DISAB TrailerVac cleans up at Clitheroe
Mobile vacuum cleans up ten times quicker than manual and static methods, say Hanson Cement
ACCORDING to Chris Murray, one of the site managers responsible for achieving high standards of housekeeping at Hanson Cement’s Clitheroe site, hiring a DISAB TrailerVac has transformed the time and cost of cleaning tasks around the plant. ‘The DISAB TrailerVac is doing 10 times the amount of cleaning work we used to do in a day,’ he said.
‘We have a continuous challenge of clearing up, removing and recycling the dry clinker and cement dust that is an inevitable by-product of the processing work we do here. We had been dealing with this issue using manual techniques combined with a static vacuum system, when I learned about the DISAB TrailerVac.
‘The TrailerVac looked like an ideal solution, as it offered a way to vacuum up dry dust and waste material up to 30mm, anywhere on site into a large capacity container holding around a tonne, and then tow it to wherever we needed to either dispose of it or recycle it back into the production process.’
Not only did the TrailerVac offer more than enough capacity, its motorized hydraulic tipping facility meant disposal was completely safe as well. Another benefit is that the TrailerVac can be used to power the fixed pipework vacuum system.
‘We hired a TrailerVac from DISAB UK and it soon became clear that it did just what it says on the tin,’ said Mr Murray. ‘It’s easily doing 10 times the amount of cleaning up work that we used to achieve in a day, and that means we’re able to deploy the operatives on other tasks around the site. It makes us much more efficient at dealing with the housekeeping tasks which would otherwise soon become a major headache, and take a lot of expensive resource to handle.
‘We have a team of cleaning operatives, two of whom will be using the TrailerVac to clear up about four tonnes of cement and clinker dust a day. That translates into a significant amount of raw material we can profitably recycle, and saves landfill charges of around £150 for every 20 tonnes we used to send for disposal each week.’
Mr Murray is particularly pleased with the TrailerVac’s flexibility, as it can be moved by anything with a towing bracket to any part of the large site at Clitheroe. ‘Compared with our static vacuum system, which is obviously limited to wherever it’s installed, the TrailerVac can be towed around the site to wherever it’s needed. That allows us to handle any spillage anywhere on the site,’ he said.
But the TrailerVac is not the only DISAB industrial vacuum equipment deployed on site. For wet cement or clinker waste, Mr Murray also brings in a truck-mounted DISAB Centurion unit from a local plant contractor. ‘These DISAB truck-mounted units are much larger and more powerful, ideal for wet spillages or sludges that need to be vacuumed up and transported elsewhere, but obviously their hire charges are in a different league,’ he said.
‘Nonetheless, with DISAB we now have all the vacuum machines we need for any of the typical cleaning or spillage tasks on site, all of which helps me stay well ahead of the daily, weekly and monthly housekeeping requirements, and as an accredited ISO 14001 site, that means we’re always in good shape for the regular site inspections.’
Suitably impressed by their experience with the hired-in TrailerVac, Hanson Cement are currently in the process of purchasing their own unit, with delivery expected shortly.
