Driving cool technology Janka

DRIVING COOL TECHNOLOGY

Janka is a European market leader in the design and manufacturing of industrial ventilation and air-conditioning systems and equipment. Based in Prague, it is one of the oldest ventilation companies in the world. Today it forms part of the Lloyd Electric & Engineering Group of India. This recent acquisition has enhanced and extended its product portfolio and provided it with new impetus for growth, especially in the rail industry, as Philip Yorke reports.

Robert Inneman sales director

The company’s roots date back to 1872 when Mr. Jan Janka established his original tinsmith business in Prague. As the business thrived and expanded, the original workshop located in the city centre could not match the needs of the growing business so it moved out to a suburban area in Prague, Radotín, in 1907. Subsequently, the company expanded into the field of air conditioning and other related products. For many years Janka was part of the multinational group Lennox, and today Janka Engineering forms part of the Lloyd Electric & Engineering Group of India and manufactures industrial fans, ventilation systems and coolers, as well as air conditioning systems for railway applications.

Janka Engineering has over 200 employees at its headquarters in Prague where it manufactures products for all five of the company’s engineering divisions. The modern manufacturing plant is strategically located near the Prague ring road, which is just 20 minutes by car from the airport. Janka works in partnership with its sister company, Lloyd Coils Europe, which is based at the same address. Janka Engineering operates five production divisions and can offer a wide range of comprehensive solutions for air-handling, cooling, ventilation and the supply of industrial refrigeration as a whole. The company provides its customers with a complete turnkey package, full service and post service warranty.

Total flexibility

Thanks to its five autonomous divisions, Janka is able to offer an unrivalled and totally flexible combination of engineering services. This includes the production of air-conditioning units for civil construction and industrial applications. The company also supplies special air-handling units for power generation, including air con-

ditioning for nuclear plants resistant to seismic activity. The scope of Janka’s operations is very wide as it is mainly focused on the manufacturing of custom-made systems to meet its key customers’ individual requirements.

The company also produces radial fans for the chemical industry in a separate ICL division. Its special position within the manufacturing divisions includes the production of heat exchangers, coolers and special equipment for industrial cooling and power. This division is very progressive and also highly flexible in its manner of operation, thanks to recent acquisitions.

New generation products

HVAC is another autonomous division, which provides customers with a complete range of rooftop chillers, condensing units and other equipment. It works in close cooperation with another Janka division, AHU, in the manufacture of air handling units. The youngest and most ambitious HVAC division, ICL, specialises in the design and manufacturing of air conditioners for trams, trains and other transportation vehicles.

As the company’s sales director Robert Innman says: “We are completing the development of a new generation of air handling units with a high proportion of measurement and control, as well as higher coefficient of efficiency of heat recovery. Our ICL division solves new technologies and uses new materials and processes in the manufacture of heat exchangers and coolers. We are currently planning to finish the development of the new control system for railway applications and this year a new prototype for these special railway units should be prepared. We have been working for two years mainly on changing technologies and techniques for the individual components that we supply. We are now preparing for IRIS certification, which is important for the further development of air- handling supplies for the railway industry.” Expanding exports

Janka’s traditional markets have been countries belonging to the former Soviet Union and throughout post-communist eastern Europe.

Other important export destinations are German speaking countries and Scandinavia. The company is also present on the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, considered its next major export opportunities.

However, Janka told Industry Europe that its greatest export potential is for products manufactured by the ICL division, especially in the case of special projects for the energy sector and in particular for the nuclear energy industry. Other major growth opportunities can be found in its HVAC products for air conditioning units for railway applications with its partners in India.

Diverse product portfolio

The company’s product portfolio continues to grow and includes air handling units for a wide range of applications, heat exchangers, industrial coolers, ventilation equipment, air conditioning systems and many more. Janka is the largest manufacturer of different types of heat exchangers in the industrial coolers market segment.

Many different types of machines and specialist equipment have been produced for over 25 years by Janka, including radiators, coolers for locomotives, diesel engines, transformers and turbo generators.

The company’s portfolio of air-handling units includes three basic models and these have been designed to fit both low and high-pressure ventilation systems and can be operated within temperatures ranging from -30C to +40C. Apart from that, Janka works in close cooperation with leading European manufacturers to produce a wide variety of HVAC products for applications in schools, hospitals, hotels, shopping centres and municipal buildings.

Janka also offers a range of water chillers constructed from high quality components and provides superior technical service and customer support as standard across its entire product range. n

For further details of Janka’s range of air cooling products and services visit: www.janka.cz