Selling the ROI of Exceeding Environmental Compliance: 5 Questions to Make Your Business Case for Industrial Air Filtration

It should be an easy sell to promote environmental compliance, right? COPD, Silicosis, lung cancer, metal fume fever, kidney damage, stomach ulcers, asphyxiation hazards… It’s a no brainer why EHS regulations are in place to enforce workplace safety in industrial facilities, but what about the impact of clean air on your overall operations?

From blasting concrete to welding metal, fabrication can be a toxic, messy process. Dusty and oil-misted air eventually settles every surface, floor, and machinery nook and cranny. Expensive fume hoods, extraction systems, and personal protective equipment may protect against fumes and dangerous airborne particulates, but they often fall short of creating a clean, healthy, and productive facility.

Then there’s the added expense of chronic absenteeism, workers’ comp, and skyrocketing insurance from long-term exposure to a dirty environment. Without the means to provide clean air facility-wide, both production and safety are at risk.

But with effective air filtration, fabricators and manufacturers can reduce risk to reap bottom-line benefits.

Looking for more ROI ammo to make the business case for clean air? Here are five questions you should be asking yourself.

1 — How can complying with OSHA guidelines boost my bottom line?

PPE, wetting operations, dust collection controls, localized ventilation, and similar measures may help meet the minimum EHS requirements. But they fall short when it comes to preventing surface and machine contamination, limiting operational disruption, and addressing the endless cycle of re-cleaning.

Thanks to the availability of affordable air filtration solutions, fabricators and manufacturers can not only meet their OSHA requirements, they can use filtration to work with their existing safety protocols to eliminate unnecessary PPE purchases, reduce downtime, and improve productivity.

Plus, the flexibility of modular filtration can erase the need for dedicated enclosures for sanding, grinding, welding, spraying, and other “dirty” operations. Bringing the filtration enclosure to the product means there’s no need for wide aisles and cranes for safe movement. The result is a smaller footprint with improved floor space and utilization.

2 — Are you using airflow to reduce lead times and lower costs?

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to airflow. Precise airflow management can significantly impact drying times, cleaning steps, and remove production inefficiencies. For example, traditional downdraft or cross-draft airflow used in permanent spray booths can adversely affect dry times and increase the risk of overspray and particulate contamination.

With patented Taper Draft airflow technology from Duroair, a protective air “envelope” is created around the workpiece, rather than just funneling air into or across the paint. Work can be completed without contamination from dusty or dirty floors. The paint dries faster, which means less time in the booth, less wasted paint, and less rework.

3 — Do looks really matter when it comes to air particulates?

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times, “I need to show my customers that our facility is completely up to the highest standards, or I might lose orders.”

A filthy shop floor with dusty equipment can give the appearance of an outdated facility that’s not up to code. But with flexible filtration solutions, dirty air is constantly replaced with clean air, keeping surfaces and workers free from toxic particulates. This safe, comfortable environment (with less PPE) improves employee morale and boosts productivity. Facility visitors see a clean, well-oiled machine.

4 — How can environmental compliance coexist with lean manufacturing?

When it comes to large fabrication projects, portable air filtration can eliminate the need to move these assemblies by crane into clean rooms, surface prep areas, or spray rooms. The result is reduced disruptions and fewer wasted man hours with increasingly lean manufacturing efficiency with every assembly.

When large workpieces don’t have to be moved, there’s obviously less material handling, thus reducing the risk for scratched surfaces or other workplace damage. Reduced accidental damage means less rework and an improved bottom line.

5 — Can air filtration reduce outsourcing and QC expenses?

A short-term investment can bring long-term rewards when fabrication and production capabilities are brought in-house. For example, portable air filtration enables facilities to set aside temporary environments for specialized processes.

To save upfront costs, some manufacturers opt to outsource these processes, but packaging and transporting large products off-site can result in costly delays in production lead time. Then, it’s just a slippery slope into delayed delivery dates with increased inventory, transportation, and handling costs.

Outsourcing also poses quality control issues. It’s more challenging to keep processes up to code when workpieces have to be returned for inspection. This in turn increases the risk of errors and rework.

EHS Compliant Clean Air: An Opportunity for Improved ROI

From increased productivity and production capability to reduced downtime and rework, investing in flexible air filtration systems is a cost-effective tool for EHS compliance. With the economic payback of clean air, how can manufacturers afford not to make environmental health a priority?

Need more information on making the business case for clean air? Contact Duroair today.