Over forty years ago, three friends sat together to discuss the possibility of a new venture at a brasserie in Quebec. Inspiration-driven, they promised themselves they would quit their current jobs and bring their dream to fruition. The trio declared an affirmation and was soon on boarded by two others, equally enthusiastic for the seed of an idea that would, later on, grow out to be Enerquin Air Inc. The team of five in the three-room office in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace borough in Montreal was determined to revolutionize the market landscape and set new standards for innovative technology and service to the pulp and paper industry. And sure enough, the resultant growth and success sealed the future of their endeavor.

Today, Enerquin is a multi-national company that has made significant advances in air systems engineering and developing new products, including pocket ventilator Mark III for high-speed paper machines, sheet stabilizers, and heat recovery. They boast expertise in paper, board and tissue drying technology, energy-saving systems, ventilation systems, and runnability solutions and have built a vast global network of agents spanning from Mexico to Australia and Japan.

Enerquin has a long track record in handling rebuild or retrofit projects. While undertaking such projects, the company focuses on reusing the existing equipment to align with the clients’ budget while improving the current papermaking processes. They accomplish this through a seamless process that consists mainly of design, engineering, and deployment phases. The process starts with an initial audit when the company performs onsite measurements without any interruption to the production. Enerquin helps the client optimize the process, solve quality or runnability issues, and improve production efficiency and environmental compliance with this data. Following the audit, the company undertakes performance improvement projects and customizes them for the client’s production environment. “We offer a complete solution and service package to our clients and meet their needs through hands-on involvement and specifically tailored products and services,” says Jean Desharnais, Director, Applications, and Sales at Enerquin.

We offer a complete solution and service package to our clients and meet their needs through hands-on involvement and specifically tailored products and services

In addition to building custom solutions, Enerquin has developed many products to support the paper drying process. For instance, one of their products improves the drying capacity of the machine and helps mill owners produce more paper while maintaining the required quality levels. Another example is the heat recovery systems used in tissue paper production and paper and board production environments which help clients meet their sustainability goals by reducing emissions significantly.

High-profile paper mills worldwide have trusted Enerquin to provide bespoke ventilation systems. While building them, the company pays much attention to indoor air circulation to minimize the humidity inside the facility, which prevents the equipment and the facility from corroding.

Several paper mills in the country have partnered with Enerquin to build heat recovery systems that ensure efficient operations and lower operating costs. They recently designed and commissioned one such system that can process about 20 million BTUs of heat in an hour. This helps the client reduce about 4,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere every year. In addition, in the winter, the ventilation system uses the energy recovered to heat the air inside the facility and to maintain optimal temperature.

Such success stories stem from their teams’ commitment to building custom solutions leveraging cutting-edge technology. The team at Enerquin oversees the project throughout the engineering and installation phases and builds strategic relationships with its clients. As post-sales service is a high priority for Enerquin, they respond quickly to client calls and visit their facilities whenever required. Moving forward, the company plans to help more paper mills reduce the environmental footprint of their new installations. Alongside, Enerquin is augmenting its internal processes to make it more efficient and competitive.

The year 2022 marks a milestone for Enerquin; the proud established celebrates its 40th year of foundation. As a part of its anniversary, the global brand has launched a thoroughly modernized website, symbolic of their vision for the future. “Our goal is to make major advances in air systems engineering and play a leading role in developing new products and services to support mill owners worldwide,” concludes Desharnais.