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LEADING THE WAY IN GAS COMPRESSIONSwiss-based Enerproject SA is a leading gas compressorpackager for applications in the power generation, oil & gas,and refrigeration sectors, and is celebrating its 20th anniversarythis year. Sarah Pursey hears from Mr Vito Notari, GeneralSales Manager, about the company’s comprehensive rangeof gas compressor packages, its network of strategically locatedoffices and agents around the world, and the strong technicalbackground that has contributed to its success over the pasttwo decades. Written by Gemma Carter. Mr Vito Notari, General Sales Manager

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Enerproject was established in 1995 asa family-owned business and it remains sotoday, wholly owned by the Feretti family.By the early 2000s the company wasinstalling around 10–15 units per year,then it entered the Russian and Asianmarkets and upped its capacity to 40units per year. “Today, we have around70 employees in Switzerland,” Mr Notarireports, “in addition to all the peopleemployed by our subsidiaries and agents around the world: we have had subsidiaries in Russia and Thailand since2008 and Germany since 2012, while wehave agents in strategic locations world-wide, either in markets that we want toenter or those where we have some unitsalready installed. These subsidiaries andagents are focused only on sales and after-sales activities – all manufacturing iscarried out in Switzerland.”

Gas compression solutionsThe company focuses on three differentfields of application with its products andsolutions, namely power generation, oil &gas, and refrigeration. Mr Notari tells usmore about the roles of Enerproject’sequipment: “Our main line of productsis gas compressors, and in the power gen-eration sector these are used as a fuelbooster to increase the pressure of the gas,in order to achieve the pressure required torun a gas turbine. In the oil & gas industry,a gas compressor can be used to recover

the flare gas produced while extractingcrude oil: the gas is compressed and thengathered for specific needs, such as theproduction of electricity. Compressors arealso used in coal bed methane (CBM)gas applications to collect and compressthe gas. This is a low suction pressure gasgathering application, where CBM gas iscompressed and then sent into the maingas pipeline or used in the production ofelectricity – for the latter, mixing withnatural gas is required.“With respect to refrigeration, the appli-

cations are slightly different,” he continues.“Gas compressors are generally used tomove heat in refrigerant cycles, specificallyto cool down ethylene and other refrigerantmediums. The main difference betweenrefrigeration and other applications for ourgas compressors, however, is that in refrig-eration the unit is always based on aclosed-loop circuit.”One of the company’s recent develop-

ments, in terms of its product portfolio, is a

small compressor for biogas applications,which is easy to install and maintain, andcan be used for a wide range of gas types.“This is still quite a new product for us,”Mr Notari remarks, “having only beenlaunched on the market about two yearsago, yet it is proving popular and demandfor the solution is growing.”

In-house design & engineeringAt its headquarters in Mezzovico-Vira, insouthern Switzerland, Enerproject hasdepartments for administration, sales,‡

assembly, and project management andlogistics, as well as a technical departmentthat also incorporates R&D functions. “Ourassembly workshop covers an area of 4,000square metres,” states Mr Notari, “andthere are clearly defined areas of thefacility where we assemble different typesand sizes of compressor. With respect tomachinery, the workshop is equipped withfour cranes with capacities of 12, 15 and40 tonnes. “Although we are not a manufacturer,

we do all our own engineering in-house,and we invest substantially in IT, R&Dand the technical department in order toenhance our engineering capabilities,”he affirms. “Moreover, we provide all draw-ings and designs for our component sup-pliers, which deliver all the materialsnecessary for our projects, and weassemble everything in our workshop, in accordance with our designs. While thecomponents inside a gas compressor arerelatively standard, the performance of theproduct can be customised according tothe size and number of filters, coolingsystem requirement, ventilation controlsystem, and any other type of configura-tion changes – we take our lead from ourclients.”As an international company,

Enerproject can design, engineer and buildpackages that comply with all major stan-dards, including API (American PetroleumInstitute), ASME (American Society of

Mechanical Engineers) and GOST (forRussia and Belarus), and the company’squality management is certified in accor-dance with ISO 9001:2008. In addition,Enerproject readily complies with the rele-vant local standards when installing andcommissioning units in various countriesacross the globe.

Global reach with a local touch“Our client base mainly comprises EPCcontractors that procure our products forimplementation in their projects,” MrNotari informs us, “as well as the directend-users of those solutions, which tendto be customers that are investing in theirfacilities by replacing an old compressor orincreasing the capacity of their plant, forexample – including major oil & gas com-panies, such as Gazprom. In some cases,we also supply our products to gas turbinemanufacturers or packagers – such asKawasaki, Turbomach or Centrax – thathave received a request from the end-user

to provide a complete turbine and gascompressor package.“We are very happy with our success in

Thailand, this past year,” he notes, “wherewe have won three orders for a total ofseven large units. Each order is with a different contractor, all of which arewell known in the Asian market – namelyJurong, Toyo-Thai and Thai Shinryo. Ontop of that, we have succeeded in selling toimportant new customers within Europe,while we have also sold two units for solargas turbines. These fuel boosters are due

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to be used in a new test bench in theCzech Republic.”Aside from the assembly, installation

and commissioning of gas compressorpackages, aftersales support also forms a very important part of the company’sbusiness, with services ranging from spareparts and field servicing to training coursesand remote monitoring. “In every countrywhere we have sold or installed a unit, oneof our priorities is to find a local represen-tative that can provide aftersales serviceson our behalf,” asserts Mr Notari. “Oncewe have found a suitable partner, we trainthem at our workshop in Switzerland andsupport them directly, and if necessary wealso travel to their market in order to assistthem with their first installation or com-missioning of one of our units. Local after-sales capabilities are vital because we needto speak the same language as the customer– in some markets we can speak Englishand so can many of our customers, buthaving a local team that speaks the nativelanguage keeps our customers happy andensures a faster response.”In addition to the partnerships that

Enerproject enjoys with its agents aroundthe world, the company also has somestrategic partnerships with other firmsand suppliers, including a strategic collabo-ration with a supplier of different technolo-gies that Mr Notari hopes will enable thecompany to enter other new markets. “Ontop of that, we recently made an invest-

ment to acquire a new company inEurope,” he discloses. “The objectivebehind this investment was to enlarge ourmarket by selling more and a wider rangeof compressors, to a wider market area –this company also supplies gas compres-sors but in different sizes and in differentmarkets around the world. As a result ofthis investment – and by the end of thisyear, when the acquisition process hasreached full completion – we will haveautomatically increased our product range,particularly with regard to oil & gas andbiogas applications. Some of our clients arealready aware of this new development,but we will make an official announcementby the end of the year.”

Building on a technical backgroundAsked to pinpoint the factors that haveplayed a vital role in ensuring Enerproject’sgrowth and success over the past 20 years,Mr Notari explains that one of the com-pany’s greatest advantages is the fact that

all members of the management teamcome from a technical background that isspecific to the energy sector, having workedwith gas turbines and gas turbine packages.“Now, as a provider of compressors for gasturbines amongst other applications, weknow the market extremely well and weare aware of customers’ various needs,”he reflects. “We are not just saying that wecan deliver gas at a certain pressure, wealso know what the requirements are onthe other side. This enables us to pay closeattention to certain features within our

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packages, which, in turn, helps to differ-entiate us from other vendors.The configuration of the company has

also been a contributing element, as Mr Notari points out. “The fact thatEnerproject is family-owned, and themanagement team has a strong technicalbackground, has resulted in the develop-ment of a business that is highly flexiblewith a significant level of internal collab-oration between departments, as well asa company-wide desire to move forwardand enter new markets. Furthermore, wereally care about the quality and reliabilityof our products, and we appreciate theirimportance – it is one thing to assure a cus-tomer of the high standard of our productsduring a sales pitch, but if those productsdo not perform as expected we will not wina second order from that client. While ourproducts may sometimes be in a slightlyhigher price bracket than those of our com-petitors, the price reflects the level ofquality, and this is one of the reasons why our customers choose to work with us.”Going forward, Mr Notari has his eyes

set firmly on new geographical markets forthe business, which, as always, will involveseeking local partners in order to facilitatethe company’s continued growth. “The nextchallenge for us is to push forward into theMiddle East market,” he reveals. “We knowthat there is significant potential there forour products, and we are now investing in

various resources that will help us get toknow the clients and the market dynamic,in order to gain a footprint in that market.We have worked in the Middle East beforebut our presence is not particularly strong,and we would like to enter the market alittle more aggressively – perhaps even byestablishing a regional office there in thefuture,” Mr Notari concludes. o

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