Wipe the frown off your face
October 1st 2006

Do your industrial wipers become soiled by workshop grime before use? Do they leave lint behind on the work surface? Do your staff take more than they need, or do they waste too much solvent when using their wipers? SCA Tissue Europe's Mark Riley looks at common problems involving industrial wipers and how to solve them

The aim of workshop wipers is to provide a convenient, effective solution for industrial cleaning and wiping tasks and this they generally achieve.However problems can occasionally occur when the wrong wiper is used for the task in hand.

Most industrial managers understand the need for a cost-effective wiping system, but some still confuse the concept of "cost-effective" with that of "cheap".When choosing an industrial wiper you cannot consider cost alone, since the performance of a product can have a major impact on its cost in use.

For example,we at SCA came across a food factory where low-cost centrefeed tissue wipers were being used for cleaning rubber conveyer belts.The wiper would rapidly disintegrate as a result of the friction required to clean the belts.

This created two problems: the rubbing action led to fibres being left behind on the conveyer belts creating a potential food contamination issue,while the use of large quantities of wiper was proving expensive for the customer.

We suggested a change to a stronger non-woven wiper and the factory switched to Tork Premium 510.This was a more expensive alternative sheet for sheet, yet proved to be vastly more costeffective since only one non-woven wiper was needed to complete a task requiring eight to ten metres of low-quality centrefeed roll.

When solvents are required for cleaning, the wiper needs to be durable since low quality paper products will quickly break up in solvents.Managers of one double glazing company we visited were dismayed to find they were using around 20 cases of wiper a week to clean their window frames and glass because they had opted for a lowcost, all-purpose wiping roll.This soaked up the solvent into the wiper which then began to disintegrate.

The company switched to Tork Advanced 420 and immediately reduced its solvent usage by around 30 per cent, while wiper costs were reduced by nearly 50 per cent.

Linting and snagging can be a problem in environments where delicate wiping applications are carried out. One pharmaceutical company we visited had an issue with rags and low-cost perforated wiping rolls because these had a tendency to snag on machines.

We suggested a switch to low-linting Tork Premium 530 in individual sheet format, since these have no perforations where lint can be created.The switch saved the company a considerable number of man hours that had previously been spent in reworking.

In some cases it is not the wipers themselves but the dispensing system that needs to be changed in order to solve common workshop problems and improve cost-in-use.

For example, loose wiping rolls have a tendency to become soiled by workshop grime, or even pilfered by unscrupulous staff. In these cases a lockable dispenser such as our own wall-mounted one solves both problems at once since it protects the wiper from contamination while also preventing pilferage.

A very common problem associated with large factories is that wipers are never available when they are needed. We came across a manufacturer of drills used on North Sea Oil platforms where operatives were having to walk a quarter of a mile to pick up each wiper.

By suggesting that smaller units of wipers be positioned in bays and cubicles around the factory wherever they were required we helped to improve the factory's productivity.

Some factory managers complain that waste is a problem either because workers take more wiper than they need from a roll or because the loose ends of the rolls are discarded.The first problem can be solved with a clean-cut Tork wiping system either in a wall-mounted dispenser or in a portable box. Since these dispense only one wiper at a time, employees are less tempted to take more than they need.

If loose ends of the rolls are being wasted, a system such as Tork Advanced 420 may be the answer since this comes in a centrefeed format.The fact that the product is taken out from the middle means staff are less likely to waste the ends of the roll.

Industrial wipers are a necessary commodity and should be cost-effective, suitable for the task in hand and available wherever they are needed.All these factors can be achieved simply by choosing the best wiping system for the workplace.Your wiper manufacturer's key account manager can talk you through the systems available and help you choose the right one for your premises.

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