How Bobcat Industrial Air Compressors Can Fit a Multi-Compressor Strategy
A Bobcat industrial air compressor can serve as the main production machine, handle changing demand, or provide backup in a multi-compressor system. The right role depends on your plant’s airflow profile, the condition of existing equipment, and how the compressors will be controlled together.
That last part matters. Adding another compressor doesn’t automatically create a coordinated system. Without a control plan, two machines can compete to maintain pressure, run partly loaded, or cycle unnecessarily while production still experiences pressure problems.
For facilities evaluating Bobcat industrial air compressors in LaVergne and surrounding Middle Tennessee communities, start with one question: What job does the new compressor need to do that the existing system cannot do well? Answer that before choosing horsepower or requesting equipment pricing.
Give Each Compressor a Defined Job
A useful multi-compressor strategy assigns operating roles rather than simply connecting machines to a common header. Those roles can change with production schedules, maintenance needs, and future expansion.
Base-load duty
The base-load compressor supplies the steady portion of plant demand. In a suitable application, a fixed-speed rotary screw compressor can handle that work while another machine follows the changing load.
A Bobcat compressor could take this role if its verified output at your required operating pressure matches the plant’s sustained demand. Don’t size base-load equipment around a brief production peak. A machine selected for that peak may spend much of the day unloading or operating inefficiently.
Trim duty
The trim compressor adjusts output as air demand rises and falls. A variable-speed machine may suit this role, but its usable operating range needs to fit the gaps between your other compressors’ capacities.
Check current Bobcat model specifications, available drive configurations, and control capabilities before assigning trim duty. Variable speed isn’t a cure for poor sizing. Demand below a machine’s minimum controllable output can still lead to cycling or other operating compromises.
Standby duty
A standby compressor covers planned maintenance or an unexpected outage. An older machine may remain useful here after a new Bobcat compressor takes over daily production.
But “it still starts” isn’t a backup strategy. Review service history, operating condition, and actual available capacity. Exercise standby equipment under an appropriate maintenance plan so problems aren’t discovered during an outage.
Measure Demand Before Selecting the Next Machine
Compressor nameplates describe equipment, not plant demand. Two facilities with the same installed horsepower can have very different airflow requirements.
A compressed air system audit should capture representative production conditions, including shift changes, low-load periods, major equipment cycles, and any weekend operation. Useful information includes:
Airflow demand over time, not just a single reading.
Pressure at the compressor header and demanding points of use.
Loaded, unloaded, stopped, and variable-speed operating behavior.
Power consumption measured by qualified personnel.
Production schedules and documented expansion plans.
Air use when production equipment is idle.
A compressor running nearly continuously after a new line starts may indicate that demand has outgrown supply. It could also reflect leaks, unnecessary air use, or pressure losses that have pushed operating settings upward.
If header pressure holds steady while a machine at the far end of the building loses pressure, investigate distribution restrictions first. More compressor capacity won’t necessarily correct undersized piping, a restricted filter, or an inadequate machine connection.
Make the Controls Work as One System
Each compressor’s local controller responds to its own settings and pressure signal. Without coordination, several machines may load together, overshoot the needed pressure, and unload together. That can leave the plant paying for running equipment without getting useful output from every machine.
A sequencing controller can coordinate which compressors run and when. Depending on the equipment and application, carefully engineered pressure settings may also provide workable staging. The appropriate approach depends on the number of machines, their control types, and how quickly demand changes.
Before adding a Bobcat compressor alongside existing equipment, have a compressed air professional verify:
Whether the selected controller supports the required external commands and feedback.
How existing machines communicate with a proposed sequencer.
Which machine handles demand changes under each operating combination.
Allowable starts, minimum run times, and loading restrictions.
What happens if a compressor, controller, or communication connection fails.
Don’t assume mixed equipment will communicate simply because it shares a discharge header. Integration may require compatible interfaces or a different control approach. Electrical connections, control changes, and commissioning belong with qualified personnel.
Size for Operating Combinations, Not Just Total Capacity
Adding the compressors’ rated airflow together only answers part of the sizing question. The system also needs to operate sensibly at low demand, normal production, and peak production.
Compare delivered airflow at the same required pressure and on a consistent rating basis. Horsepower alone isn’t a useful capacity comparison. Review current manufacturer performance information and the proposed operating sequence together.
Pay particular attention to transitions. When a fixed-speed machine starts supplying air, the trim machine needs enough adjustment range to absorb that capacity step without repeatedly reaching its operating limits.
Backup capacity deserves a separate calculation. If the largest compressor is unavailable, can the remaining machines support full production, selected lines, or only a controlled shutdown? State that requirement clearly. A system that meets demand with every machine running has no spare compressor capacity at that demand.
For growth, distinguish committed expansion from a possible future project. Staged additions may be more practical than installing an oversized machine now and carrying its low-load operating consequences for years.
A Realistic LaVergne Expansion Scenario
Consider a hypothetical LaVergne production facility adding a second shift and another packaging line. Its older fixed-speed compressor runs loaded through most of the day, while pressure complaints appear during overlapping machine cycles.
The first step isn’t automatically buying a larger compressor. Logging may show steady daytime demand, short peaks, and much lighter second-shift consumption. Pressure readings may also reveal a restriction in the piping feeding the new line.
One possible arrangement is to retain the existing machine for steady production and select a Bobcat compressor for trim duty, provided the capacities and controls work together. Another is to move the older machine into standby and use new equipment for everyday demand.
If short peaks are the main issue, properly sized air receiver tanks and distribution improvements may change how much new compressor capacity is needed. Storage can support a brief event; it cannot replace airflow during a sustained shortage.
Check What the Additional Air Will Pass Through
A new compressor increases available supply only if the rest of the system can handle it. Review shared dryers, filters, receivers, drains, and piping for the highest intended simultaneous airflow.
For compressed air dryers, check ratings against actual inlet temperature, operating pressure, ambient conditions, and required dew point. Tennessee summer heat and humidity can expose treatment limitations that were less noticeable during cooler weather. Another compressor also adds heat to the room, so ventilation needs review.
Shared treatment can become a common point of failure even when compressor backup is available. If uninterrupted production matters, discuss treatment redundancy and service isolation—not just a spare compressor.
Confirm that every operating combination delivers the required air quality. Don’t route untreated standby air into a process that needs clean, dry air simply to restore pressure.
What Your Maintenance Team Can Check Before a Consultation
Your team can gather useful information without opening equipment or changing controls:
Record displayed pressures, operating states, hours, and alarms.
Note which production events coincide with pressure complaints.
Review service records for every compressor, including standby equipment.
Observe accessible filter indicators, drain behavior, and blocked ventilation.
List equipment that will be added and its documented air requirements.
Leave electrical testing, internal inspections, pressurized work, and sequencing changes to trained personnel. If installation will interrupt production, include temporary air compressor rentals and tie-in planning in the discussion.
Bottom Line
A Bobcat compressor belongs in a multi-compressor strategy when its capacity, operating range, controls, and service requirements fit a defined system role. The strongest equipment proposal should explain which machines run at each demand level, what remains available during an outage, and whether treatment and piping can support the plan.
Contact Industrial Air Services to discuss Bobcat compressor options for your LaVergne or Middle Tennessee facility. Bring your equipment list, operating schedule, and expansion plans so the conversation starts with how your plant actually uses air.
Industrial Air Services is an authorized Bobcat® Industrial Air Compressors distributor serving Central to East Tennessee, including Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
(615) 641-3100
138 Bain Drive • LaVergne, TN 37086
