Pilot Air manufactures Australia’s leading air compressor solutions for the Australian market. It’s an Aussie success story, and Manufacturers’ Monthly sat down with the company’s CEO, Martin Wyllie, to discover the secret to its success.
Father and son John and Eddie Pilotto founded the business in 1980, hence the name Pilot Air. John migrated to Australia after the second world war from Italy and worked in the compressed air industry, when he identified an opportunity in the higher-end quality market.
As a natural- born inventor, he and Eddie set about building Australia’s first reciprocating pump and air compressor units in John’s garage. John realised that fitting his air compressors with the best pumps available was of key importance, and he began importing Italian-manufactured pumps that were designed to do the job and do it with the utmost performance and reliability.
“John was focused on quality. He knew that building quality equipment would sustain the business and build its reputation. The pumps did cost much more than local or cheaper overseas products; however, it is this commitment to quality that still drives Pilot Air to this day. Our local manufacturing, supported by the parts we import from Italy, are the best money can buy and a big reason why Pilot Air is renowned for quality and consistency,” said Wyllie.
The 1980s was a pivotal decade for the business. The success of its rotary screw air compressor led the father and son to expand to a larger factory in NSW and continually refine and improve the design and componentry of the equipment.
By the mid-80s, Pilot Air was importing the latest and most advanced pumps from Italy. Known as the ‘NS’ series, these pumps formed a vital piece of the manufacturing process and forged Pilot Air’s reputation for high-end quality in the compressed air industry.
“We were the first in Australia to import Italian made pumps for reciprocating compressors. It wasn’t without financial risk. Our competitors were buying in cheaper parts; however, the business wanted to be known for quality and reliability first,” added Wyllie.
The quality first strategy paid off, and during the latter part of the 1980s, the business had moved to larger facilities to service the expanding demand and was importing the legendary Italian made ‘K”’ series pumps and manufacturing them into complete compressed air units. In 1987 Pilot Air released its first range of compressed air dryers and filters and was managing its large production facility in Auburn, NSW, and its servicing facility in Silverwater.
Over the next two decades, Pilot Air established itself as one of Australia’s leading designers and manufacturers of complete compressed air solutions.
Its name became synonymous with integrity, quality and service. With an enviable distributor network covering the coastline cities and the harsh Australian interior, Pilot Air launched its first range of variable-speed drive rotary screw air compressors in 2011. The business ran a highly sophisticated service and parts division, had manufacturing hubs in Sydney and Brisbane, launched the Quickline air distribution products and released the first scroll type oil-free compressors.
By the end of 2017, Pilot Air had relaunched the classic K series of reciprocating-type compressors with a host of updates and added features that continued the K series as the premium reciprocating air compressor on the market. Keeping innovation at the pointy end of development, the horizontal and vertical air receivers became part of the Pilot Air catalogue. In 2017 the company launched the ‘OFP’ range of oil-free type reciprocating compressors, with outstanding results.
An Australian and family business for over 40 years, the company has been designing, installing and commissioning compressed air solutions for some of Australia’s most prominent industrial and commercial brands. It boasts a distributor network that spans the entire country.
Pilot Air is simply the best fit
Today, Pilot Air is renowned for its extensive capability and unique customisation techniques for mid-to- large-scale business operations. With clients ranging from iconic theme park operators to large distribution centres, logistics and material handling, civil and council, racing teams, hospitals, food and beverage and everything in between, Pilot Air is simply the best fit.
“Most of the industry has a fixed range of products that they will try to fit into the customer’s requirements. Sometimes you just can’t do that with an off-the-shelf product. A standard product is designed to go in a dry factory, but customers often come to us with a spec that requires a harsh or wet environment. In this case, we manufacture products to a high IP rating with specialised electric motors to be able to withstand those environments,” Wyllie explained.
Customised solutions include rotary screw or reciprocating air compressors, silent models for noise-sensitive environments, compact and portable models and oil-free systems.
Pilot Air leverages 40-plus years of experience mapping the technical specifications for the customer.
The technical team will undertake a diagnostic examination of the site and purpose. Assessing power, location and air distribution, and using sophisticated software, the team analyses all variables, including peak and regular timetables. Using quantitative data, the team recommends a best-fit customised solution, based on performance, energy consumption, sound and space. The solution must pass a set of stringent quality control measures before its manufacture, testing, installation and commissioning.
“We comprehensively assess the scope of what the customer needs. The machine is often done correctly, but air distribution through the plant is wrong. We specify the right distribution system, so the air travels efficiently to the machinery across the factory, avoiding having a Ferrari with retread tyres.”
Australia’s leading experts in compressed air solutions
The company’s strategy to remain solely invested in manufacturing the highest quality compressed air solutions has enabled the business to stay at the top of its game without the need for diversification.
“We have 45 staff with a 100 per cent focus on air, so we don’t have to have many heads around different environments. We have in-house training where we specifically upskill staff to a point where they can understand the ideal size and type of machinery for the best outcomes and specify and install it correctly for the customer.
“We’ve got a range of partners that are also compressed air specialists. They have service teams that we use to fill the holes our team doesn’t reach,” he said.
Pilot Air protects any investment in its air compressors through its spare parts for current and superseded compressed air products. The company has a high- functioning spare parts and servicing division that operates off and on-site.
“Our ethos is longevity; we want your capital purchase to be maximised over the product’s lifespan. That starts with offering a robust product, maintaining it, and keeping parts so that the investment remains current for two decades or more. For that reason, service and spares are an integral part of the business – we want your business to stay up and running and your capital expense to be amortised over a long time,” explained Wyllie.
The last few years have thrown up challenges for the supply of parts worldwide. Not immune to the challenges, Pilot Air finds partners to maintain its expectation of quality.
“We’ve been doing this a long time and intrinsically partner with supply chain partners who have a similar ethos to us,” he said. “It’s always easy to find rubbish, regardless of your industry. We spend a lot of time working with our partners so they fit our business model.”
Pilot Air offers scheduled maintenance, preventative checks, on-site breakdown and in-workshop repairs. As well as routine maintenance, preparedness for breakdowns is key – ensuring the right people and spare parts are at hand to help the customer immediately.
“The cost of downtime, especially in manufacturing, can be very expensive,” Wyllie said. “We always recommend redundancy processes, but sometimes the smaller businesses don’t have that in place so it’s essential you can get them up and running quickly.”
Pilot Air: Australian-owned and family-owned, servicing the big end of town for over 40 years.
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