 CONTEXTPrimas Restoration was instructed by an insurance builder to restore internal bricks and mortar that had been damaged in large domestic fire. Over 100 years old, the bricks made up an original kitchen fire place which was regarded by the owners as a key feature of building's heritage appeal.  SITUATIONThe fire started in the kitchen adjacent to the fireplace due to the failure of an appliance. As the appliance burnt out, heavy and toxic, soot and smoke damage coated the fireplace bricks and mortar. Structurally sound and important to the home's aesthetic, the insurance builder requested that dry ice blasting be used to restore the feature fireplace bricks and mortar. The restoration process was further complicated by the fact that new cabinetry and fixtures had been installed around the kitchen and next to the bricks and mortar to be dry ice cleaned. ACTIONPrimas Restoration conducted an analysis of the bricks and mortar and concluded, given their age and construction, that they were extremely brittle and fragile. Using the least aggressive settings and blasting technique possible, Primas Restoration employed dry ice blasting to remove the soot and smoke damage from the bricks and mortar. Particular care was taken around the affected areas abutting the new cabinetry and fittings.  RESULTThe soot, smoke damage and odour was efficiently and effectively removed without causing any damage to the bricks, mortar, cabinets or fittings. Given the nature of the soot and smoke contamination coupled with the fragility of the bricks and mortar, cleaning by hand or abrasive blasting methods would have led to significant damage being caused. Extremely precise and careful use of dry ice blasting successfully restored the damaged surfaces and saved a significant amount of cleaning downtime. 
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CONTEXTA packaging company in Perth was struggling with cleaning its large, intricate, multi-story plastic extruders. Production quotas and near constant operation meant that cleaning downtime was difficult to schedule and lost production represented significant opportunity costs for the business. The plant is classified as food grade and as such the ability to clean using chemicals was limited. The presence of sensitive manufacturing equipment adjacent to the machines ruled out cleaning with water or secondary media.  SITUATIONThe company’s manufacturing process caused small amounts of overspray which led to the extruder arms, cages and rollers becoming contaminated with plastic polymer. As this contamination increases over time the company’s Production and Quality Managers record significant decreases in production and marked increases in defects and waste. The Managers also notice frustration among machine operators as the extruders become increasingly difficult to operate efficiently and effectively.  ACTIONAfter initial discussions the company recognised the value dry ice blasting could provide but were reluctant to proceed given budgetary constraints. Primas Dry Ice Blasting provided a solution by producing a simple cost benefit analysis so the company could clearly determine whether using dry ice cleaning would be a financially prudent decision. AN EXAMPLE FROM THE COST BENEFIT ANALYSISThe analysis identified production downtime cost as a key metric. Here, for example, each machine produces approximately $20,000 worth of product per day. To clean each machine by hand using solvents usually took the maintenance team five days. This downtime resulted in lost production valued at $100,000. Primas Dry Ice Blasting estimated that it would take one day to clean a machine which would result in a production downtime saving of $80,000.  RESULTThe cost benefit analysis clearly identified that by using Primas Dry Ice Blasting the company could significantly reduce production downtime costs and eliminate a range of risks attached to cleaning the machines by hand. After receiving instructions from the company, Primas Dry Ice Blasting cleaned one machine in a day as per its estimation. Subsequent to this, the company confirmed that the dry ice cleaning had also improved production output and decreased defects.  |
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