Legislation drives clean investment

One supplier seeing benefit from the Solvent Emissions Directive (SED) is Geo Kingsbury. It has seen a 20-fold increase in annual sales of Dürr washing machines in 2007. The SED came into force for all industrial cleaning systems on 31 October 2007, a legally binding deadline that has been focusing the minds of managers in factories throughout the UK. Companies have been reviewing their component cleaning and degreasing activities and have been investing in new systems that comply with the new legislation. UK companies that have invested in Dürr equipment during 2007 are spread throughout industry from Formula One, through manufacturers of precision bearings, hand tools and fasteners, to sub-contract machinists and press workers, says the company. One order alone was valued at £400,000. “Considerable interest is being shown by the aerospace and medical industries, and we are also speaking in depth with optics and plastics processing firms,” said Geo Kingsbury business manager Matt Cooper (pictured). “The aerospace market is especially significant and will be a particular focus for us in 2008. “I believe that Dürr equipment is selling well because it is not tied to one cleaning medium – we offer a range of cleaning media including aqueous, chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons and polar systems. Also, there is a vast range of equipment from small stand-alone machines to automated, bespoke cleaning lines.”