At Rapid Aluminium we’re not only paving the way on the business forefront but we’re
making our mark on the environment also, putting some ‘green’ initiatives into action.
It’s common that as consumers, most of us don’t show a great deal of interest in how our goods are manufactured, in fact the majority of us make the presumption that our purchases are being produced with minimal environmental impact. Industry standards in Australia are already quite strict in comparison with other countries, But here at Rapid Aluminium we’re proving that there’s always something more to be done to reduce our business’s carbon footprint. At Rapid we’ve implemented an effective solution to water saving, by making changes to our business that are preventing traces of chemical contamination from entering the surrounding environment. The end result for you as the consumer is the same top quality product and service that our customers have come to know and trust.
This environmental benefit has evolved through the recent awarding of a government grant. With the help of Oz Industries and Transpacific, Rapid were able to contribute towards the instalment of a ‘Self contained de-ionising unit’; effectively a small water recycling plant. This is a relatively new initiative that is taking aluminium pre-treatment to a new level. It’s an improvement helping to make a significant change to the business and to the production process of powder coated aluminium. This now means that all water used in the powder coating treatment process here at the Rapid plant is now completely 100% recycled through a looped de-ionising system
The powder coating industry has long been associated with terms such as noxious and hazardous so the process of de-ionising is not a new concept amongst the industry. However, the self contained version of this system is starting to make new waves amongst industry personnel, and with the results we’ve seen here at Rapid it isn’t any wonder. The system has reduced our trade waste water to zero percent (with zero waste water being pumped into a trade waste sewer) but has also significantly reduced the water and chemical usage in the plant.
In fact, we have reduced the water usage at our Dandenong plant by approximately 98% in the past 10 months, decreasing from an average of 6000-8000L of mains water a day to just 500L of mains water per week. If we were to talk in a scale effect this is the equivalent of going from filling a large 40,000L rainwater tank full of water, to that of only a large bath tub on a weekly basis. In a big move following the instalment of the unit, we were able to have our trade waste sewer pipe cut off, effectively taking Rapid off South East Water’s radar altogether; as there’s no longer a requirement for water testing at the Dandenong factory.
Since the installation of this unit last September, the team here at Rapid have never looked back. With the testing phase now complete, the cost benefit to the business has been impressive. Over a period of time, this system has not only proven to have a positive environmental impact, but is also proving to be an effective production option. It’s helping us to provide our customers with the same quality product, but significantly save on the usage of chemicals and water at the same time.
Looking ahead, we are making plans to set up a new powder coat line in our recently purchased Brisbane branch. Flagging this as a national initiative for the business moving forward, the team here at Rapid hope to have the same unit installed in the Brisbane plant. This will allow us to make a greater stamp on reducing our carbon footprint across the country.
Of course - this is just one simple initiative that has been helping us to go green and lead the way environmentally. In conjunction with the cardboard recycling system already in place, and the use of water from the factory roof run off for the maintenance of our gardens, we are certainly making more than a slight impact on our surrounding environment; We’re making a Rapid difference.