How Safetykleen reduced Eneria’s maintenance time by 70%

Challenge

American industrial giant Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. And production and engine solutions specialist Eneria is their authorized dealer in France, Belgium, Poland and Romania.

Eneria focuses on the design, installation and maintenance of engines for marine, industrial, health, construction, logistics, rail and oil businesses. Their technical expertise is recognized around the world, particularly in terms of energy optimization and respect for the environment. Their teams intervene in all kinds of emergencies relating to maintenance or replacement of parts in order to meet the sometimes tight deadlines of their customers, hence the importance of the implementation of methodical, fast and efficient processes.

Their workshop ensures, among other things, the process of cleaning new parts before their installation but also the control and maintenance of multiple metal parts of all sizes to allow the proper functioning of Caterpillar engines.

Among these processes, the workshop is responsible for cleaning new cast iron engine cylinder heads which can reach up to 250 kg and 1.20 m long before installing them, and which arrive covered with a very heavy storage grease. thick protecting them from corrosion. To do this successfully, operators had to clean the parts manually with a brush using acetone before rinsing them with a Karcher, a process that could take 2-3 hours in total.

Marine diesel engine parts such as coolers and plate heat exchangers which are used to cool fluids to ensure their proper functioning must also be regularly descaled. Scale deposits rush into the internal cavities and part tubes, which further complicates the cleaning process which consisted of soaking them in a hydrochloric acid bath for 30 minutes to an hour then brushing them manually, a process that could last up to 4 hours.

At Eneria, ensuring the safety and preserving the health of employees are major objectives. The company is also involved in protecting the environment by implementing concrete actions to reduce the ecological impact of its activities and that of its customers. This is why the company turned to Safetykleen to find cleaning solutions that meet all of their challenges.

Solution

After a complete diagnosis of Eneria’s problems, two automatic cleaning solutions were chosen and implemented in the workshop, each dedicated to its cleaning problem.

For engine heads, it is the automatic spray machine Aquakleen Automatic which was chosen, with an aqueous-based solution that ensures optimal cleaning without risk to the health and safety of operators thanks to a closed circuit but also without risk for the environment.

This automated parts washer allows the simultaneous cleaning of several parts, even large ones, in a one hour cycle, while freeing the Eneria teams by programming the duration and temperature of the cycles as needed. Its motorized rotating basket will turn the parts to allow deep cleaning, even the most difficult to reach areas. The machine is also equipped with excellent insulation to reduce its power consumption.

For marine diesel engine parts, our teams turned to the Sonickleen ultrasonic cleaner to efficiently and quickly descale all areas of the parts. The innovative ultrasonic cleaning technology and a detergent solution without VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) chosen allow rapid and targeted elimination of tartar, and compensate for the immersive acid bath solution. Its process also does not require any intervention from operators in order to let them concentrate on their activities.

Results

Safetykleen’s all-in-one service provides a response to Eneria’s initial issues, while providing them with regular replenishment of chemical applications and ensuring the collection and treatment of waste in full compliance and serenity.

Productivity objectives largely met
In addition to the productivity ensured by our two high-performance machines coupled with effective aqueous-based solutions, cleaning is done in “masked time”, without any intervention by the operators. An estimated time saving of up to 70% with the Aquakleen Automatic compared to their initial solution and up to 40% with the Sonickleen, which also leads to a drastic reduction in labor costs associated with the cleaning process .

Results commensurate with the excellence of Eneria and Caterpillar
The parts are perfectly cleaned and without residue, even within the internal cavities of the parts, in order to allow an optimal functioning of the engines.

Occupational health, safety and compliance at the forefront
Automatic cleaning machines make it possible to eliminate all the drudgery at work caused by manual cleaning of such large and heavy parts. Replacing acetone and the acid bath with washing solutions without C.O.V. also protects the health and safety of Eneria’s teams. It also further improves the rating system of its exclusive partner Caterpillar in their “Contamination control” certification process.

A reduced environmental footprint
Our water-based solutions are guaranteed to be environmentally friendly. In addition, they do not contain C.O.V., direct pollutants for humans and plants.

Eneria, experts in energy solutions and associated services, are committed to the energy transition of their customers.