COVER STORY 75 YEARS OF CONDAIR I
Tony Fleming, Managing Director at humidity control specialist, Condair Limited, reflects on the company celebrating its 75 year anniversary
t’s a wonderful achievement for a company to mark three quarters of a century in business. Condair’s slogan is “Humidity for a better life” and the organisation’s longevity reflects this commitment to improving the lives of its customers by solving their humidity- related issues.
Over the last 75 years, Condair has helped
improve productivity in industry and commerce around the world across hundreds of sectors. By managing indoor humidity, it has reduced static problems in industries such as textiles, printing and electronics. Made possible advanced manufacturing in pharmaceutical and medical device technology. Reduced waste and improved product quality in food manufacturing. Lowered the cost of cooling in sectors like data centres and telecommunications, and helped preserve priceless artworks like the Mona Lisa. However, its roots started not in humidity control but in disinfection. The company was founded in Switzerland in 1948, when a chemist named Dr Bernard Joos, created an air spray disinfection system to protect the health of cattle. The product went on to be used in many different sectors and the associated benefits of raising air humidity were soon recognised, particularly in the ageing of Swiss cheese. The company, then called Defensor, went on to develop air humidifiers through the fifties and sixties, in competition with the other main global player in the sector, Plascon. Spray and evaporative humidification technologies were advanced by the two companies, along with the invention of the electrode boiler steam humidifier in the sixties. This type of humidifier creates steam by passing electrical current through water. It has since been copied by many other humidifier manufacturers, and is still probably the widest used industrial humidifier technology in the world. Both leading humidifier companies, Defensor and Plascon, were brought together when a Swiss importing business, Walter Meier, acquired them. Further acquisitions in the sector resulted in a total of 12 humidifier companies being merged into a single organisation in 2012 under the brand of Condair. Along with the streamlining of all the distinct brands into one, all manufactured technologies were aligned along with internal processes and systems. Today Condair operates as a single entity, with its headquarters still in Switzerland, its own sales and service offices in 23 countries, employing over 850 people, and with distribution partners in a further 50 other regions. It manufactures from facilities in Asia, Europe and North America and is the only humidifier manufacturer in the world to offer all types of humidification technology. This makes the organisation ideally placed to always
provide the most appropriate solution for its customers’ projects, as it has no technology bias. Locally in the UK, the company has had a footprint for over 40 years, under different company names. This includes JS Humidifiers, which became a member of the Condair Group back in 2011 and rebranded to Condair shortly afterwards. Our UK office is located in Littlehampton and employs 65 people, with a nationwide network of sales and service engineers. I’m very proud to be able to say that more than half of Condair’s UK employees have been with the organisation for over 10 years. This extensive experience means that we can offer clients invaluable application knowledge, combined with a very comprehensive product portfolio. This extends beyond humidifiers to include dehumidifiers and a range of evaporative cooling systems. To stay at the forefront of the sector, the Condair Group continues to innovate and develop its product range with new smart features. Soon to-be-released IoT connected control systems will provide the end customer with real-time monitoring and remote support direct from the manufacturer. Also, by striding into the residential market with innovative new products offering whole-house, fully installed humidifiers controlled by a phone app, Condair is again pushing the boundaries for the industry. Alongside its commitment to improving the life of global industry through advanced humidity control, Condair is passionate about making indoor environments a healthier place to be and has long championed the positive purpose of the sector.
The benefits of maintaining indoor humidity at between 40-60%RH to inhibit the spread of airborne infections has long been recognised in scientific studies dating back to the 1940’s.
Research has shown the positive effects of maintaining a mid-range indoor humidity on combatting infections, such as influenza and coronaviruses. At 40-60%RH viruses released by infected individuals remain airborne and infectious for a shorter time, and the human immune system is more able to robustly defend itself.
Condair is dedicated to promoting this message of managing indoor humidity for health to improve the life of building occupants. Over the years, it has supported the scientific community in its research, as well as lobbying for the necessary regulatory changes to make our built environment a healthy place for all. We see this as our responsibility as a leading manufacturer in the HVAC sector, and not just in relation to humidity control. Maintaining a proper level of indoor environmental quality must take a holistic approach, incorporating a healthy level of humidity, alongside management of other vital factors such as ventilation, air filtration, temperature, light, etc. It is fascinating to think that 75 years ago the company’s mission was to improve the lives of cows in cattle sheds, but since then it has expanded its horizons to improve the lives of millions by enhancing industrial productivity and today we set our sights on improving life through enhancing human health. We are very proud of our company’s values and heritage, and we are all delighted to be able to wish ourselves a very happy 75th anniversary. We look forward to providing all our stakeholders with “Humidity for a better life” for many years to come.
14 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2023 Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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