Improving Air Quality and Temperature Control with Destratification Fans for Packing Centers
Packing centers combine production lines, printing and finishing equipment, storage areas, employee changing rooms, canteens, and large warehouse-style spaces within the same building. Machinery, lighting, high occupancy, paper or cardboard particles, odors, and process-related contaminants can create different indoor air-quality and temperature challenges across the facility. Airius systems can help improve air circulation, reduce temperature stratification, and provide supplemental air purification in appropriate areas while working alongside existing HVAC and filtration systems.
The Challenge
Packaging operations can create demanding indoor environments for both production employees and support staff. Production machinery and equipment generate heat throughout the workday, while high ceilings can allow warm conditioned air to accumulate well above occupied areas. Large production floors may also develop stagnant zones where air does not circulate effectively.
Depending on the packaging process, facilities may also contend with airborne paper or cardboard particles, dust, odors, inks, adhesives, and other process-related contaminants. Employee changing rooms, break areas, and canteens present a different challenge because large numbers of workers may occupy relatively compact spaces during shift changes and breaks.
At Smurfit Kappa’s packaging facilities in Brno and Olomouc, the company wanted to provide additional protection for employees in changing rooms and canteens, particularly because workers passed through changing areas immediately before entering production.
The Airius Solution
Airius systems can address both air circulation and indoor air-quality challenges across different areas of a packaging facility.
For packing centers, two Airius systems are particularly well suited.
Air Pear EC Series
The Air Pear EC Series is well suited for packaging production floors, storage areas, warehouses, and other larger spaces where temperature stratification and uneven air circulation are the primary concerns. Its focused columnar airflow helps return accumulated ceiling-level air toward occupied areas while improving circulation throughout large production environments. Multiple models accommodate different ceiling heights and coverage requirements, while variable-speed EC motors allow airflow to be adjusted around production schedules, seasonal conditions, and changing facility needs.
PureAir Series
The PureAir Series is particularly valuable in changing rooms, employee break areas, canteens, offices, and other occupied spaces where indoor air quality is a priority. PureAir combines Airius air-circulation technology with air purification to continuously circulate and treat air within the occupied space. The system can help reduce airborne particles and odors while improving overall air movement without requiring extensive modifications to existing ductwork. PureAir was the solution selected for the Smurfit Kappa facilities.
Potential Benefits
A properly designed Airius installation could help reduce stagnant areas, improve air circulation throughout production and employee spaces, reduce temperature differences between floor and ceiling levels, and help existing HVAC systems distribute conditioned air more effectively. PureAir systems can provide supplemental air treatment in high-occupancy employee areas while Air Pear systems can improve circulation across larger production and storage spaces. For facilities using both systems, different environmental problems can be addressed independently rather than trying to use one HVAC strategy for every area of the building.
Proven Results
Smurfit Kappa wanted to improve indoor environmental conditions for employees at its paper packaging facilities in Brno and Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Following a review of both facilities, Airius PureAir units were installed in employee changing rooms and canteens, areas that experience concentrated occupancy during shift changes and breaks.
The systems provided continuous air circulation and purification while also helping recirculate warm air within the occupied spaces. Following installation, Smurfit Kappa benefited from continuous air treatment, improved circulation, reductions in airborne particles and odors, and an additional layer of protection for employees using these shared areas.
The installation also demonstrated how air purification and circulation can be introduced into an operating packaging facility without extensive alterations to the existing HVAC infrastructure.
Pack in better airflow
Every packaging operation has different production processes, machinery, ceiling heights, employee areas, storage requirements, HVAC systems, and indoor air-quality concerns. Airius systems can be selected and positioned around those conditions, using PureAir where air quality and employee spaces are priorities and Air Pear systems where larger production and storage areas require improved temperature distribution and circulation.
The objective isn’t simply to move more air. It’s to improve the environment across the different spaces where packaging employees actually work.
