Business need

A major recycling company in the midlands had a major issue when processing plastic scrap for recycling. They use a type of filter to recirculate air in the reprocessing machine. Over time as the process reduces the plastic into smaller and smaller pieces the particles get trapped and block the filter, rendering them useless. Unable to clean them effectively they were discarded after 2 uses at great cost to the company.

Our role

The recycling company found Sonic Solutions online and contacted us hoping we could help. We followed our normal process of enquiring about the contaminant, the material type of the item to be cleaned, and the level of cleanliness required for the next process, followed by a free trial clean.The results from the trial were outstanding and the client was so impressed he quickly sent an entire batch up for us to clean.

The outcome

A HUGE direct cost saving of over £75,300 per annum on replacement filters. On top of these direct cost savings their engineering support manager reported increased productivity totalling over 20% from the recycling lines using the cleaned filter discs compared to the blocked old discs. His only comment on the value of this increased productivity was a smile!

Other reported benefits included;

• Improved quality and consistency of finished product;
• Increased reliability of production output;
• Higher capacity allowing quicker delivery;
• Improved ability to increase output in response to demand;
• Higher customer satisfaction from a more consistent product.

As concluded by the Engineering Manager “All in all a massive win for us, reducing costs and increasing revenue simultaneously in a very competitive market.”

Business need

A CCGT power generation company in the midlands was looking to reduce costs on some very expensive candle oil filters supporting the turbines that they were having to replace every 12 months at a cost of over £8300 per set. At a time when the energy industry is under a lot of scrutiny and an uncertain future making cost savings is a major part of their future business strategy.

Our role

We at Sonic Solutions Ltd received the enquiry as they had no other options remaining for the cleaning of this complex and expensive filter. After finding out that ultrasonic cleaning would work perfectly for a filter like this (as we had done very similar items in the past), they sent 2 to be cleaned at cost of 6% of the amount of replacement. We deconstructed the filter, chose the correct chemistry needed, and used ultrasonics to achieve the cleaning results the customer needed.

The outcome

The customer was thrilled to have finally found a totally hands-off, safe and hassle-free cleaning service, that brought life back into a very expensive and very important part of their process. The energy company now uses Sonic Solutions every time their filters need “replacing” because of the extraordinary savings they have achieved.