Feasibility Study Leads to $100k Annual Cost Savings

In January 2014, IFS was contacted by a company using large amounts of a proprietary cleaning fluid as part of their process.  The fluid was expensive to formulate and became contaminated quickly resulting in frequent dumping and recharging. It was a key part of the process and could not be replaced, so the company wanted to find a way to extend its life. Extending its life would directly affect the cost per part and growing the business.

After discussing the application in detail, we determined that there was a good chance they could extend the life of their fluid without impacting the quality of the process. IFS conducts feasibility studies, or application tests, on a regular basis using centrifuges, filters, vacuum dehydrators and other commercially available technologies. With this in mind, IFS provided a proposal that included the cost of a feasibility study along with budgetary pricing for a complete recycling system.

The company was excited by the prospect of doubling their fluid life and the immediate cost savings it would generate. The big question was, would removing solids before they dissolved into the solution extend the life of the fluid?  There was only one way to find out, try it. In April 2014, IFS conducted a feasibility study using the customer’s fluid and the proposed recycling equipment. The customer was onsite observing the test.  It worked!

After the successful feasibility study at IFS, the company went ahead with the recycling project. In July 2014 the production system was installed and operational.

In March 2016 we checked back in to see how things were going, the system had been online for almost 2 years. The company is ecstatic with how well the unit is running and how much they have saved.  It has given them a significant competitive advantage in their industry.  The annual cost savings is over $100,000 per year in chemicals alone, not including reduced waste hauling cost.  The pay back on the recycling system was well under 1 year!

Helping customers maximizing fluid performance and minimizing cost is what we do. If you have a fluid application that needs to be developed or a process to test, give us a call.

NOTE: We have agreed with our customer that they will remain anonymous along with technical details of the application.