Siroco, an international supplier of thermal solutions, is a brand chosen by its customers because of its in-depth knowledge of technical issues and its ability to resolve them effectively.
“Our customers, who are manufacturers of forklift and handling equipment, need to warm up and cool their cabs with either standard products or specific solutions,” says Julien Brochier, sales manager at Siroco. “We have to engineer solutions for vehicles that work in a range of temperatures – from -25°C (-13°F) in a climatic chamber, to 50°C (122°F) outdoors in a moist and dusty environment. Every project is challenging, but that is what keeps us motivated.”
Thermal approach as a whole
“The process for implementing heating and cooling units in forklift cabins is not straightforward, especially for air inlets/outlets and hydraulic connections. Therefore drafting specifications is an important step, especially in regard to the definition of interfaces.
To meet specifications, Siroco has the advantage of being able to define a thermal approach as a whole. “We not only develop heaters and coolers, but also integrate all functionalities of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning [HVAC] systems, including climatic control, air distribution, defrosting and air filtration,” says Brochier. The real challenge is designing a compact and powerful product that is easy to integrate into the cab. It is therefore sometimes difficult to suggest a standard solution, which is why Siroco’s specific solutions have become so well established.
20 years of expertise
“Although we are capitalizing on 20 years of specific developments for lift trucks, we are also putting forward new solutions to our customers,” says Brochier. “Siroco can support them in modernizing their cabs.” For each project, a specific strategy is adopted and supported by tests in a climatic chamber, using prototypes or by field monitoring.
“Depending on specifications, it takes six to 12 months to develop complete thermal solutions,” says Brochier. “Our goal is to reduce development times, without rushing. In terms of time, accurate specifications are the key to the success of a project. We use rigorous standard designs and performing components that are already approved and scaled for customer projects.”
Top: Siroco’s thermal and electric air-conditioning kits for forklifts: the Cierzo condenser, Austral Performa evaporator, E-Sonora electric heater electric compressor and fitting. Above: The new Sanoa air-conditioning unit is available with different front panels – with sleeves or with air diffusers
New off-the-shelf products by Siroco do not offer specific solutions without reliable, effective and cost-saving elements. “As well as a wide range of standard products, we work with components and subsets designed and approved by our department Siroco Engineering,” says Brochier.
Siroco has recently developed an advanced electric control panel called the CP2, intended for use with HVAC systems, for both diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles. The CP2 can adapt to all kinds of products and it enables a good development capacity, standard as specific.
Another product is Sanoa, a best-in-class air-conditioning unit. The HVAC version offers 610m3/h nominal airflow and a 6.3kW cooling capacity. The evaporative emission control version offers the same nominal airflow but a 7.7kW cooling capacity.
A third product is the compact and powerful TS700 – a new centrifugal blower that offers a performance of 700m3/h. Thanks to its excellent performance/size ratio, it is ideal for cooling a small cabin equipped with an air filter and an air distribution.
Using parallel flow technology, the two Cierzo condensers offer 5.6kW or 8kW of
dissipated power. Supplied with or without a filter drier, the condensers work well with Siroco’s air-conditioning units.
Committed to customer success
“In continuous pursuit of enhanced performance, we ensure our customers’ specific needs and high standards are met. We are committed to the success of their projects in thermal comfort,” says Reydellet.
Words: Sylvain Reydellet
