Last month, I had the pleasure of being given a tour of the PP&S facilities in Bessemer, Alabama by Jim Dunn and General Manager Dennis Huff. The facility is stocked with over $1.5 million worth of ready to ship equipment and parts from manufacturers such as Flowserve, Ingersoll-Rand, and many others. They also take a special PP&S trailer from state to state for training purposes. Although smaller than some competitors, PP&S has the tools to service any kind of pump. I’ve been to many facilities before, but I have never seen one with a clean room as impressive as theirs.
PP&S Clean Room Benefits
The state of the art clean room is part of their TLC (total lowest cost) solutions program that utilizes their 20 years of
experience in maintenance. The TLC programs are designed to maximize capital assets and increase process efficiencies by combining low cost maintenance with high yield results to ensure equipment lasts as long as possible, for as little as possible.
Enter the PP&S clean room, which is manufactured by Servicor, a leader in the industry in providing rooms. The rooms stand out because they integrate a special Uni-Grid ceiling system that is more durable than traditional clean room ceilings and allows for the easy installment or removal of upgrades.
The main benefit of the clean room is that it keeps out particles and contaminants when the technicians are doing precision tasks, such as changing bearings or in the lubrication process. Given that pumps often wear out when tiny particles enter the mechanism, it is essential that no new contaminants are introduced during maintenance or cleaning.
Unlike other facilities that simply put up a wall or hang a plastic sheet while performing maintenance, the PP&S clean room is a fully-enclosed and sterile environment. While such models can be costly, which in turn is passed on to the customer, the Servicor model is built to be easily assembled, moved, and disassembled. Best of all, these standards meet the requirements for ISO 9001:2008 certification.
How the PP&S Clean Room Works
When the clean room is turned on, it builds pressure that sends air out ensuring no contaminants come in with technicians who enter it. All tools and cleaning equipment remain inside the clean room at all times and are even cleaned inside. In some cases, only bearings are brought in so that no other dust or dirt is brought in. Removing just the contaminants from techs, equipment, and casing of the equipment being maintained allows for the removal of normal factory contaminants while not introducing any new ones.
More on ISO 9001:2008 Certification
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the world’s largest independent developer of voluntary international standards covering everything from manufactured products to healthcare and beyond. An ISO 9001 certification is given when the clean room proves:
- A good quality management system (QMS) has been established and implemented to ensure the sterile environment of the room.
- An ability to consistently provide products and services that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Aims to enhance results through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system.
- Assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Other Uses for the PP&S Clean Room
The PP&S clean room measures 14′ x 20′ and is a certified class 100,000 clean room used for the controlled repair and assembly of pumps, blowers, and mixers. It is also beneficial in
- Attaining exacting tolerances where airborne particles can negatively impact the performance of the part.
- Safeguarding the quality of machining, coating, testing, and other processes.
- Giving customers a traceable repair service that extends the life of equipment.
- Meeting or exceeding specific certifications and regulations that can be mandatory in the automotive, chemical, paper, steel, and other industries.
More on PP&S
PP&S is a regional distributor of rotating and process equipment serving industrial, municipal, and energy markets throughout the Southeast. They also offer a comprehensive suite of individual and integrated services that support system design, performance optimization, and inventory management, as well as many process and management facilitation solutions.
Sources:
http://www.pp-s.com/Files/Line%20Cards/2014Spring-AL-LineCrd.pdf
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=46486
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