Contracted Wastewater Treatment Personnel – Customer Operational Costs Drop 32% Per Year

The Customer
A healthcare products manufacturing facility whose manufacturing process generated various wastes from chemical blending, reactor cleanouts, and product testing.

The Problem
The facility had performed a recent, significant upgrade of its wastewater treatment system to accommodate expanded production and eliminate municipal surcharges. This treatment system was now a central system used to treat all the liquid waste from the facility, and then discharge the wastewater to a local POTW. The system upgrades included the addition of automated controls, new processing equipment, and additional treatment technologies that were not previously employed. The existing, internal operational staff and additional fill-in staff required significant training and ongoing management for them to successfully operate the new treatment system. Moreover, operation of the new treatment system would divert the company’s personnel from non-core business activity.

The ProChem Solution
After assessing the facility’s current situation and future production goals, ProChem offered a solution for the system’s operation. ProChem assumed full operational responsibility for the wastewater treatment system.

Specifically, ProChem provided trained technicians to operate and maintain the system 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. ProChem manages and provides ongoing training for the technicians. ProChem also provides all chemicals, replacement parts, safety supplies, and other consumable items related to the operation of the wastewater treatment system.

The technicians coordinate all wastewater treatment-related activities within the facility, in addition to serving as technical resources for the company’s Environmental Health and Safety Manager.

With the ProChem operations solution in place, the facility is experiencing a 32% overall reduction in operational costs (related to wastewater discharge), no municipal surcharges, and has been awarded numerous environmental awards. All issues surrounding the operation, monitoring, and maintenance of the wastewater treatment system were addressed by ProChem personnel and no longer require the attention of the company’s manufacturing employees and management.

The Win

• Operational issues eliminated
• Reduction in purchase orders processed by the customer and management time spent researching parts and chemicals (ProChem now provides all consumable supplies)
• 32% reduction in overall operational costs (related to wastewater discharge, including municipal surcharges)
• Multiple environmental awards, including:
  • Most Improved Industry award from the Department of Utilities
  • Pollution Prevention award from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • Environmental Excellence award
  • Platinum Environmental Excellence award for 2014. This award recognizes the facility for their 5 consecutive years of environmental excellence.