AMERICAN PHOENIX, EAU CLAIRE, WI

American Phoenix Inc. operates one of the largest single location custom rubber mixing facilities in America. The company is a major supplier of rubber compounds for premier manufacturers in multiple industries, and precisely weighs and sells packaged chemical compounds to meet exact customer specifications.

CHALLENGE

On each of the six different levels in the 650,000 square-foot building, extremely light, dry chemicals are used, particularly carbon black – a soot. There was a quarter-inch of carbon black everywhere on the floor, and it was impossible to walk the length of the building without being covered in carbon black below the knees.

SOLUTION

The Tennant S30 mid-sized rider sweeper with the 3-stage SweepMax® Plus system was tested at the American Phoenix facility and delivered excellent sweeping performance and dry dust control. Engineered for reliable, industrial-strength sweeping, the Tennant S30 rider sweeper effectively captured and contained the carbon black dust at this customer location.

RESULTS

"This top floor is typically the armpit of the plant. No one wants to come up here. Seeing the Tennant S30 sweeper up here, our floors are shiny again and I would sit on the floors now. I would never have sat on them before," said Corporate Safety Manager Scott Rudd. "The S30 proved to really contain our dust, which can quickly find its way down to the ground floors below. Having equipment with good suction – that pulls in that airborne material – is extremely important. The S30 exceeded my dust control expectations."

IMPROVING HEALTH AND QUALITY

In the past, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) visited the American Phoenix plant, dust could be an issue. Dust affects health and hygiene, and certain dusts are explosive. Less dust in the air is much better for employee health and product quality.

"Dry dust control is extremely important to the quality of our end product,” said Rudd. "White chemicals with a little carbon black mixed in, is no longer a white product."