Robinson’s custom software was originally developed to track filters as they moved through each stage of the cleaning process, including barcode scanning, cleaning duration, and inspection outcomes.
How does the refurbishing process work?
At the heart of Robinson’s business is its proprietary refurbishing process for air filters used in everything from loaders and haul trucks to crushers and plant ventilation systems. Filters are tagged with a barcode on arrival, tracking how many times they’ve been cleaned and which customer they belong to. They are then cleaned using a combination of mechanical agitation, centrifugal force, and compressed air in a specialized McWinn cleaning machine — a Canadian-made system out of Edmonton.
“All inspections are done by hand,” says Lloyd. The process uses high-powered lights to detect even pinhole imperfections in the filter media. Some filters are manually cleaned in special bays if they’re non-cylindrical or too delicate for the machine.
Rejected filters are removed from circulation, and a record is kept for the customer. In some cases, replacements are automatically ordered and shipped out to avoid disruptions.
While many filters can be cleaned up to eight times, Lloyd notes that filter longevity depends heavily on the application. “We’ve cleaned some filters over 25 times. Others can’t even go through once — it depends on the environment, the kind of dust, whether it’s been wet, and how it’s handled. Many times, when a filter is rejected, it is due to human error, like being dropped or mishandled.”
Tim Greene, a sales consultant at RFS, added that the company references a third-party white paper that benchmarks the performance of new filters against those that have been cleaned up to eight times. “The airflow performance is identical,” says Greene. “And in some cases, cleaned filters perform slightly better because they’ve been seasoned. The structure is more efficient after use. And in terms of air flow, it has the same performance value that meets the standard that the OEM has.”
Meeting the needs of heavy industry
RFS serves both the industrial and heavy equipment markets. In 2004, nearly 95 percent of their business was heavy-equipment-based. Since then, they’ve expanded into industrial manufacturing, which now accounts for roughly half of their filter cleaning volume. The company also offers new filter sales and onsite service, including preventive maintenance and filter changes.
“Our ideal customers are those with high turnover,” Lloyd explains. “Sand and gravel operations, for example, may change filters daily on a crusher. The savings really add up.”
Even small operators benefit. “Because our trucks are already on the road servicing major clients, we can pick up two or three filters from a small outfit and provide the same service,” Greene says. “Everyone pays about 50 percent of what they’d pay for a new filter based on their own buying power.”
RFS works with all makes and models of air filters used in commercial and industrial equipment. They do not service oil-soaked or hazardous filters and do not work with residential HVAC filters.
What does filter refurbishing mean for the environment?
Robinson’s environmental commitment is embedded in both their mission and daily operations. Every refurbished filter represents one less disposable item in a landfill, and RFS also reuses original packaging when possible.
“If you’re changing a filter every month, that’s 12 filters a year,” says Lloyd. “But if we can clean and reuse that same filter eight times, you’re only disposing of one or two instead of 12. Plus, you’re saving all the packaging that would have gone with them.”
Only about 10 percent of rejected filters are sent to the landfill. About 90 percent of rejected filters are recycled for scrap metal. Rubber-ended or composite filters, which are harder to process, cannot be recycled at this time.
RFS is currently exploring the feasibility of calculating its total carbon footprint — a process that could cost $50,000 to $70,000. “We’d like to have data to back up the environmental value we’re offering,” says Lloyd. “Right now, it’s just common sense, but we want science behind it too.”
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