High volume, low-speed fans become an essential part for automotive supplier
McDonald is facilities and maintenance manager for the plant, one of 139 Valeo facilities spread out over 25 countries. Ranked among the world's top automotive suppliers, Valeo designs, produces, and sells millions of parts every year. McDonald had grappled with the problem of keeping employees cool for a long time. It wasn't until he picked up a trade show brochure that he realized there was a simple solution. The brochure advertised Big Ass Fans out of Lexington, KY. The big fans, from 6 ft to 24 ft in diameter, move large volumes of air at slower speeds than high-velocity fans.
He added that the fans work well in the extreme negative pressure of the facility. "It's hard to use air handlers with negative pressure. The high-velocity fans we were using created huge problems. The dust from industrial processes made them really dirty. We had a full-time person taking apart and cleaning the smaller fans. The leading edge of Big Ass Fan is much easier to clean our smaller fans."