We believe so much in the Polish market that we have established our own company Frigosystem Polska.
Tell us please something about the company’s future plans.
At this moment we want to introduce to clients our Temperature Control Unit available between 3 and 100kW with water pressurized up to 180 degrees and oil up to 350 degrees. Apart from that, we are a manufacturer of chillers, offering a complete opportunity for big cooling drain solutions. Recently we have prepared a complete cooling platform for an extrusion line at Sealed Air Polska near Warsaw. It uses 300kW chillers (plast recooling) and 13 temperature control units, all 200 degrees. Moreover he biggest investment of our company in Poland is Almo Polska in Wroclaw. Its a complete cooling plant for injection mold machine and extrusion line composed by two systems.
The one for the injection mold machine includes 1000kW plast cooling power and douple pre-cooling – for the mold and a pre-cooling for the hydraulics. The application at Almo is now working for 24 months and saving energy. The same plant as in Almo, but smaller (350 degrees) has been applied in the thermoforming line at the refrigerator manufacturers for Whirlpool, Sony and LG.
The turnover for our company in Poland is expected to be around 1million Euros.
What is your expectations concerned with our region?
The Polish market is very promising for Frigosystem, because of many investments being made. Despite the crisis, Polish companies are making investments, having a source of financing from the EU, they are able to apply new technologies providing energy and costs saving which are crucial in these times.
Polish sites are designed to takeover company’s contractors from the region. We wish the Frigosystem Polska sites to provide service for our appliances present in Poland. We are also planning for the polish sites of Frigosystem to project and produce complete lines with the full piping projecting to provide maximal energy saving for our Polish contractors needs.
This year it was a first visit for Frigosystem Polska at Plastpol Exhibition in Kielce as a individual and direct distributor.
What was the main reason for your decision on establishing an independent Frigosystem office in Poland?
-Our previous distributor was representing also the producers of similar equipment of companies which are our potential competitors. We decided that it is more convenient for Frigosystem to act independently.
As you mentioned Frigosystem is well known in the area of cooling technology. What are the most distinguishable features of your systems?
Frigosystem has designed a system for cooling the process water required for plastic processing machines with substantial reduction in the use of energy, the cost of which is variable and subject to continuous rise. The problems in water treatment and make up water as well as those concerned with limiting formation of scales and oxides or corrosion in the equipment have led to the adoption of the closed circuit solution. The water coolers consists of a refrigerator unit comprising a compressor, condenser and evaporator. The heat absorbed by the refrigerant fluid passing from the liquid to the gaseous phase, takes place in the evaporator at the heat possessed by the process water. The machines are also provided with fans for cooling the condenser to which the refrigerant fluid yields heat after compression when passing from the gaseous to the liquid phase.
In conventional system, the compressor is permanently operating and mechanical power is thereforrneeded to achieve water cooling. Whit a view to energy saving, Frigosystem has installed a heat exchanger in the refrigerator units, through which the process water can be coolerd by using the atmospheric air. The latter, forced by condenser fans, impinges on this supplementary radiator. Hence under favorable atmospheric conditions, the free cooling system allow the compressors to be stopped in the cooling circuit, with substantial energy saving. Such savings (according to Frigosystem is assessments and on the basis of results obtained with a pilot plan installed in North Italy) can exceed the average value over a yearly basis by 50%. For the production of process water at 15 degree Celsius, the free cooling system could be used from the end of September to mid April. Obviously in colder regions, there would be a wider span of months in which the system can be used with greater advantages in the amount of energy saved.
Frigosystem also launched recently in the market the new generation line of Dry Coolers.
Yes it is the truth. Industrial processes require large amounts of cold water and often the temperature required are very close to highest ambient temperature. For this reason Frigosystem has projected the new Dry coolers DCS, that gives very important results in saving energy and costs. DCS is completely manufactured in aluminium Anticorodal, for long life, and projected with a new heat-exchanger design, that permit to work also with ambient temperature as -20°c without having antifreeze inside the piping. Frigosystem Dry coolers serie DCS, can work in closed circuit, without needing of fresh water, that eliminate all the trouble shooting of the cooling towers. Moreover the new range of DCS are very efficient in comparison to cooling tower. DCS could be delivered with the new generation spry system, that give the possibility to work in very critical ambient temperature without any efficiency loosing.
DCS line could be connected with all previous and existing plants, they could be controlled by new generation microprocessor that give the possibility to save the maximum energy also thanking the use of a 3 way proportional valve. This amount of energy saving will be never possible with the usual standard On/Off systems.
How do you find this year’s Plastpol exhibition comparing it with the previous editions?
We can see the exhibition organizers have made some improvements modernizing the halls. In our opinion, the Plastpol is at the moment the only important plastics industry exhibition. Therefore we are also planning to exhibit next year.
