A Midwest company has been manufacturing soap continuously for over 125 years. The huge facility houses over 250 employees and has the capacity to make and pack six million bars of soap a day! As an independent contract manufacturer, the company produces soap based on many different brand specifications. When facility leaders noticed a problem in their pipes, they turned to the experts at The Macomb Group.
The soapy situation
“The problem they were having is the number-three and -seven dyes that make the soap green were corroding their stainless-steel piping, which was failing,” Troy Taylor, Macomb Group Aquatherm business development and Valve Automation sales specialist explained. “They had failures within 12 months with stainless steel.”
With high concentrations of corrosive dyes in the mixture, leaders at the soap company found themselves in great need of a fast and effective piping solution, resulting in a call to The Macomb Group. As a leading wholesale distributor of pipe, valves, and fittings (PVF) for the Midwest region, experts at The Macomb Group were uniquely qualified to help those at the soap company address this issue. After studying the problem and weighing the options, Taylor recommended they adopt Aquatherm piping.
“We created a test piece to see if it would work. They wanted to do a test run, and we provided a sample piece for a portion of the line,” Taylor said. “There was no degradation of the piping and no evidence of wear or failure.”
By installing Aquatherm piping, plant leaders no longer have to worry about their pipes corroding in the span of a year. In fact, they can expect their piping to remain in place for 60 years. How? Aquatherm piping is comprised of polypropylene-random (PP-R), a thermoplastic that does not react with the contents of the soap or contain any harmful chemicals because it is made of stable compounds. It can last so long because piping carrying the dye won’t easily corrode.
“If this goes over fine, they’re going to install it in other areas,” Taylor added. “It’s something that’s been a trouble in the past, and now they don’t have to worry about failures and lost production anymore.”
In addition, plant operators can now also reduce environmental risks at the hands of failing infrastructure.
“They’re not going to be shut down by the EPA,” Taylor said. “The EPA was getting ready to shut them down due to failures, so it’s going to be a long-term trouble-free system. It’s going to have a long life, and it also comes with a 10-year warranty. Aquatherm will cover any incidental damage, property damage, or personal injury as well. They’ll cover the cost to replace the equipment.”
Additional Aquatherm benefits
While it was the perfect solution for the soap folks, Aquatherm applications extend far beyond body wash. Aquatherm has been producing environmentally friendly piping solutions for years for a huge variety of applications, including drinking water solutions, radiant heating and cooling systems, industrial applications, water conservation efforts, and fire sprinkler systems. Experts at The Macomb Group provide their customers with Aquatherm piping and fitting solutions to solve complex issues such as those soap company leaders faced.
Professionals at The Macomb Group pride themselves on their company being a complete provider for all PVF needs. They partner with industry-leading manufacturers such as Aquatherm to solve real-world issues and deliver the best products at competitive prices. And they’ll work with you throughout the entire process from piping to fitting problem-solving as well as design, supply, fabrication, installation, and everything in between.
