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Vol.
4, Issue 2
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| Success
Story |
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| Typical
vertical turbine pumping station |
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Pump
Repair Business Grows with Thordon
(and Johnson
Packings!)
“If Thordon
bearings worked well in propeller shaft
and rudder bearing applications, they would
work equally well in pump applications.”
This
was the thought of Odd Brevik, former Marine
Engineer with Texaco, and current President
of New England Pump & Valve, in Connecticut...
After
spending over 20 years travelling the world
keeping Texaco ships running smoothly, Brevik
decided that it was time to stay at home for
a while, and he started up his own pump repair
business in 1986. |
One
of Brevik's first customers was a large pharmaceutical
company, located in New London, Connecticut. The
company was having bearing problems in their large
vertical turbine pumps. The bronze bearings were
only lasting approximately 18 months, due to the
abrasive, brackish water. Brevik contacted Thordon
and was referred to Eric Nitsch at Johnson Packings
and Industrial Products, Thordon's distributor for
Connecticut. After reviewing the application with
Johnson Packings, Thordon SXL pump bearings were
recommended.
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| Odd
Brevik of New England Pump & Valve |
|
Since
Brevik has a large machine shop, Johnson Packings
showed him how to use the Thordon Bearing Sizing
Calculation Program to size, machine and freeze fit
(using liquid nitrogen) the elastomeric polymer bearings.
The pharmaceutical company currently has over 6 years'
life from the Thordon SXL bearings installed in 1996.
And the four bearing replacements avoided to date
by converting to Thordon means they have saved a
lot of downtime money.
Brevik
also used Thordon to eliminate oil pollution from
large Johnson flood control pumps operated by the
City of Stamford, Connecticut. "The bearings
in these pumps were oil lubricated and originally
had to be hand-cranked to achieve the required oil
pressure. I recommended using water lubrication by
replacing the bearings with Thordon and upgrading
to a stainless steel 316 shaft. After installing
a solenoid valve and PLC that fills the housing with
water should the pump ever run dry, the City of Stamford
eliminated any source of oil seeping into the river," says
Brevik.
"I
believe in using high-quality products that give
the best return to my customers," says Brevik. "Thordon
bearings make my customers happy, and when customers
are happy, they tell other people, and my business
grows. Thordon bearings last longer, they eliminate
grease or oil, and they are so... easy to work with," says
Brevik. "My biggest problem is trying to get
pump equipment engineers to change from the existing
metal bearings they have been using for years to...
these new materials."
The
above article originally appeared in Issue 2003-1
of Newsworks, Thordon's company newsletter.
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| Circuit
Board Manufacturer Experiences Quick Return on Investment
with Tekleen Water Filter Johnson
Packings recently produced a Productivity Gain Report
that documents the impressive Return on Investment
(ROI) that resulted when our customer replaced bag
filters with a Tekleen
Automatic Water Filter for its
process water. Although this purchase represented a
major investment for our customer, payback was achieved
in just one year. The productivity gain, in terms of
materials, labor and downtime, is summarized below.
| Productivity
Gain Report: Circuit Board Manufacturer
Experiences Quick Return on Investment with Tekleen
Filter |
Date: March 21, 2003
Product: Tekleen Automatic Water Filter
Customer: Circuit Board Manufacturer
Application: City Water |
History
Customer
was using 5-micron bag filters to filter the
incoming water, which is used as
process
water
for manufacturing circuit boards. The Quality Improvement
Team was asked the question, "Why do we have
water pressure variation?" The conclusion:
Clogging of filters and the process to change the
filters were time-consuming and affected production. A
clogged filter would reduce water flow, and a
low PSI alarm was activated. Maintenance people
would have to drop everything or be on call (nights
and weekends) to change the filter bags. The
water
had to be shut off to each filter during the
changeout, which further reduced water flow.
All of this required
people’s time, and production was lost
due to low water flow. |
Original
Cost:
Labor rate: $40.00/Hr.
Labor required to replace filter bags: 1 man, 10
minutes (actual time at the filter)
Labor to change bag filters: $5,000/Yr.
Original cost of bag filters: $4.00 ea.
Current time in service: 600-750 changeouts/Yr.
Cost of filter bags: $3,000/Yr.
Total cost: $8,000/Yr. |
Solution:
Johnson Packings and Tekleen recommended a 5-micron
ABW4-LP automatic self-cleaning water filter to
replace the bag filter system. The system was installed
at the water main coming into the building and
replaced the bank of four filters. |
Results:
The Tekleen filter is back-washing about 10-20
times a day, keeping the plant water pressure between
40 and 45 PSI.
| • |
Maintenance
projects aren't interrupted to change
filters. |
| • |
Production
is operating at optimum water pressure levels
at all times. |
| • |
Maintenance
isn't called in on nights and weekends
(4 hours pay minimum) to change filters. |
| • |
Workmen's
compensation ergonomics rating for bag filter
changeout has been downgraded from a 91 rating
to zero. |
| • |
The
backwashes (35 gallons per) cost in the region
of $600 per year in water down the drain.
The benefits outweigh this cost. |
|
Productivity Gain:
Filter bags: $4 ea. x 750/Yr.: +$3,000
Labor dollars to change filter bags: $5,000/Yr.
Filter backwash cost: -$600/Yr.
Current cost savings: +$7,400/Yr. |
Savings
with Tekleen Automatic Filter:
$7,400.00
Payback is
one year.
Production
uptime, overtime pay, work interruption and
workmen's
compensation rating are not considered in
the cost payback. |
 Johnson
Packings has prepared similar Productivity Gain Reports
for other customers' applications.
Please tell us if you have an interest in a particular
product and its potential ROI for you. If we have a
Report on an application in which that product has
actually been used, we will be happy to share it with
you.
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Meet
Dan Sousa, From Our Shipping Department
We
would like to introduce you to one of our newest
employees, Dan Sousa. Dan joined Johnson
Packings' Shipping Department this
past April. This is his first job since completing
four years of service with the U.S. Marine
Corps.
Dan
performs a variety of shipping and receiving
duties, from unloading trucks to ensuring
that
orders are shipped out well-packed and on-time.
A sports enthusiast, he enjoys golf, skiing
and mountain biking. Return
to top of page
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Our
Enlarged O-Ring Inventory Offers More Sealing Solutions
At
Johnson Packings, we have just increased the
size of our O-Ring inventory.
You can now choose from over 350 standard-size
O-Rings to meet
the demands of your specific application. Selection
is easy with the assistance of our knowledgeable
sales representatives. Whether you need an
O-Ring for use as an hydraulic seal, a drive
belt or a vibration damper, we will provide
an appropriately designed device, constructed
from the right compound, to satisfy your requirements.
We
also offer hundreds of specials, as well
as O-Ring kits and Mil Spec O-Rings. Please
contact us for details.
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| CONTACT
US |
| 24-Hour
Emergency Service: 1-800-356-0061 |
Email: infohnsonpackings.com |
| Headquarters:
|
21 Deer
Park Drive, P.O. Box 545, East Longmeadow, MA 01028 | 413-525-5555
| Fax: 413-525-5520 |
| Branch
Office: |
1185 Hammond
Street, Unit 4, Bangor, ME 04401 | 207-262-7110 | Fax: 207-262-7118 |
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