Landsport: Ramping Up Clean Air Results

Landsport, headquartered in Sturgis, South Dakota, manufacturers heavy-duty aluminum ramps for large vehicles and heavy equipment. Their customers count on them to stand behind their work. They came to RoboVent looking for a clean air partner who would do the same.

The Problem
The Landsport manufacturing facility employs three full-time welders to assemble the aluminum ramps. In addition to welding, the manufacturing process also requires a lot of grinding. Welding smoke and grinding dust combined to create a dirty, unpleasant work environment. General Manager, Randy Tinnell was concerned about the smoke workers were exposed to inside the facility. Additionally, soot accumulated on all surfaces, making it challenging to keep the facility and raw inventory clean.

Before coming to RoboVent, Landsport tried a solution from a different company that failed to produce the desired results. The filters plugged up rapidly, and the units made little difference in the visible haze in the factory. As a result, workers often kept the doors open in the facility to let fresh air in and blow out some of the smoke, causing significant energy loss.

The RoboVent Solution
Landsport contacted RoboVent for a better answer. After conducting an initial assessment, our engineers recommended installation of two DFX-3000 units to clean out the smoke and dust in the 4,500-square-foot shop.

RoboVent installed the initial equipment in September of 2012, along with a smoke wall to help contain fumes in the welding area for easy extraction. The system helped, but not enough—there was still visible haze in the facility. Our engineers returned later that year to evaluate the problem. Ultimately, they recommended and installed a more powerful solution—at no additional cost to Landsport. A 13000-10 unit was installed in January, 2013 to fulfill the RoboVent Clean Air Guarantee.

The Result
The new equipment provided the results Landsport was looking for. Tinnell reports that the shop is now “ten times cleaner”—making weekly cleaning much faster. Raw inventory stays cleaner, too, so they don't need to clean the stock before they run it through the saws. Workers appreciate breathing cleaner air and working in a more pleasant environment. And the facility is no longer losing energy by keeping doors open.

Three years later, Landsport is still thrilled with the results. They have since moved to a larger, 10,000-square-foot facility, and have been able to replicate the results with the same equipment.

“RoboVent offered to come help us with the move, but it was actually pretty easy to recreate the same configuration ourselves,” says Tinnell. “I can't say enough about RoboVent's service and support. They stood behind their clean air guarantee, and three years later they are still there if I need them.”