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- Sprintex (SIX) has a new lease on life, after refreshing its board, raising fresh capital and re-listing on the ASX
- The decades-old business creates superchargers, which are essentially types of air compressors that helps boost a car engine’s performance
- Already SIX has created boosters for Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Mini, Toyota, Subaru and Scion, with plans to expand further
- Additionally, the company has begun the process of creating a product for the emerging electric vehicle and hydrogen car markets
- Sprintex believes its established presence in the supercharger market leaves it well placed to capitalise on this growing green wave
- Shares in SIX are trading for 7.8 cents per share on Tuesday, May 11
ASX-lister Sprintex (SIX) has started the year off with a bang, refreshing its board, raising a fresh round of capital and re-listing on the Australian Securities Exchange — all within a four-month period.
Since its securities entered back into quotation, the automotive engineering and manufacturing business has continued at a fast pace, launching a new range of superchargers and advancing the suite of other products it has in the pipeline.
With the company recently focussing on revitalisation, the supercharger technology which is at the heart of SIX’s operation is also in the process of being changed to better align with new hydrogen and electric vehicles (EV).
Armed with a strong balance sheet, a growing range of products and a new lease on life — Sprintex said its ready to become a leader in the world of superchargers.
Power up
Established way back in the 1970’s, the then-U.K.-based, first iteration of Sprintex focused on designing and building twin screw supercharger technology.
The company’s focus has remained mostly the same since then, which SIX said points to the superior design of its technology.
For those who aren’t car buffs, the supercharger which SIX currently produces is essentially a type of air compressor that helps boost a car engine’s performance.
The demand for superchargers has created a lucrative market, with a recent report by Markets and Markets estimating the sector’s global market worth was US$7.26 billion in 2017 with a compound annual growth rate of 5.27 per cent.
For Sprintex, the key to its success to date has been how efficient its supercharger has been at boosting smaller engines, including anything with a capacity of 0.5 litres to 4.5 litres.
The company’s patented twin-screw technology deviates from traditional industrial twin screw compressors —which are synchronised by oil that is injected into the airstream to lubricate and seal the helical rotors.
In comparison, SIX’s superchargers are synchronised by a precision gear set and requires no oil injected to the airstream, making it a “clean air compressor”, which the company said is able to deliver better fuel efficiency, increased performance as well as a reduction in emissions.
Diversified offering
The reduced emissions benefit, as well as the company’s move into the EV market, is a tantalising promise for car manufacturers, considering various governments across the globe have committed to reducing their emissions.
Explaining how the supercharger has a role to play in reducing emissions, the company stated it all came down to engine size.
“The simplest form of emissions reduction for an engine-driven vehicle is to reduce the engine size and add a supercharger,” Sprintex said in a statement.
“In simple terms, the smaller engine alone would provide unsatisfactory performance, but theoretically improved fuel consumption and reduced noxious and CO2 exhaust emissions,” the company said.
“In the real world this is not very successful as in high load situations the emissions and fuel economy may be worse, and the end users don’t appreciate the reduced performance,” SIX explained.
“Adding the supercharger allows the smaller engine to provide the same power as the larger engine, but as the extra power is only used for acceleration, the overall result is that for the majority of situations, the smaller engine offers the desired fuel economy improvement and proportional reduction in emissions,” it added.
Going forward, SIX also said it’s keen to further develop its technology for the EV market, as well as for automobiles using hydrogen fuel cells as their main source of propulsion.
Sprintex has already begun work on new air compressor which is suitable for fuel cell systems used in these two emerging car markets.
“To operate efficiently, fuel cell stacks require precisely controlled air and hydrogen flow — a task ideally suited for Sprintex twin-screw technology. Meanwhile we are also looking into high-speed electric centrifugal type compressor to suit higher power fuel cell system,” the company explained.
“An air compressor is an essential part of the fuel cell system to boost adequate oxygen into the stack and makes the system more efficient,” SIX added.
Proven performance
Regardless of the new wave of electric vehicles, Sprintex already has a strong foothold in the existing car market as evidenced by its current range of different superchargers.
The company has already produced boosters for Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Mini, Toyota, Subaru, and Scion, with its most recent product designed for the Toyota Tacoma truck.
The company also has plans to begin producing a “bolt in” replacement product for use in any Eaton TVS supercharger system, which is used in brands such as Jaguar, Range Rover, Ford, Audi, Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro.
Additionally, the automotive stock is working with city bus and truck original equipment manufacturer market to test SIX superchargers on their diesel engines with plans also underway to service the U.S. light aviation sector.
Cost effective
Along with its patented technology, Sprintex also owns a state-of-the-art
production facility in Malaysia where it’s able to produce medium volumes of their product.
The company explains it bought out the remaining ownership of the facility as part of the recent recapitalisation process, believing the facility is crucial to being able to develop the superchargers at a low cost.
SIX also has established partnerships dating back decades with more than 300 aftermarket dealers in the U.S., as well as multiple dealers in Australia and New Zealand.
The company also has roots established in eight Middle Eastern countries, multiple European nations, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Chile, Ecuador and the U.K. — where Sprintex first began.
It’s this mixture of history and proven technology that the new leaders at Sprintex believes will help them continue to prosper in the future as more green and clean vehicles take hold of the automobile market.
SIX believes it has all its ducks in a row —with money to spend, numerous plans for the upcoming green wave and an already strong foothold in the supercharger world.
Shares in Sprintex are trading for 7.8 cents per share on Tuesday, May 11.
