Projects

Leminar Industries Logo

Challenge

Leminar Air Conditioning Industries, a member of the Al Shirawi Group of Companies, is one of the largest manufacturers of HVAC ductwork in the Middle East. One of its main product lines is high quality sheet metal ducting as per DW-144 and SMACNA fabrication standards.

In response to the massive expansion of construction in the United Arab Emirates, Leminar Air Conditioning Industries LLC has decided to re-locate their existing business to the strategic location of Dubai Industrial City (DI). This new state of the art facility is very close to both the Al Maktoum International Airport and the Abu Dabi border.  This is an ideal location with excellent infrastructure offering easy access to all of the Emirates. The factory rebuild has also provided the company with the opportunity to include the Firmac Ltd UK fully automated Pro-Duct DRS with integral hollow stitched 20 & 30mm CGF1 flange system. This will increase their production capacity and speed of turnaround whilst still ensuring a constant quality of manufacture.

Solution

Pleased with the longevity and durability of their existing Firmac machinery, (purchased in 2004 for the Leminar Qatar Factory), Group Director Mr. Navin Valrani again looked to Firmac Ltd UK to propose a machine package that could satisfy the ever-increasing demands of the Middle Eastern market. In addition to the mandatory requirements of speed, increased capacity and quality, they also requested machinery which would provide flexible output capability  - the ability for one machine to make several different variations of ductwork such as plain ended, drive cleat H/M, integral flanges and plain flat sheets with minimal operator intervention.

Leminar’s technical team, led by Mr Dipak Bhadra worked alongside the Firmac design engineers to select the most appropriate combination of machinery to fulfill these requirements.

Firmac’s fully automated CGF1 / S & C PRO Duct DRS Line was selected for its versatile duct production capabilities. It can produce S & C cleated ducts, plain-ended ducts suitable for slide on flanges, and integral flanged ducts 20mm and 30mm.

The machine will also produce flat-notched ducts (like the Firmac MDF stage 1). This ductwork can be produced in flat pack form so that it can be easily transported long distances to far away sites and oil field projects.  The Firmac PRO Duct DRS Line was supplied with 8 decoilers and 8 select / waiting stations and has a special conveyor system which will take the S & C cleated ductwork direct to delivery area and CGF1 20mm and CGF1 30mm flanged ductwork to the corner inserter.

The package also included a free standing CGF1 20/30 Flange Roll Former, CGF1 Clip Roll Former and a 2 metre wide special folding machine for the production of duct fittings, elbows, reducers and Ts. Two pneumatic CGF1 corner clinchers were also provided to ensure the rigidity of the finished duct.

Remote access to the machine is achieved by a direct ethanet link ensuring that engineers in the UK can access every component on the machine, including the Rockwell control gear, PLC powerflex drives and hmi’s, 24/7.

Challenge

Established in 1978, BK Gulf LLC is a leading contractor in electrical, mechanical, instrumentation and building services within the UAE & Middle East market.

BK Gulf LLC’s has a deep understanding of the issues associated with providing highly specified projects to ever tightening deadlines. Realising that efficiencies could be gained by centralising the majority of construction work for individual projects in an off-site facility and then transporting the modules to site for installation would make the process quicker, cleaner and more efficient, they approached Firmac for specialist advice and assistance.

Solution

Firmac provided a ductwork consultancy service, assessing the needs of BK Gulf in order to provide a complete workshop, containing machinery which would increase production efficiencies.

BK Gulf LLC invested in a complete duct factory from Firmac, including a Drive Cleat Duct Line, two Mini-Lines, Pittsburgh Roll Former, S & C Cleat Roll Former, Auto Flange Machine, Powered Guillotine, Hydraulic Folding Machine, Power Swaging Machine and Cleat Benders.  

David Shimmons, Division Manager Modular Systems, at BK Gulf explains why Firmac was chosen to fit out the MSD factory. “Firmac provide much more than just excellent machinery. They understand our business and what we are striving to achieve and then deliver a full service resulting in a highly efficient duct work factory.  This includes recommendations on factory layout, machine configuration and even in education and training of our operators to run and maintain the machinery”.

Training of machine operators is crucial to the success of any project and following the installation and commissioning of any machinery, operators were trained in BK Gulf MSD’s Factory.  Service does not stop there. In addition to the one year warranty as standard from Firmac, BK Gulf also has now a store of spare parts in their factory.

Results

BK Gulf’s innovative approach, coupled with strategic investment in technology to support their customers’ growth plans is evident in the highly successful Modular Systems Division, whose aim is to keep onsite work to a minimum.

This division now manufactures complete construction modules, including all electrical, mechanical, piping and ductwork off site in their fully equipped factory. The modules are then transported to site, ready to install, making the process quicker, cleaner and more efficient.  Major projects that have benefited from the increased efficiency provided by the MSD service include universities, hospitals and airports including the largest airport project in the region in UAE.

BK GULF

Established in 1978, BK Gulf LLC is a leading contractor in electrical, mechanical, instrumentation and building services within the UAE & Middle East market. The company provides a complete contracting service and is backed by shareholders Balfour Beatty PLC and the Dutco Group.

http://www.bkgulf.com/

Watch Omron’s latest video Firmac's partnership with Omron leads to first fully automated duct forming machine and seen how these two forward thinking companies worked together, using the latest technology to produce the industry’s first fully automated duct forming machine.