Industrial Water Solutions - Issue 1
INSIDE CLEARMAKE ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
FY09 is now behind us and it seems business confidence is steadily returning. The past 12 months or so have been interesting to say the least and although demand for water treatment and recycling solutions in the commercial and industrial sector have remained strong, we’ve needed to fine tune Clearmake to ensure the business continues to grow during these changing times.
3 AREAS OF KEY FOCUS FOR RECESSION PROOFING OUR BUSINESS
- Skill Up. An economic downturn provides a great opportunity for employers with a progressive focus to recruit some tremendous new talent. And that’s exactly what we did late last year and early this year. We employed several highly skilled and experienced team members into senior roles equipping the business for growth as the economy recovers.
- Focus on Service. In busy times it can be challenging just to keep up with orders coming in the door. Yet recent changes in the buying patterns of most businesses (and consumers) has meant reduced capital expenditure, project delays and a greater focus on equipment maintenance and service for improved longevity, rather than new projects. A more consultative approach and the development of our service team has helped us to meet more customer’s needs. This increased focus on service and system upgrades has allowed us to keep in touch with the changing needs of our clients, deliver what they need, and continue to meet current capex budgets.
- Give Them What They Want. Ask your customers what they want... and give it to them! Just because they’ve been buying a certain product or service from you for years, doesn’t mean they’ll choose it again today. A more consultative approach has allowed us to grow our customer base and successfully service a greater range of project types and niche industries. It has also provided a platform for valuable market research required for ongoing product development.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST 3 MONTHS
- Signing the design and construct contract for the Ground Water Treatment Plant for Brisbane’s North South Bypass Tunnel (Clem 7).
- Steadily increasing orders on numerous projects for customers including the Australian Defence Forces, Queensland Government, EDI and Cummins, producing the largest order book in Clearmake history.
- The addition of another electrical tradesperson to the team, with 12 years experience in the water treatment industry.
- Another existing team member has started his electrical apprenticeship.
- Client feedback, market research and product development has lead us to investigating several new technologies that will further expand our product offering.
As a representative of the Reserve Bank’s Business Advisory Panel, I was fortunate enough to meet last month with the Bank’s Governor, Glenn Stevens and other panel members to discuss the current economic climate and its impact on the SME market. And there was plenty of good news. Australia’s economic performance relative to the rest of the world has been impressive. When you add up all the various measures considered, our overall economic health places us at number two in the world after Norway... and there is daylight between us and third. So although there may still be challenges ahead, there is plenty to look forward to.
David Lumb
Managing Director
Clearmake
REMOVE GRASS CLIPPINGS FROM WASHDOWN WATER WITH CLEARMAKE'S NEW BOW SCREEN
Pennant Hills Golf Club in Sydney’s North Western suburbs has recently installed the new Clearmake Bow Screen, designed to remove grass clippings from waste water.
In many golf and bowling clubs, football and cricket grounds, turf farms and parkland areas, there have been problems in dealing with grass clippings that are washed from maintenance equipment during routine cleaning. These clippings get into the waste water collection pits and clog up the infrastructure, create bad odours and increase chemical deposits in the waste stream.
Richard Kirkby, Course Superintendent at Pennant Hills Golf Club said...
“We recently chose to partner with Clearmake to design and manufacture a solution for us, as we get a lot of grass entering the system after we wash down our course machinery and equipment. The Bow Screen developed by Clearmake screens off the grass clippings from the wash-bay water and significantly reduces the volume that passes through the separator. This ensures that the waste water is able to be treated to a level suitable for discharge”.
“We selected Clearmake because we have used their equipment before and because they were keen to work with the Golf Course Industry to come up with a solution for this problem. We are very pleased with the performance of the Bow Screen and I would recommend Clearmake to other industry facilities looking for a similar solution”.
The Clearmake Bow Screen is attached to the front of a Clearmake Oil/Water/Solids Separator. Waste water is drawn from the collection pit and passed over the Bow Screen, where the clippings are screened off for later removal. The water then passes through the separator and onto the chosen waste location. The screen is made from 304 Stainless Steel and comes with a 12 months parts and labour warranty.
For more information or a quote on a Clearmake Bow Screen, call 1800 700 267.
GOVERNMENT GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR STORMWATER HARVESTING AND REUSE PROJECTS
The Federal Government is calling for proposals for stormwater harvesting and reuse projects.
Under the $200 million initiative, grants or refundable tax offsets will be available for up to 50% of eligible capital costs for projects that ease the demand on mains water supplies. The minimum project size is $4 million and whilst there is no maximum project size, funding is capped at $20 million per project. Funding is available for project work to be completed by 30/6/13.
The 2nd round call for proposals closes on 11 December 2009.
Clearmake can assist you with an efficient and reliable solution that meets the needs of your business as well as stringent regulatory requirements.
To discuss your project requirements, call Clearmake on 1800 700 267. For complete proposal guidelines on the available grants, visit http://www.environment.gov.au/water/programs/urban/stormwater-harvesting.html
EXCELLENCE IN INDUSTRIAL WATER
Clearmake is proud to be involved in this year’s Excellence in Industrial & Commercial Water event, to be held in Melbourne on 17 – 18 November.
Presented by WME Media, Excellence in Industrial & Commercial Water is the only dedicated event to business users of water in Australia.
Built on the success of the 2008 inaugural event, this year has been designed specifically with those responsible for water management from a range of industries in mind. Attendees will leave equipped with everything they need to know to make their water operations more efficient, more effective and more environmentally conscious.
With lower water levels and state government action looming, this is a not to be missed event for anybody involved in, interested in, or responsible for industrial or commercial water management.
For more information, please visit http://www.resourcefulevents.com/page/excel-industrial-and-commercial-water-09
COST OF WATER - ARTICLE EXERPT FROM THE AUSTRALIAN - MAY 25, 2009. BY ASA WAHLQUIST
THE cost of water is likely to rise 50-100 per cent in five years, as governments invest more than $30 billion for new supplies.
Mr Young said the price rises would vary between cities, depending on the expenditure, but the inclining block tariff under which prices rise with higher water use should ensure water was still affordable.
He said there had been a huge social revolution in water. Sydney used the same amount of water as it did in 1974, although there are more than 1 million more people. "And yet since 1974, household electricity consumption has doubled," Mr Young said.
Although recent rains have raised southeast Queensland's dams to 73 per cent, and Sydney's are currently at 58 per cent capacity, southern Australia remains very dry.
Melbourne's dam level is just 26.6 per cent, and the city's residents are on severe water restrictions. Mr Young said Melbourne's dam level was the lowest since its main dam, the Thompson, was built in 1983.
Adelaide's reservoirs are at 53per cent. Those reservoirs are small, and Adelaide relies for most of its water on the Murray River. But Murray storages are currently just 11 per cent full, holding 914 gigalitres (billion litres) - well below the long-term average of 4670GL.
Perth's dams are at 29 per cent, and its desalination plant now supplies 17 per cent of the city's water needs. Mr Young said Perth was actually planning for a future that did not rely on dam-water supplies.
A long term water management plan is essential for your business and could provide greater certainty for the future. For more information or advice, call Clearmake on 1800 700 267.
INSIDE CLEARMAKE ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
During the second half of 2009, Clearmake will achieve accreditation for the international standard for quality management systems – ISO9001:2008.
QUALITY
For any business starting down the road of Quality Management, it is possible to feel that quality, cost, timeliness and productivity are entities which frequently conflict with one another, necessitating trade-offs.
Certainly, it is possible to improve quality if more money is spent. Every engineer knows how to improve quality through greater expense. We can lower the cost of the product by cheapening it. We can get to market sooner if we skip a few steps (at the expense of quality), or spend more money to speed up certain activities.
In the current economic climate, many businesses are trading off quality, for reduced cost and timing, believing this is a necessary evil in order to remain competitive. While some trade-off is acceptable, the present view of some industry participants is somewhat myopic.
At Clearmake, we see this as a time to implement a long-term quality management strategy which can be integrated with our current product offer.
The vision is to use an accredited quality management system to produce water treatment and recycling systems of a consistently high quality, at prices which are acceptable to the market.
ISO9001:2008
An entire industry has been developed to support the implementation and accreditation of the ISO9001:2008 standard. Once implemented, the standard sets requirements across an entire business:
- Document control
- Management responsibility
- Resource management
- Product realisation
- Measurement, analysis and improvement
While any quality system, on its own, will not lead to automatic improvement, it is a proven means by which a more systematic approach to business improvement can be developed.
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
An accredited quality management system is one which seeks to evaluate how and why things are done within a business. It consists of an organisational structure together with the documentation, processes and resources used to achieve quality objectives and to meet customer requirements.
While implementing a quality system costs time and money, it should be viewed in the same way as any other investment. For Clearmake, a quality management system will provide the means to improve the systems of the business as the business grows. Therefore, the investment of time and thousands of dollars is a function of the ability to maximize the potential of the growth which the company is currently experiencing.
Improvement to the bottom line may be the most desirable of outcomes, but this cannot be possible without providing an improved and accredited product to our clients. Promotion of ISO9001:2008 accreditation can be summarized as improved effectiveness in the enhancement of customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements.
For us at Clearmake, there can be no trade-offs or compromise. ISO9001:2008 accreditation will form part of a reason for Clearmake to remain respected as an industry benchmark and a reliable supplier to the businesses of our clients.
Get more from your water treatment and recycling equipment with Clearmake’s highly effective Quick Break degreasers and detergents. This revolutionary range of products promote optimal equipment performance, superior cleaning, while remaining fully biodegradable and safe for our environment.
Save 25% on a Clearmake Quick Break Starter Kit if you place your order by 30 September 2009. RRP is $485 + GST. You’ll pay just $363.75 + GST.
Clearmake Starter Pack contains:
- 20L water-based degreaser
- 20L solvent-based degreaser
- 20L vehicle wash
- 20L heavy equipment cleaner
- 20L hand cleaner
For more information on any topic covered
in this newsletter, please call
1800 700 267 or email info@clearmake.com.au
INSIDE CLEARMAKE ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
FY09 is now behind us and it seems business confidence is steadily returning. The past 12 months or so have been interesting to say the least and although demand for water treatment and recycling solutions in the commercial and industrial sector have remained strong, we’ve needed to fine tune Clearmake to ensure the business continues to grow during these changing times.
3 AREAS OF KEY FOCUS FOR RECESSION PROOFING OUR BUSINESS
- Skill Up. An economic downturn provides a great opportunity for employers with a progressive focus to recruit some tremendous new talent. And that’s exactly what we did late last year and early this year. We employed several highly skilled and experienced team members into senior roles equipping the business for growth as the economy recovers.
- Focus on Service. In busy times it can be challenging just to keep up with orders coming in the door. Yet recent changes in the buying patterns of most businesses (and consumers) has meant reduced capital expenditure, project delays and a greater focus on equipment maintenance and service for improved longevity, rather than new projects. A more consultative approach and the development of our service team has helped us to meet more customer’s needs. This increased focus on service and system upgrades has allowed us to keep in touch with the changing needs of our clients, deliver what they need, and continue to meet current capex budgets.
- Give Them What They Want. Ask your customers what they want... and give it to them! Just because they’ve been buying a certain product or service from you for years, doesn’t mean they’ll choose it again today. A more consultative approach has allowed us to grow our customer base and successfully service a greater range of project types and niche industries. It has also provided a platform for valuable market research required for ongoing product development.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST 3 MONTHS
- Signing the design and construct contract for the Ground Water Treatment Plant for Brisbane’s North South Bypass Tunnel (Clem 7).
- Steadily increasing orders on numerous projects for customers including the Australian Defence Forces, Queensland Government, EDI and Cummins, producing the largest order book in Clearmake history.
- The addition of another electrical tradesperson to the team, with 12 years experience in the water treatment industry.
- Another existing team member has started his electrical apprenticeship.
- Client feedback, market research and product development has lead us to investigating several new technologies that will further expand our product offering.
As a representative of the Reserve Bank’s Business Advisory Panel, I was fortunate enough to meet last month with the Bank’s Governor, Glenn Stevens and other panel members to discuss the current economic climate and its impact on the SME market. And there was plenty of good news. Australia’s economic performance relative to the rest of the world has been impressive. When you add up all the various measures considered, our overall economic health places us at number two in the world after Norway... and there is daylight between us and third. So although there may still be challenges ahead, there is plenty to look forward to.
David Lumb
Managing Director
Clearmake
REMOVE GRASS CLIPPINGS FROM WASHDOWN WATER WITH CLEARMAKE'S NEW BOW SCREEN
Pennant Hills Golf Club in Sydney’s North Western suburbs has recently installed the new Clearmake Bow Screen, designed to remove grass clippings from waste water.
In many golf and bowling clubs, football and cricket grounds, turf farms and parkland areas, there have been problems in dealing with grass clippings that are washed from maintenance equipment during routine cleaning. These clippings get into the waste water collection pits and clog up the infrastructure, create bad odours and increase chemical deposits in the waste stream.
Richard Kirkby, Course Superintendent at Pennant Hills Golf Club said...
“We recently chose to partner with Clearmake to design and manufacture a solution for us, as we get a lot of grass entering the system after we wash down our course machinery and equipment. The Bow Screen developed by Clearmake screens off the grass clippings from the wash-bay water and significantly reduces the volume that passes through the separator. This ensures that the waste water is able to be treated to a level suitable for discharge”.
“We selected Clearmake because we have used their equipment before and because they were keen to work with the Golf Course Industry to come up with a solution for this problem. We are very pleased with the performance of the Bow Screen and I would recommend Clearmake to other industry facilities looking for a similar solution”.
The Clearmake Bow Screen is attached to the front of a Clearmake Oil/Water/Solids Separator. Waste water is drawn from the collection pit and passed over the Bow Screen, where the clippings are screened off for later removal. The water then passes through the separator and onto the chosen waste location. The screen is made from 304 Stainless Steel and comes with a 12 months parts and labour warranty.
For more information or a quote on a Clearmake Bow Screen, call 1800 700 267.
GOVERNMENT GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR STORMWATER HARVESTING AND REUSE PROJECTS
The Federal Government is calling for proposals for stormwater harvesting and reuse projects.
Under the $200 million initiative, grants or refundable tax offsets will be available for up to 50% of eligible capital costs for projects that ease the demand on mains water supplies. The minimum project size is $4 million and whilst there is no maximum project size, funding is capped at $20 million per project. Funding is available for project work to be completed by 30/6/13.
The 2nd round call for proposals closes on 11 December 2009.
Clearmake can assist you with an efficient and reliable solution that meets the needs of your business as well as stringent regulatory requirements.
To discuss your project requirements, call Clearmake on 1800 700 267. For complete proposal guidelines on the available grants, visit http://www.environment.gov.au/water/programs/urban/stormwater-harvesting.html
EXCELLENCE IN INDUSTRIAL WATER
Clearmake is proud to be involved in this year’s Excellence in Industrial & Commercial Water event, to be held in Melbourne on 17 – 18 November.
Presented by WME Media, Excellence in Industrial & Commercial Water is the only dedicated event to business users of water in Australia.
Built on the success of the 2008 inaugural event, this year has been designed specifically with those responsible for water management from a range of industries in mind. Attendees will leave equipped with everything they need to know to make their water operations more efficient, more effective and more environmentally conscious.
With lower water levels and state government action looming, this is a not to be missed event for anybody involved in, interested in, or responsible for industrial or commercial water management.
For more information, please visit http://www.resourcefulevents.com/page/excel-industrial-and-commercial-water-09
COST OF WATER - ARTICLE EXERPT FROM THE AUSTRALIAN - MAY 25, 2009. BY ASA WAHLQUIST
THE cost of water is likely to rise 50-100 per cent in five years, as governments invest more than $30 billion for new supplies.
Mr Young said the price rises would vary between cities, depending on the expenditure, but the inclining block tariff under which prices rise with higher water use should ensure water was still affordable.
He said there had been a huge social revolution in water. Sydney used the same amount of water as it did in 1974, although there are more than 1 million more people. "And yet since 1974, household electricity consumption has doubled," Mr Young said.
Although recent rains have raised southeast Queensland's dams to 73 per cent, and Sydney's are currently at 58 per cent capacity, southern Australia remains very dry.
Melbourne's dam level is just 26.6 per cent, and the city's residents are on severe water restrictions. Mr Young said Melbourne's dam level was the lowest since its main dam, the Thompson, was built in 1983.
Adelaide's reservoirs are at 53per cent. Those reservoirs are small, and Adelaide relies for most of its water on the Murray River. But Murray storages are currently just 11 per cent full, holding 914 gigalitres (billion litres) - well below the long-term average of 4670GL.
Perth's dams are at 29 per cent, and its desalination plant now supplies 17 per cent of the city's water needs. Mr Young said Perth was actually planning for a future that did not rely on dam-water supplies.
A long term water management plan is essential for your business and could provide greater certainty for the future. For more information or advice, call Clearmake on 1800 700 267.
INSIDE CLEARMAKE ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
During the second half of 2009, Clearmake will achieve accreditation for the international standard for quality management systems – ISO9001:2008.
QUALITY
For any business starting down the road of Quality Management, it is possible to feel that quality, cost, timeliness and productivity are entities which frequently conflict with one another, necessitating trade-offs.
Certainly, it is possible to improve quality if more money is spent. Every engineer knows how to improve quality through greater expense. We can lower the cost of the product by cheapening it. We can get to market sooner if we skip a few steps (at the expense of quality), or spend more money to speed up certain activities.
In the current economic climate, many businesses are trading off quality, for reduced cost and timing, believing this is a necessary evil in order to remain competitive. While some trade-off is acceptable, the present view of some industry participants is somewhat myopic.
At Clearmake, we see this as a time to implement a long-term quality management strategy which can be integrated with our current product offer.
The vision is to use an accredited quality management system to produce water treatment and recycling systems of a consistently high quality, at prices which are acceptable to the market.
ISO9001:2008
An entire industry has been developed to support the implementation and accreditation of the ISO9001:2008 standard. Once implemented, the standard sets requirements across an entire business:
- Document control
- Management responsibility
- Resource management
- Product realisation
- Measurement, analysis and improvement
While any quality system, on its own, will not lead to automatic improvement, it is a proven means by which a more systematic approach to business improvement can be developed.
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
An accredited quality management system is one which seeks to evaluate how and why things are done within a business. It consists of an organisational structure together with the documentation, processes and resources used to achieve quality objectives and to meet customer requirements.
While implementing a quality system costs time and money, it should be viewed in the same way as any other investment. For Clearmake, a quality management system will provide the means to improve the systems of the business as the business grows. Therefore, the investment of time and thousands of dollars is a function of the ability to maximize the potential of the growth which the company is currently experiencing.
Improvement to the bottom line may be the most desirable of outcomes, but this cannot be possible without providing an improved and accredited product to our clients. Promotion of ISO9001:2008 accreditation can be summarized as improved effectiveness in the enhancement of customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements.
For us at Clearmake, there can be no trade-offs or compromise. ISO9001:2008 accreditation will form part of a reason for Clearmake to remain respected as an industry benchmark and a reliable supplier to the businesses of our clients.
Get more from your water treatment and recycling equipment with Clearmake’s highly effective Quick Break degreasers and detergents. This revolutionary range of products promote optimal equipment performance, superior cleaning, while remaining fully biodegradable and safe for our environment.
Save 25% on a Clearmake Quick Break Starter Kit if you place your order by 30 September 2009. RRP is $485 + GST. You’ll pay just $363.75 + GST.
Clearmake Starter Pack contains:
- 20L water-based degreaser
- 20L solvent-based degreaser
- 20L vehicle wash
- 20L heavy equipment cleaner
- 20L hand cleaner
For more information on any topic covered
in this newsletter, please call
1800 700 267 or email info@clearmake.com.au
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