SkipVAC deals with cement dust at Lafarge Westbury June 2008

To help achieve its exemplary environmental and cleaning standards, the housekeeping team use a SkipVAC to clean up wherever cement dust gathers. Ken Stevens, the Packing Plant Manager at Westbury, is particularly impressed by the SkipVACs performance: “Cleaning up around the packing equipment used to be one of the least popular jobs on the site, because it had to be done using just brooms and shovels. The SkipVAC has changed all that. It’s a brilliant machine, and by putting some additional electric power points around the plant, operators can use it wherever it’s needed.”

CompVAC cleans up clinker at Lafarge Northfleet June 2008

At Lafarge’s Northfleet terminal, 4,500 tonnes of clinker a week are offloaded by grab cranes. Spillages can range from the size of tennis balls down to fine dust, and rain makes the material much more difficult to handle. But using a CompVAC has made all the difference. Martin Homer, the Execution Engineer at Lafarge Northfleet, has been overseeing the CompVAC’s operation: “It’s a very good piece of equipment. It’s compact and easy to move around using a forklift, so we can use its power very effectively wherever we need to. We’re really pleased with it and the service and support we get from Gotland is just as good as the machine itself.”

InBulk Technologies is impressed by the BagVAC December 2007

InBulk Technologies is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of Isotank containers. Used for the safe transportation of dry bulk powder and granular materials, any remaining residue has to be thoroughly cleaned out and removed for off-site disposal.

The BagVAC is proving to be the ideal solution, says Operations Manager Simon Bromhall: “The BagVAC not only has ample suction power but is mobile as well, because it can be forklifted around the site. This degree of mobility is far more convenient for the team doing the cleaning.”

Up, up and away: Sutton Services finds a new way to use the CompVAC December 2007

How do you remove blown glass fibre from cavity wall insulation that’s three stories up in complete safety, when you’re in the middle of an airfield and have to comply with Foreign Object Damage regulations? Get a CompVAC and a 9.5 metre teleporter, according to Glenn Sutton of Sutton Services.

Unusual, but the CompVAC’s versatility paired with its completely enclosed system and high-performance sucking power, proved to be a very effective combination. Rob Saunders is the foreman who directed the operation: “The Gotland CompVAC’s a good machine, there’s plenty of sucking power. The fibre glass particles weren’t the easiest items to deal with, being light and prone to sticking in the filters, but with patience, perseverance and the CompVAC, we got the job done!”

CompVAC cleans up the foundry pits at Ballentine Boness November 2007

Foundry pits full of casting sand need to be cleaned every one or two days, and doing it with a shovel is time-consuming, back-breaking and unpopular. So Jim Brookes, the foundry’s Purchasing Manager, was delighted when he saw what the CompVAC can do: “It’s hot, unpleasant work and was one of the least popular tasks of housekeeping in the foundry.

The Gotland CompVAC has changed all that. It has more than enough power to lift the sand out of both of the 6’ deep pits, and the boys on the shopfloor really enjoy working with it.”

Pyeroy loves CompVAC's pulling power November 2007

The UK’s railway bridges all need regular maintenance and the application of protective coatings. One of the UK’s leading specialists, Pyeroy, has started using a CompVAC to suck up the very fine grit used for blasting bridge surfaces back to bare metal.

Pyeroy’s Training Manager, Derek Dargue, has been getting great feedback from operators using the CompVAC: “Given the length of the pipe the grit has to travel, the CompVAC’s pulling power is fantastic.”

Making Light work of waste site management October 2007

Light Brothers processes annually over 100,000 tonnes of metals and a further 15,000 tonnes of glass, plastics, and paper. So housekeeping is a major priority, and a CompVAC is proving far more efficient at cleaning up the inevitable debris of granulated and shredded waste around their UK sites.

It’s also saving their time and improving the housekeeping, according to MD Jonathan Light: “The CompVAC makes the cleaning up around the shredding and granulating equipment much faster, more efficient and more effective. Having tried a hired CompVAC, we’ll definitely be making it part of our everyday site housekeeping operations.”