Algerian Client Cooperates with Hengchao on Cabin Filter Machine

Algeria is pushing hard toward local automotive-filter manufacturing to replace imports. With a large aging vehicle parc — Dacia Logan, Renault Symbol, Peugeot, Fiat, and commercial trucks — plus Saharan dust, high summer heat, and growing cabin-air awareness, demand for activated carbon and HEPA cabin filters is rising fast.

The Algerian client, an aftermarket filter maker supplying Algiers, Oran, Constantine and Hassi Messaoud fleets, ran a manual/semi-auto cabin filter cell:

7–8 operators per shift
Glue overflow and delamination on charcoal media
3.5–4.5% trimming reject
Slow changeover between Logan / Symbol / Fiat Tipo sizes
No French-language HMI for local operators

They wanted a localisation-ready cabin filter machine: 400 V / 50 Hz, French + English HMI, CE/IEC-aligned electrical design, and stable performance on dust-heavy charcoal/HEPA media.

2. Solution & FAT

Hengchao delivered the signature green-and-white modular cabin filter line with Algeria configuration:

Electrical: 400 V 3Φ / 50 Hz, wide-input control supply, IEC 60204-1 design, IP54/IP65 control cabinet option for dusty sites
HMI: French + English + Chinese, recipe storage by vehicle model
Media: non-woven, synthetic, HEPA/nanofiber, 2–3 layer activated carbon
Stations: servo pleating → hot-melt side/end gluing → non-woven edge banding → precision trim → reject/outfeed
Cycle: ≤ 7 s/pc on standard rectangular cabin filters; 150–400 mm length range

During FAT, the Algerian technical manager stood beside the machine while the Hengchao engineer adjusted glue temperature, pleat height, and edge-band pressure through the circular observation window. White trims on the floor proved cutting accuracy; the charcoal pack came out without delamination or air-bypass gaps.

3. Cooperation Process

Media test: 600 pcs on charcoal + synthetic blend simulating Saharan dust/pollen/urban exhaust; Cpk shared for edge offset and glue width.
FAT: Verified 260×200 mm Dacia Logan cabin filter at 90%+ OEE. French HMI, 50 Hz motor parameters, earthing/e-stop per IEC 60204-1 reviewed on-site.
Export docs: IEC 60204-1 electrical file, CE-design-basis declaration, operation manual in French + English, PLC backup, spare-parts kit, localisation report for Algerian industry authority.
Commissioning: Shipped to Algeria, 6-day on-site startup, operator training on pleat tension, hot-melt temp, mold change, and daily cabinet cleaning in dusty environment.

4. Results

Operators/shift: 7 → 2
Reject rate: 4.2% → 0.7%
Changeover: 27 min (Logan ↔ Symbol ↔ Fiat Tipo)
Media: charcoal/HEPA SKUs added without re-engineering the line
Localisation: line helped client qualify for “Made in Algeria” filter supply discussions with local assemblers and fleets
Client quote:
“Hengchao understood Algeria — dust, heat, French screens, 50 Hz. The machine ran charcoal media without drama. That is rare. We are not buying a machine; we are building local filtration capacity with Hengchao.”
— Production Director, Algerian Client

5. Follow-up

After stable running, the client requested a quote for a second pleating + rotary line for truck/SUV sizes, and a PU-frame module for Euro 6 / EV cabin projects in North Africa.