Compressor KPIs: What Are They and How Can They Be Used?

If you own or operate an industrial operation that relies on compressed air systems, then you know exactly how important it is for these systems to run as efficiently as possible. Inefficient compressed air systems can cost companies thousands of dollars every year and take a toll on equipment over time. Therefore, it’s important for companies in the industrial sector to take a look at all of the Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, associated with their compressed air systems. KPIs can be used to evaluate the performance of systems and to improve the overall compressed air efficiency in your facility.

There are a handful of KPIs that can be measured during routine inspections of compressed air systems.

For efficiency, power consumption is a KPI. There are many companies that don’t monitor their power consumption closely enough over time to see if they could reduce it, and again, it ends up costing them money. The basic measure could be CFM/HP or CFM/KW (the inverses KW/CFM is often used). It would be good to compare the CFM to standard SCFM conditions to adjust for temperature and other atmospheric conditions. It is important to measure the actual CFM going to the plant. If done properly this KPI will provide valuable information as to how well the supply of compressors online is matched to the demand.

One KPI that represents demand is to compare CFM to production measures. Examples of this are CFM/parts produced per week or month. It could also be CFM/tons produced. This KPI will provide a good indication of compressed air wasted at the process or an increase in leakage or artificial demand.

One other important KPI is system pressure. As the pressure increases in your system, so will the power consumption, which could end up costing you additional money. By keeping your system pressure within an acceptable range, you can cut costs and make your system more efficient. The KPI can be measured as an average pressure as well as a standard deviation around that average.

There are other KPIs that can also be monitored to evaluate how efficiently a compressed air system is running as well. Air flow, temperature and carbon footprint are all KPIs that you should be keeping an eye on. By keeping track of KPI data and crunching numbers based on your findings, you can make your operation running more efficiently in the future. As it is often stated, you cannot control what you do not measure.

At Case Engineering Inc., we’ve been designing, maintaining and servicing compressed air control systems for more than 30 years. Contact us at 812-422-2422 to learn more about how we can make your company’s compressed air system better and more efficient today.