ADESA Corporation
ADESA Corporation entered the vehicle redistribution industry in 1989. It now has over 60 facilities throughout North America, including state-of-the-art facilities in most major markets. They offer a range of reconditioning services from detailing to light mechanical work and dent repair. ADESA employs nearly 11,000 people. More than 8,700 of these employees are located in the United States and Mexico, with the remaining located in Canada. About 380 employees work at the headquarters in Carmel, Indiana.
In early 2006 ADESA was looking for a spray booth company in New England to design, install and later service a new state-of-the-art refinish facility for their auction business located in Framingham, MA. The Design team at Managed Air Systems (MAS) presented a proposal that included paint spray booths, compressors, compressed air piping, and a central vacuum system in one turnkey package. After reviewing the proposal, ADESA awarded the job to MAS.
A key factor in ADESA's decision was the opportunity for one-stop-shopping with a company that designed, installed and serviced all of the equipment, thereby eliminating the need for multiple service contracts. This is where MAS shines. Our company specializes in the design and supply of an integrated solution, with multiple products, and a comprehensive after-the-sale service program tailor made for the customer’s needs. MAS entered into a special 5-year service contract with ADESA to establish a long-term working relationship and to ensure optimum performance from the equipment.
One important consideration in the design process was the emphasis on investing in environmentally friendly equipment for the long-term. We are all aware of the attention given to “being green” today, and MAS, along with its key manufacturing partners, was able to design a highly efficient system for ADESA by taking advantage of the latest technology in electronics and natural gas air handlers.
Accordingly, the spray booths use variable frequency drive (VFD) technology, which provides a soft start, economy mode and monitoring for maximum filter life, due to a tuned auto balance system. The compressors also use this VFD technology, providing a soft start for the motors and only running at the HP percentage necessary for the required air distribution at any given time. Integrated into the compressed air system, MAS designed an air piping system made by Transair, which uses aircraft grade aluminum to minimize resistance and corrosion, and to eliminate the possibility of leaks.
The result of this collaborative design is a state-of-the-art refinish facility. The actual production environment is 60,000 sq. ft. Within this footprint there are three high production, 66’ long tunnel booths capable of painting and curing three automobiles at one time at temperatures over 200° Fahrenheit, five 27’ long primer booths capable of curing at 200° Fahrenheit, three pressurized paint mix stations, and one 20’ wide by 20’ high by 66’ long high capacity truck refinishing spray booth. On average, this facility handles 78 cars per day, five days per week in eight hour shifts, not including any truck work.
The facility’s compressed air system is driven by two 50 HP compressors with a lead VFD-driven unit feeding over 3,000 linear feet of aluminum piping. Dust extraction is handled by a 50 HP turbine-powered central vacuum system with cyclonic filtration and pulse jet automatic cleaning.
Managed Air Systems is proud to say that, due to the success of our first installation with ADESA in 2006/2007, the ADESA Corporation has chosen MAS as the national supplier for Atlas Copco compressors and Transair piping for all of their facilities across the country. In addition, MAS is just completing a second major project with ADESA and their General Contractor (Shiel Sexton Co.) in Belton, Missouri that is approximately 80,000 sq. ft. under roof. In 2009 MAS will be working with ADESA to outfit two new facilities with similar equipment.
