Soler & Palau, or S&P, was founded in 1951 in Ripoll, Spain, near Barcelona, and has since expanded to six development centers and 25 factories worldwide. S&P ventilation systems can be found in many commercial and residential applications, from innovative, quiet, and reliable room ventilators to large-diameter, high-capacity exhaust systems designed for critical applications in some of the world's harshest environments.
S&P has chosen ABB’s Baldor-Reliance EC Titanium motors to power its air filtration cabinets, offered to a partner OEM for use in supply air units in the health market. These units help address air quality and health needs by increasing filtration in indoor environments in residential and commercial buildings. S&P is a fan manufacturer and partners with air handling OEMs to allow customers to buy a complete system. OEMs demand high performance from S&P, and therefore S&P demands high performance from its motors. ABB’s ability to meet these needs, coupled with our commitment to our corporate values and customer service, played a vital part in S&P choosing ABB motors.
EC Titanium was not the only motor tested by S&P. The first option was a third party-supplied axial fan powered by a permanent magnet motor; however, technical support was insufficient, and the supplier was an S&P competitor in the fan market. The second option was a motor with good technology and backed by strong customer support, but the large motor’s size and weight made it impractical for the application. EC Titanium outperformed the others in testing while providing exceptional added value. The motors’ compact size results in less turbulent airflow and quieter operation, while design and performance features mean that S&P can offer systems with increased speed range, better airflow control and increased of air quality filtration in the overall system capability to end-users. Using a standard NEMA frame motor and S&P’s own fan designs adds variable speed control to the fan systems and lets the company provide custom solutions to the marketplace. The wide operating speed range of the motor helps S&P standardize all fan designs, using fewer motor part numbers and decreasing carrying inventory costs. Finally, ABB’s strong brand reputation and technical and project support enabled S&P to be fully comfortable during the evaluation process.
The reduced installation time, better ability to be competitive, expanded capability and speed range offering for our customers were all deciding factors when selecting EC Titanium,” said David Ortiz, S&P Mexico Technical Director. “We are able to have better control of air flow and provide more custom solutions for end customers.”
S&P was able to lower the system’s installation time by 35 percent and the total cost by 60 percent because of EC Titanium’s ease of use and simple connectivity, as explained by Angelica Flores, Lab Manager at S&P in Puebla, Mexico. Additionally, wireless setup using EC Titanium’s smartphone app, ECMTools Mobile, allowed for quick and easy programming with no special software or cables, further reducing commissioning time.
Currently, S&P uses EC Titanium only in its air filtration cabinet product family; however, the company will test them in centrifugal in-line products, axial and down blast fans, as well as powered roof ventilator (PRV) fans. S&P also hopes to focus on other applications such as wall fans, changing from one larger unit to four smaller fans, for a smaller, simpler, quieter, and more efficient solution. EC Titanium will be considered in many of these new configurations.
