Concentric AB, a World leading manufacturer of diesel engine pumps and niche hydraulic systems, has taken delivery of a fifth MecWash aqueous component cleaning and degreasing system at its main manufacturing plant in Birmingham following a comprehensive benchmarking process.
The latest parts washer, a MecWash Midi, was commissioned to clean pumps produced for a major manufacturer of diesel injectors, along with an Aqua-Save Junior waste wash water recycling system, to increase the length of time between wash water changes.
Concentric has been a MecWash customer since 1997 and knew it could trust the company’s expertise to deliver the highest standards of cleanliness possible, but decided to benchmark the Midi against other wash machines to ensure it always delivers the best value for its customers.
Mark McFall, Concentric Manufacturing Engineering Manager, says, “Our Birmingham plant focusses on producing the more complex, high-end products in our range and our customers demand the absolute highest levels of quality in all aspects of our operation.
“Having trialled a number of cleaning methods, the MecWash Midi was the only one that exceeded the cleanliness levels demanded by our customer, inside the required Takt time.”
Concentric operates a culture of continuous improvement and a rolling investment programme to ensure it delivers the high levels of productivity and quality demanded by the World's leading engine manufacturers. The Birmingham factory is accredited to the Automotive Industry Quality Management Standard, TS16949, and every part produced must adhere to all aspects of this Standard.
Mark continues, “The Midi was commissioned specifically to clean pumps for one particular customer that sells its precision engineered systems to leading automotive manufacturers all over the World. We provide an extensive prototyping and testing period for each of our customers to ensure their pump works perfectly, and we use the same ethos when selecting our suppliers.”
Concentric pumps are cast and machined to very tight tolerances, they must be completely free from any contamination before being passed to the assembly line. The Midi’s 400 x 450 x 600mm wash chamber can easily accommodate larger parts, meaning it is used extensively in the automotive and other high precision industries that demand exceptional results.
MecWash also manufactured a range of bespoke fixtures for Concentric to hold nests of parts during the wash process - removing the need for double-handling, and therefore minimising the chances of re-contamination. This service adds further value by helping to speed up the production process.
Aqua-Save
The addition of an integrated Aqua-Save Junior wash water recycling system enables Concentric to run the Midi for much longer by keeping the water cleaner. This both reduces the contamination in the wash water and means the rinse and wash tanks do not need to be emptied so frequently.
Concentric first purchased a MecWash 300 Special in 1997, followed by three Minis installed between 2004 and 2006. It took delivery of a Solo 300 in 2007, followed by the most recent installation of the MecWash Midi and Aqua-Save Junior.
For further information about MecWash Systems Limited please visit www.mecwash.co.uk – to find out more about Aqua-Save systems, please visit www.aqua-save.co.uk.