Mr. Bob Antaya

We are very pleased to be offering you this interview with Mr. Bob Antaya, Founder and President of Fluid Cooling Systems of Burton, Michigan, USA a leading provider of cooling systems for the Thermal Processing Industry. 

Bob we very much appreciate the time-let’s start off with some background-your background. By what route did you end up as the owner and President of Fluid Cooling Systems? 

I have worked for rep firms, distribution companies and manufacturers all within the commercial / industrial fluid handling, heating and cooling industry.  At each employer I was unimpressed with the level of commitment and poor company culture from owners and management.  It seemed each business was on auto pilot and only a few people cared about the day-to-day business.  I’ve always worked hard to achieve my goals and I guess I expected a certain level of commitment back from the company I worked for.  I was dissatisfied with the mediocrity and figured if these guys can build a successful company, I could too.  So, I jumped off in 2010 and never looked back.   

While we are curious about the company as a whole and would like to know about the industries you serve our focus as a heat treatment publication is mainly well, heat treating. So please tell us about FCS in general, heat treating in particular and what you have to offer the industry. 

We have designed and delivered everything from a domestic booster system to a 300 lb steam heating system for process.  We have a wide range of customers and see very diverse applications.  Even the most diverse of applications come down to the same thing, developing a heat load and the best means to reject it.  I personally have been designing cooling systems for the heat treat industry since 1998.  My first two (2) systems I built when I started FCS were for the heat treat industry, each system had a total tonnage of 600 tons.  That was a great start for me!  We differentiate ourselves from the competition by adding value throughout our interaction with our customers.  We do that in the following ways; 

1. We design our system based on the application and best practice, not by price point.  That’s not to say we don’t go back and make changes if we are over budget, but we put our best foot forward and educate the customer on why we chose the equipment proposed. 
2. We can customize any solution, we are not a part number driven company
3. We hold our staff to a higher level, we do this by having all of our pipe welders certified to ASME section 9, structural welders to D1.1-2020, UL Labeled control panels and licensed electricians.   We also provide FEA reports on all structural items.  
4. We provide complete submittals that include full mechanical, wiring diagrams, electrical, component and PID drawings.  
5. We spend a lot of time on our staff making sure we have the right people and processes in place.  We are ISO certified and ISN Registered. 
6. We have full repair and field service in-house that can respond in a timely manner, no subs are needed.  If a customer has a water or vacuum pump go down or an emergency repair that’s needed, we can accommodate that need immediately.
7. We always strive for improvement.  With our patent and patent pending filtration designs our customers are assured they are getting the best equipment for the application. 
8. We discuss system efficiency and operating costs with customers to make sure they know the best solution for their needs.  This also helps us align with corporate green initiatives. 

How large is FCS in terms of sales and employees and what resources do you have that you are particularly proud of ? 

In 2023 we invoiced just under 16 million with 32 employees.  My greatest resource are my people.  I am very proud of the company we built over the last 13 years.  I show my appreciation by making sure every employee is paid over market value and have a generous bonus and PTO schedule.  We are truly a best in class organization and I have my employees to thank for that.   

Do you do much exporting? 

We have only exported to Canada. 

When I think of fluid cooling and the heat treatment industry I think mainly of cooling water for vacuum furnaces. Do you get involved in other applications within the industry? 

Vacuum furnaces certainly make up the majority of our cooling applications in the heat treat market.  However, we have done several very large forge projects, so induction cooling is an exciting application for us as well.  A newer application that we have found success in is hot stamping.

What are the most common systems for cooling water for vacuum furnaces and the advantages/disadvantages of each? 

There’s really only 2 that we promote, that being an open loop cooling tower with a plate and frame heat exchanger coupled with an atmospheric closed loop.  The second being an atmospheric closed loop with air cooled heat exchanger with potential Adiabatic option.  I prefer the cooling tower Plate and frame approach over the air cooled heat exchanger.  The cooling tower plate and frame gives the customer more flexibility over colder water temperatures.  This will allow for more diversity if the customers heat treat needs change over time.  

Cooling Tower Plate and Frame Advantages 

• Wider range of temperatures supplied to equipment
• Water used as the fluid, no glycol
• Inexpensive to operate 
• Inexpensive to repair
• Clean closed loop 
• Smaller footprint for the cooling tower
• Often times more energy efficient

Cooling Tower Plate and Frame Disadvantages 

• Chemical treatment is needed for open loop portion to control biological growth and scale
• Open loop portion will need filtration
• An open loop / closed loop pump station is needed
• Larger footprint for the pump station

Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Advantages 

• One pump loop
• Clean system
• no water consumption (unless using an Adiabatic option)

Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Disadvantages

• Must use Glycol in climates that get below 32F
• Coil cleaning (coils act as a great air filter), or add filter screen
• Usually uses more energy

Has fluid cooling technology changed much over the years? As an example evaporative cooling towers seem to have been around for almost literally forever-why? Is it that wonderful a technology that it can’t be improved upon or has it been improved upon? Do you see any substantial technological changes on the horizon? 

I must admit, I love cooling towers, in my eyes they are perfect, by themselves or coupled with a plate and frame heat exchanger.  Efficiencies have increased across most equipment.  Some changes in steel processing has trickled down to the cooling tower world to the point where stainless steel construction on the wetted surfaces are being promoted for increased longevity.  We have also seen fiberglass construction for cooling towers gain in popularity and performance.  Adiabatic air cooled heat exchangers and magnetic bearing compressors used in chillers have been gaining market and are newer technology.  

Speaking of technology-are system controls and datalogging a changing factor in cooling systems? Personally I think the largest change in heat treat furnaces are the controls-is this the same for your products? 

Yes, we have been seeing a huge push on controls.  We recently acquired a controls company, Gemini Automation, to make sure we are well positioned to tackle all of our control needs.  Having two (2) degreed control engineers in house has given us the ability to meet any and all specifications our customers have provided.  We have been using PLCs on all of our control panels since day one.

You have done some very impressive projects over the years-what would you consider to be your largest, most satisfying one? 

My favorite project was for a tier one automotive supplier that needed an upgraded chilled water system for their hot stamp line.  It totaled 1000 tons that cooled 12 furnaces, 12 dies, and hydraulics.  We had a tight schedule to hit, which we delivered on.  That might change very soon though, we are under contract to supply 8100 tons of cooling to battery plants in KY and TN.

What are your objectives for 2024? I will throw out some suggestions; a 100% growth in sales? Perhaps more exporting? New solutions for fluid cooling? What are you aiming for this year? 

Our goals this year are to increase our representation across the US, increase sales by 20%, Update our website, launch our CRM/EPR System, develop two new markets.

Bob we appreciate the time and wish you the best for this year and for many years after this. Thank you, Gord