The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way we think about and use technology, and the air compressor industry is no exception. 

The integration of IoT technology into the industrial sector (also known as the Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT) has made new levels of efficiency and reliability possible at the field and facility levels. 

The ability to collect and analyze data in real time gives facilities that use compressed air the opportunity to examine their air demand more closely and to optimize their compressors’ performance. 

These kinds of metrics and analytics are incredibly valuable because they offer detailed insights into a compressed air system’s patterns and trends. With sufficient data, facilities have the ability to problem solve and course-correct where necessary. 

You would think plant staff and technicians would be able to access these kinds of metrics and analytics easily. 

But most of the time, they can’t. It’s often a fight with the OEM to access data on air compressors that the plant has already bought and is actively using.

If that sounds absurd on its face, it’s because it is.

What transparency is and why it matters

Transparency refers to the practice of making information and data easily accessible and understandable. As you can imagine, transparency is particularly important when it comes to microprocessors, flowmeters, and other data-generating compressed air technology. If companies can’t see how their compressed air is being used, they can’t keep their operation running smoothly or reliably. 

Makes sense, right? 

In an ideal world, things would never get to a point where you’re in your backup compressor, racing the clock to troubleshoot the main one before you face a go/no-go situation that would jeopardize production or output. But the reality is variables, human error, ambient conditions, and acts of God just happen sometimes. Things can go wrong without any one person or company being at fault. 

Regardless, you need a way to identify what caused your leak, shutdown, reduced output, or other issue in your compressed air system so you can troubleshoot it without downtime.

So when the next indicated step is to call your distributor, but you can’t get in touch with them – or worse, when you can reach them, but they won’t give you the information you need to troubleshoot and service your equipment because it’s “proprietary” – what started out as a relatively manageable annoyance quickly becomes a dire straits situation for your plant. 

Solution: just pay for an external module or RFID! 

But you were promised full access to your compressor’s data for a year from the date of purchase.

They told you you didn’t need an RFID.

Only a manufacturer-certified technician can service your airend, but no one can be there until next week.

And the warranty is null if someone from your plant tries to work on it.

Times are changing 

It’s 2023. Which means that, first of all, no one should be waiting a week for service on anything, ever. 

Second of all, it means that end users expect free access to information that it would be objectively unreasonable to pay for – and rightly so.

Withholding data, specs, analytics, and formulas under the guise of safeguarding “proprietary information” is quickly becoming an outdated and socially unacceptable practice, and generations Y and Z are not here for it. 

They expect transparency and honesty. And they’re really tired of not getting it. 

What transparency actually means to Tamsan-USA 

Tamsan-USA compressors are built with top-of-the-line microprocessors that you can tie easily into your own BMS - no external module required. Tamsan-USA compressors will never require RFID cards or use mechanisms that were created to lock you out of your own equipment. 

We want to be a source of indefinite open access to our customers. We do not hide manuals, require passwords to microprocessors, or customize our compressor parts so that you’re always forced to buy from us. 

And we don’t want you to have to call us! If we’re doing our jobs correctly, you will be able to find all the information you need to make your compressed air system reliable yourself because it will be readily available to you and easy to access. 

In the event that you do need to call us, we will be honored and thankful to hear from you, and will genuinely be glad to help however we can. But we’re never going to tell you that you can’t understand something, can’t troubleshoot something, can’t service something, can’t learn something yourself. We believe that people are infinitely capable when they’re given unrestricted access to the resources they actually need to succeed. 

The old ways have, to this point, survived on the illusion of terminal uniqueness and the misguided belief that the way things have always been done is the way they should always be done. But there is much to learn, room to grow, and space for change.  

So we commit to you: whenever we have information (manuals, specs, flyers, warranties, other useful literature), we will post it openly online. We will make it available for sharing, download, screenshotting, texting, emailing, DMing, printing, and reproducing. We will answer your questions if our materials and available data can’t. 

And we will tell you the truth. Always.