"We are continually changing, upgrading, improving and experimenting with new software, new equipment, new systems, and new ways to be more productive, efficient and profitable,”
Jake Grainger says. “In fact, I would guess that we aren’t doing anything today the way we did it 10, or even 5 years ago.”
Alpha Grainger deals with a number of manufacturers’ agents who know the shop and its needs, and one agent knew about its issues with the aqueous parts cleaner.
When the agent began representing Dürr Ecoclean (Wixom, Michigan) several years ago, he urged the company to look at Dürr’s system.
Alpha Grainger began looking at the Dürr hydrocarbon parts cleaning system with the objective of increasing productivity and efficiency. During that time period, in cooperation with the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Alpha Grainger did a self-audit of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions. The employees were surprised to find that the
company was out of compliance with the requirements of its current DEP Air Emissions Permit—particularly as it related to the loss of VOCs into the air—because of solvent evaporation, much
of which came from the company’s open-air degreasing system. That information, along with its growing need to find a more productive parts cleaning system, accelerated the decision-making
process.
With the Dürr system in place, the shop is now exploring a method to eliminate the use of mineral spirits by machine operators to clean in-process inspection parts machine side.
"We have experimented with a high-pressure steam generator and have had excellent results,” Mr. O’Neill says. “We have built three of the units, which are currently being tested on the factory floor.
Ultimately, the company plans to have steam-cleaning units throughout the production facility so that we can eliminate the use of mineral spirits for cleaning in-process inspection parts.”
For Alpha Grainger, the unending search to find and develop new technology has almost always led to improved productivity and cost controls, thereby setting the company apart from its competitors.
This time, though, the search for more efficient parts cleaning technology also led to increasing the company’s environmental compatibility and providing better air quality for its employees.