Chemical dispensing - is smart always best?

1st of August 2016
Chemical dispensing - is smart always best?

As a growing number of companies use technology to enhance their dosing systems, is there still a place for traditional chemical dispensing? Or are ‘intelligent’ systems becoming the rule rather than the exception? Ann Laffeaty finds out.

So-called ‘smart’ dispensing systems are increasingly finding their way on to the market in the cleaning industry. Chemicals that are mixed electronically to precise dilution rates have the benefit of removing any need for decision-making on the part of the operator. They also take much of the guesswork and error out of chemical dosing while minimising the risk of spills and preventing the cleaner from having to come into contact with undiluted product – something that might pose a safety hazard.

In fact in today’s high-tech environment, chemical dosing appears to be becoming smarter all the time. Diversey Care’s J-flex for example is a smart proportioning system that mixes dilution rates automatically and takes out the need for human calculations.

“This helps to improve accuracy and reduces the risk of over-consumption and waste,” says the company’s dosing and dispensing director Michael Bertucci.

“Everything happens seamlessly and automatically and there is no requirement for on-site tipping. And when used correctly, J-flex virtually eliminates any risk of operator exposure to concentrate.” The J-flex system also features intuitive, easy-to-use operation that reduces the need for training, according to Bertucci.

He adds that the concentrate is tightly sealed inside the dispenser via a cap that has been welded to the bottle. “This further reduces any likelihood of staff coming into contact with it,” he said.
Bertucci believes there to be an increasing move towards the use of smart chemical dispensing systems that reduce the risk of mistakes made by the operator. “Technologies that reduce human error are a new product thrust for us at Diversey Care,” he said.

Even more high-tech

He feels dispensing systems will become even more high-tech in the future.  “We are continuously developing ways to come up with smarter systems that are both meaningful and beneficial to
our customers,” he said. “And this, in part, can be achieved through the increased use of sensors for diagnostic and consumption measures.”

Brightwell Dispensers offers the Eco Range of proportioners and manual dosing solutions. These enable users to dilute up to five chemicals in high and low applications from the same system.
All proportioners in the range have been developed using Brightwell Dispensers’ patented dilution pin technology which eliminates the need for metering tips, according to the company’s Lesley McKenna. The ‘wheel’ design of the system allows users to select up to 13 distinct dilution ratios per chemical.

“Chemical dispensing systems such as the Eco Range are safer for the end-user because all contact with the chemical is virtually eliminated,” said McKenna. “Meanwhile our secure chemical cabinets ensure all chemicals are locked safely away and are safe from any risk of tampering or pilferage.”

Eco Range accessories include multilingual, colour-coded chemical pictograms that are designed to aid easy identification of the correct cleaning solution and application, says McKenna. “These pictograms can be applied around the intuitive four-dial product selector to indicate to users which chemical they should dispense depending on the desired use,” she said.

Like Bertucci she believes there to be an increasing move towards the use of smart systems that reduce the risk of operator error. “Enhanced user safety and the accurate dilution ratios offered by today’s chemical dispensing systems are paramount to achieving optimal health and safety conditions stipulated by today’s standards,” she said. “Modern systems such as the Eco Range are intuitive to use and are built with the user in mind.”

She feels that the future is in smart systems rather than the ‘glug-glug’ methods of the past. “The popularity of chemical dispensing systems has increased over recent years due to their cost-saving and user-friendly benefits,” she said. “The dilution of chemicals on site also reduces packaging and storage costs as well as transport and shipping expenses.

“Furthermore user safety is increased when compared with glug-glug methods because handling and chemicals management are carried out in a manner that protects the user from excessive exposure to chemicals. For example, reduced contact with bulky containers will help to reduce accidental spills and injuries.”

Inaccurate dosing

She claims inaccurate dosing can be a major issue in high-risk areas such as healthcare. “Misdosing is caused when the ratio of chemical concentrate to water is not precisely measured, and in a hospital this can adversely affect the facility’s ability to combat the spread of infection and bacteria,” she said.

“One of the greatest benefits of chemical dilution systems lies in their accurate dosing properties. Dilution ratios can be set for a specific purpose and this removes the need for guesswork while keeping chemical waste to a minimum.”

According to McKenna, the most exciting opportunities for the future of chemical dosing lie in electronics.  “Who would have thought 20 years ago that we would all have an extremely powerful computer in our pockets?” she said. “The rise of smartphones and related technologies means the monitoring, control and operation of future chemical dosing systems are very likely to be achieved through the everyday electronic gadgets we carry around with us.

Mechanics still crucial

“This will mean real-time status-monitoring, data-capture, maintenance logs, usage reports and statistical data analysis are all likely to feature as important attributes within our future product ranges.”

Dispensing system technology is in continuous development according to Alistair Blair-Davies, global brand and marketing communications director of Hydro Systems. “However we have not yet seen any requirement from our customers for further technological developments other than in the laundry sector,” he said.

The company’s EvoClean venturi laundry system uses market-driven software to provide chemical manufacturers and their customers with data on issues such as proof of delivery and temperature validation.

Blair-Davies says that while smart systems are coming on stream in the dosing sector, mechanical developments remain important. “For example our EvoDose dilution system, from our traditional mechanical range of products, incorporates patented technology such as the Quad Diverter Valve to eradicate chemical carry-over and AccuPro technology to overcome the ‘leaning out’ of chemical delivery at higher water pressures – something that many dilution systems suffer from,” he said.

“Both are mechanical developments but they address two predominant issues that chemical manufacturers face in providing their customers with chemicals.”

He feels that certain issues - such as chemical compatibility and the handling of particularly viscous products – cannot be solved via technological solutions. “These types of issues can only be addressed by improving the mechanical design and performance of systems,” he says.

And according to Blair-Davies, smart systems are not without their pitfalls. “Any new technology is likely to cause errors in its infancy – though continued development and use are likely to iron these out over time,” he said. “The main disadvantage of smarter systems is the additional cost.”

Ecolab’s European marketing communications manager Alex Crampton agrees with the consensus that dispensing systems will become even more high-tech in the future. “Smart systems are becoming smarter every day,” he said. “The cost of electronics is continuing to drop and as it does, it becomes more economical to add more sensors or to use new types of sensors in dispensing systems.”

Ecolab launched its Apex dispensing equipment for dishwashing in 2014. This uses electronics to ensure accurate dosage while monitoring for out-of-product situations. It also uses sensors to ensure the entire system is working optimally.

“Apex products and dispensing equipment are designed to be foolproof by incorporating colour and shape coding,” said Crampton. “Each block has the same colour as the appropriate dispenser while the opening in which the product is inserted has the same shape as the correct product.”

Cost justified?

He says dispensing systems have been relatively smart in the dishwashing sector for some time. “However there is an increasing trend to make them smarter,” he said. “Earlier systems typically used to offer nothing more than the controlled, automatic dosing of products plus an out-of-product alarm to alert users when a refill was necessary.

“Apex takes things further by using monitoring and reporting to ensure that the whole dishwash process is optimised, not just the product dosage.” He feels that today’s increasingly smart systems are at least as reliable as mechanical alternatives.

“With the abundance of high quality electronics in the world today it is relatively easy to develop a robust electronic dispensing system that can rival simpler systems in terms of accuracy, lifetime and failure rates,” he said. “Furthermore standards and customer expectations are such that electronic systems should, and usually are, tested to the same standards as mechanical systems.”

So the general feeling is that the future of chemical dispensing lies in smarter systems. Does this mean there will no longer be a need for more traditional dosing options? Diversey Care’s Michael Bertucci believes there is room for both types in the market – but adds his own company is experiencing an increasing transition towards smarter alternatives.

“This is due to the benefits that smart systems offer to operators such as ease of use, sustainability, the reduction in waste and the increase in safety,” he said. “It’s a fact that glug-glug methods increase the risk of over-use, spillage and waste.”

Brightwell Dispensers’ Lesley McKenna is more ambivalent on the topic. “Depending on business needs, the environment in question and the installation space, customers’ needs will vary,” she said. “Let’s take the case of water pressure for example. An environment with limited water pressure would be more suited to a manual dosing system whereas a venturi system will automatically dispense a ready-to-use cleaning solution when connected to a water main.

“The key is for customers to work with suppliers that can offer a range of solutions to cater to all needs.”

And Hydro Systems’ Blair-Davies takes a pragmatic view. “I believe there is a place for both smart systems and traditional dispensers - but this is highly dependent on the application and the type of dispenser,” he said. “The final decision will mainly come down to cost vs performance requirements.

“Chemical manufacturers are keen to keep down the cost of the dispensing systems they supply, but the use of smart systems would necessarily see an increase in dispenser cost as components are added. So it may be that smart dispensers will only be used where their requirement justifies the additional cost.”

 

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