Chelburn cuts waste disposal costs by 55% with ECA eligible Aqua-Save

Lancashire based engineering company, Chelburn Precision, has reduced its coolant waste disposal costs by more than 55% thanks to the installation of an Aqua-Save Junior 2 system.

Chelburn produces engineered components used in a number of demanding industries including Rubber & Plastic Processing Equipment, Power Generation, Paper Converting and the Oil Industry.

The business was first established in 1982 and has grown into one of the UK’s leading component manufacturers following continued investment in both equipment and people.

As with all businesses, direct costs can have a significant impact on Chelburn’s bottom line. The company realised that its waste removal costs had dramatically increased during a routine financial audit and set about establishing how this could be addressed.

An internet search led Chelburn to the Aqua-Save system, which was developed by parent company MecWash, the aqueous component cleaning specialist.  The Aqua-Save system is designed for the treatment and recycling of waste water in a number of industrial processes, including parts washing, dye penetrant and waste coolant generated in metalworking operations.

Chelburn quickly arranged a trial of the system at MecWash’s Tewkesbury based laboratory to establish how much waste could be recycled and the potential cost savings that could be made.

A waste sample was processed to prove the Aqua-Save could recycle up to 95% of the coolant - reducing the concentrated waste to just 5% of the original quantities that Chelburn regularly paid to have removed. And because such a significant amount of coolant can be recycled, the cost of purchasing new coolant can also be drastically reduced, resulting in ongoing savings.

Companies installing Aqua-Saves can also claim a 100% first year capital allowance when 40% or more of the recovered waste water is reused, through the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme. ECA enables businesses to fully offset the cost of qualifying water efficient plant and machinery against taxable profits in the year of purchase.

Chelburn’s Company Accountant, Andy Bower, comments, “The purchase of the Aqua-Save was easily justified and has resulted in huge cost savings on coolant waste disposal. We also claimed the Enhanced Capital Allowance because we re-use over 40% of the clean processed water, and our DEFRA ‘Certificate Of Environmental Benefit’ received as a result of the installation, has proved really useful as we regularly have customers asking us about our environmental policies.”

Aqua-Save currently offers two different sized units – the Junior 2, a versatile, self-contained mobile unit which produces between 10-15 litres of clean water per hour, and the Aqua-Save 30 which produces between 30-40 litres per hour.

The units can be fitted to any aqueous wash system or IBC and have been proven to bring significant benefits to customers, both environmental and financial. Not only is the volume of waste significantly reduced, resulting in obvious cost savings – machine down-time is also minimised as a direct result of the Aqua-Save thanks to the cleanliness of the wash solution being maintained.

MecWash Managing Director, John Pattison, says, “With environmental issues and associated legislation playing an increasingly important role in global manufacturing, the Aqua-Save systems are becoming more and more popular – especially as there is currently funding available which effectively reduces the capital cost.”

Aqua-Save has recently launched a new website which includes both wash water and waste coolant cost saving calculators to provide customers with an idea of how much they could save. Find out more by visiting www.aqua-save.co.uk.

Aqua-Save Junior installed at Chelburn Precision’s production facility in Lancashire