When Multi-Wing debuted the new PressureMAX high pressure engine cooling fan at CONEXPO-Con/Agg 2011 in Las Vegas last week, some may have expected it to get lost in a sea of global vendors and products that stretched through the entire facility at the Las Vegas Convention Center including two vast outdoor lots. After all, it is just an 18-inch fan blade, give or take, and its initial diameter range is 24.5 to 51 inches: dwarfed by the multi-million dollar display of massive cranes, graders, loaders and heavy-duty trucks at the show. But a funny thing happened on the way to Tier 4 compliance: Multi-Wing changed the game for axial fan manufacturers, debuting the PressureMAX for Tier 4 applications at CONEXPO. In fact, engineering the new product specifically for Tier 4 requirements was such an essential component to its creation, Multi-Wing created the PressureMAX as its new standalone blade profile.

Because the demand for increased static pressure in a narrow profile fan has become universal in the Tier 4 world, the PressureMAX is literally the fan that Tier 4 built. It delivers 20 percent more static pressure and is 5-7 percent more efficient than standard airfoil blades with a low-noise signature. And with the PressureMAX’s narrow profile and virtually zero blade deflection, it is tailor made for Tier 4 engine compartments. Yet all the performance claims in the world would be worthless without the science to back up the PressureMAX. And to convey the weight of that process to the largest industrial equipment engineers and manufacturers in the world at the CONEXPO show, Multi-Wing Research and Development Engineer Toni Stannov flew in from Denmark to hold several private presentations on the PressureMAX in the Multi-Wing booth. Toni’s expertise in fluid mechanics was integral to this groundbreaking blade design, and he explained how the Multi-Wing research and development process brought the PressureMAX design to life.

As the global heavyweights in the off-highway diesel engine markets listened each day, Toni detailed the two-year path to the PressureMAX launch over and over again. Guests examined, twisted, and admired the prototype 12-bladed PressureMAX fan for five days, with no boundary between them and one of Multi-Wing’s top engineering minds. In the end, perhaps the most striking trend in the Multi-Wing booth at CONEXPO was to see the sales and marketing team standing in the background, as Multi-Wing’s innovative Tier 4 axial fan solution essentially sold itself on its engineering to visitor after visitor, bolstered by the engineering Q&A with Toni. And now that the PressureMAX has enjoyed such a powerful reception in the off-highway diesel engine market, the pressure’s really on to see just how far Multi-Wing’s new design might go in extended diameters across all markets.

Before the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) became law in 2007, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) worked to ensure that the legislation included stipulations for increased efficiency levels for electrical motors. The NEMA Premium program focused on new motor efficiency standards for several reasons. Premium efficiency motors (PEMs) reduce power consumption, which benefits the environment through the lower release of carbon dioxide. The program also helps consumers pinpoint PEMs that can help save money beyond first cost with a capital investment that can pay for itself in a few years, especially with high-duty cycles. Electric motors are a significant component in the operating budget for any commercial facility, and PEMs will be a key asset in working with potential power supply challenges and deregulation into the future.

According to NEMA.org, “NEMA Premium® labeled electric motors will assist purchasers to optimize motor systems efficiency, reduce electrical power consumption and costs, and improve system reliability. It is estimated that the NEMA Premium® efficiency motor program would save 5,800 gigawatts of electricity. This translates to preventing nearly 80 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the next 10 years — equivalent to keeping 16 million cars off the road.” You can read more at http://www.nema.org/gov/energy/efficiency/premium/index.cfm

Selecting a Premium efficiency motor, just like any axial fan, is entirely dependent upon using a precisely engineered solution for specific application requirements. Multi-Wing America’s tenure in the power generation industry has been built around engineering air-moving solutions tailored to the most precise specifications. Our high efficiency airfoil and sickle blade profiles are ideally suited for premium efficiency motors, and these are just two of the fans we currently specify for our customers for electric motors across a spectrum of applications.

Though precious few of our customers, prospects and readers have occasion to travel to Multi-Wing headquarters in Northeast Ohio, our facilities are nestled in a charming area known for its maple syrup, the horse-and-buggy traffic in one of the nation’s largest Amish communities, and Multi-Wing America’s axial fans. Despite our rural location, it’s no secret that Multi-Wing America has been building quality, heavy-duty fans for almost 40 years. We have a rich history of serving a broad range of industries and the unique requirements each application brings. As a result, our sales engineering and customer service staffs have thousands and thousands of conversations with customers every year to provide the best technical and product support in the air-moving industry, having built an unsurpassed knowledge base. Open access to that wealth of information and fan experience has long been one of our customers’ most valued benefits as they routinely indicate in our annual survey. And, now that the trade show season has begun, one of your best opportunities to see a variety of Multi-Wing’s industrial fans and get some face time with our sales engineering staff is to visit our exhibits during the 2010-11 season.

In order to provide superior engineering support to specific industries and maximize our expertise, Multi-Wing America created two vertical markets and dedicated engineering resources to those markets: http://www.multi-wing.net/products/browse-by-application/. On the HVAC & Refrigeration side, Steve Druhot and Larry Marsinek are expert in servicing your applications. You can find Steve and Larry at the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association Conference in Portland, November 16-19; the AHR EXPO in Las Vegas, January 31 through February 2; and the Industrial Refrigeration Conference and Heavy Equipment Show in Orlando on March 27-30. Jeff Phillips, Bob Bogdany and Vince Penny are the authorities for Multi-Wing America’s Radiator and Engine Cooling customers. You can consult with them at Power-Gen International in Orlando, December 14-16, and at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas on March 22-26.

Of course, our sales engineers and customer service staff are always available on the telephone or via email for those of you who don’t find yourself in Geauga County. And, our sales engineering staff travels the country year round in support of our customers. But if you want to corner a Multi-Wing America engineer to talk Optimiser – our fan selection software – fan blade profiles, or whatever your air-moving challenge may be, our trade shows are a unique opportunity to see just how adept our fan guys are at moving air: hot and cold. You can view our full exhibition schedule here on the site at: http://www.multi-wing.net/trade-shows/.

In today’s marketing-rich marketplace everyone talks about providing the best product, the best service, virtually the best of everything in search of the sale. So how do you separate the originals from the knock-offs? The quality organizations from the ones just trying to burrow into your business? Three words: ISO 9001 certification. The International Organization for Standardization sets the standards for businesses across a number of variables including quality, safety, the environment, reliability and cost. That’s why it’s just smart business to look for ISO 9001 certified companies when you’re looking for your axial fans as well.

ISO certification brings tremendous value to consumers looking for an axial fan company – value you may not fully understand. Most people associate ISO with product quality, but compliance runs much deeper than that. The ISO system requires vendors to satisfy all customer requirements before accepting an order which, in the axial fan business, ensures you will be getting exactly the fan you asked for. Choosing a non-ISO certified company could result in a number of problems including receiving the wrong fan for the job or missed deliveries. The negative domino effect that ensues includes prolonged downtime for your staff, missed deadlines, and a potentially indelible effect on your business with your customers.

The ISO system also requires businesses to define and monitor some level of customer satisfaction, which requires the constant pursuit of customer feedback on performance. At Multi-Wing America, that feedback has led to a number of developments in Optimiser – our fan selection software, our order confirmation process, and the production of our 3D models and drawings. Customer feedback is also a constant influence on our internal processes including our proprietary ShopFlow system which allows us to pinpoint each fan’s location in the manufacturing process. That enables us to act quicker on expedite requests; respond immediately to customer changes on a custom-designed fan; and pinpoint order status and adjust for each customer’s changing circumstances.

All ISO-certified companies rely on independent auditors for semi-annual review to ensure compliance, and they provide valuable feedback for improvement opportunities. ISO-certified companies must also continually strive for improvement, and at Multi-Wing America that includes providing shorter lead times by refining and improving our manufacturing process and shorter new part cycle times using standardized footprints, which leads to everyone’s favorite subject, reduced costs.

With more than 18,000 standards the ISO system and its certification tell you that the company you are dealing with performs to a higher standard. And at Multi-Wing America we respect that the ISO system has made us even more customer-centric by always striving to improve in every layer of the company. You should expect nothing less from your axial fan company.

Welcome to Multi-Wing America’s new website and very first blog post. Working in cooperation with Multi-Wing International in Denmark, we have built this new site with our customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico in mind. Our sales engineering staff talks with hundreds of people a day across the industrial heat exchange, HVAC, and refrigeration industries, and we have tried to organize the site’s information with a range of users in mind.

We get a lot of questions from people who need a fan in a hurry but don’t necessarily know what exactly they need. On the new multi-wing.net you can find your fan in a number of different ways: by blade profile, application or diameter. And if you aren’t sure how to determine your fan’s diameter, we can help you with that too by checking out our easy-to-use instructions complete with photographs. We have more information that describes our products and services, and we have tried to make it as easy as possible to “Find Your Fan Guy” when it comes to our sales engineering department.

Multi-Wing America’s Sales Engineers are a big part of what differentiates Multi-Wing from other companies. Our Sales Engineers are dedicated to specific markets and territories, and we strongly encourage you to reach out to your sales engineer with any questions you may have. Just as important, Multi-Wing America’s dedicated Customer Service Department is there to provide an extra level of support for every detail associated with your orders. You can locate your sales engineer by using the “Find My Fan Guy” feature on every page of the site, and you can find direct contact information for Customer Service under About Us: Our Organization.

Multi-Wing America is dedicated to bringing you the best technical and customer service support in the industrial fan business, and the new multi-wing.net is just one more example. We will update the site regularly with new information, photographs and additional features to help you solve all your air-moving challenges. Please take some time and have a look around, and you can always offer your feedback or suggestions at info@multi-wing.net. Thanks for visiting!