Bringing some cool to the U.S.: Italian heat transfer manufacturer enters U.S. market; offers Tier 3 cooling systems through master distributor

Diesel Progress North American Edition, May, 2006 by Dawn M. Geske

Italian heat exchanger manufacturer Emmegi S.p.A. has entered the U.S. market with the formation of master distributor Emmegi U.S.A. The new distribution operation targets both the U.S. and Mexico, offering its range of heat exchanger products direct to OEMs and through a dealer base.

"This is a huge, very important market in the world," said John Pokluda, manager at the Woodbridge, Conn.-based Emmegi U.S.A. "Everyone knows that many companies here produce all over the world, so strategically this is a very important market to be a part of."

Through the Woodbridge location, Emmegi U.S.A. offers a range of oil coolers, air coolers, water radiators, side-by-side 'combi coolers' and water-oil shell and tubes, all with application in construction machinery, compressors, specialist trucks, agricultural equipment, hydraulics and rail.

The company also offers complete customization of these products, which according to Pokluda is key with Tier 3 emissions requirements. "We're getting inquiries because manufacturers are repowering their equipment, needing charge-air coolers with different heat loads," he said. "People are seeking new cooler designs.

"We're valuable to these customers when they need someone to develop a custom design. We're very good at getting in on the ground floor and developing just what they need in performance and available space."

In either customized or standard models, the coolers are an aluminum-brazed design which Pokluda said, "is a very efficient design with high reliability, good performance and maximum design flexibility." Configurations include air fin designs with waved, louvered or "clean air" designs for agricultural applications. Cores are available in one-, two- or multi-pass design, and include options such as integrated bypass and internal fluid turbolators for higher efficiency.

Products in the Emmegi portfolio include combined coolers for mobile machinery, the MG Air series and HPA series of air-oil heat exchangers (which includes a range of compact units), and the HPA TK series of heat exchangers, which are equipped with an integrated surge tank for application in closed circuit hydraulic assemblies. Oil side working pressures are 290 psi and 507 psi gauge test.

The company also offers a line of water-oil shell and tube heat exchangers in one-, two- or four-pass circuits for use with fresh or sea water. Operating pressure on these units is 174 psi with a maximum operating temperature of 478[degrees]F.

For applications where it is not possible to directly connect the heat exchanger to the oil return circuit because of hammering and variable oil flows, Emmegi has developed a line of autonomous cooling systems with its CSU series and Silent series, a lower dB(A) version. These off-line air-oil cooling units circulate oil, cool it and return it back into circulation using a vane or screw pump and an electric motor-driven bypass valve to operate the air-oil heat exchanger.

The company's CC series of combined systems for oil-injected screw compressors integrates a dual-circuit aluminum cooler (oil and air) and axial motor-driven fan within a steel housing for 5.3 to 147.5 hp power circuits. It also provides 3-D design capabilities, computer-based thermodynamic modeling and a line of accessory products such as temperature regulators, temperature switches and cooling water valves.

The mainline products, as well as all custom designs, are produced at the Emmegi S.p.A. facility in Cassano d'Adda, Italy, and then shipped to Emmegi U.S.A. for North American delivery. "All are available for sale here with either metric or U.S. thread connections," said Pokluda. "This is the market we've wanted to get into for several years. We look at the U.S. as an important market and have high hopes for success here."

While Emmegi S.p.A. only began exporting products from Italy in 1995, the company said that exports now account for 70% of its overall business. As its business progresses, Emmegi U.S.A. said it plans to begin inventorying product in the U.S. with long-term plans for manufacturing.