When odors arise in a packaging workshop-whether from inks, adhesives, or other production processes-the immediate reaction in many factories is to increase the exhaust ventilation rate. However, in workshops already equipped with air conditioning, simply increasing exhaust is not necessarily better. As large volumes of indoor air are vented out, hot outdoor air is drawn in through fresh-air intakes, doors, and windows. The air conditioning system must then process this incoming air, which significantly increases the cooling load. Consequently, relying solely on higher exhaust rates may simply result in the "venting away" of the cooled air.
This is a particular concern in environments such as flexible packaging, lamination, and certain types of printing and packaging production. If a production area continuously exhausts odor-laden air while the industrial air conditioning system simultaneously works to cool the space-without an integrated design for fresh air, exhaust, and air circulation-a common issue often arises: the equipment runs constantly, yet the workshop temperature fails to drop. The problem may not be that the air conditioning system is "undersized," but rather that a large volume of already-cooled air is being continuously exhausted.
Therefore, when designing industrial air conditioning systems for packaging plants, it is essential to first identify the sources of odors and the specific locations that require targeted exhaust. Whenever possible, odors should be captured locally at the source; this reduces the need for inefficient, facility-wide air exchange. Furthermore, the required fresh-air intake and the corresponding cooling load should be calculated based on the actual exhaust volume. For different production processes, zoned air conditioning control can be implemented, preventing the entire facility from having to operate according to the conditions of the most heavily polluted area.
From a long-term operational perspective, odor management and workshop cooling should not be treated as separate, independent projects. In its solutions for the packaging industry, DONCO evaluates fresh-air intake, exhaust, air circulation, and cooling configurations as an integrated system-ensuring that production environment requirements are met while minimizing unnecessary energy loss (cooling or heating).