How a Personal Care Manufacturer Saved Millions of Gallons of Water (and Avoided a $1 Million Headache)
A big manufacturer making shampoo, conditioner, and lotions was using a ton of water—especially hot water—to clean their large mixing tanks after each batch. They were facing a serious problem: their boiler system was stretched to the limit, and without big changes, they’d have to spend $1 million on a whole new boiler room expansion just to keep up.
They wanted to cut water use for better sustainability, lower energy bills, and to make their equipment last longer. But the existing automated cleaning setup wasn’t efficient enough, and they were skeptical about switching things up.
That’s where Spraying Systems Co. stepped in. We suggested installing our TankJet® motor-driven tank cleaning equipment in all 14 of their large mixing tanks. These are high-impact units that use multi-axis rotating solid stream sprays to blast away residue thoroughly and consistently—without wasting water.
The manufacturer didn’t think a change to different equipment could make a dramatic difference. They already had automated cleaners, so why change? However, we were able to validate our recommendations with a few lab tests and calculating the water and energy required to operate our equipment.
The results? Game-changing.
- They slashed annual water consumption by 1.32 million gallons (that’s over 5 million liters!).
- Natural gas use dropped by 21% because they weren’t heating as much water.
- Cleaning cycles got faster—25–50% shorter in many cases.
- The boiler system got a new lease on life, so they avoided that $1 million investment entirely.
- Plus, the more reliable TankJet equipment cut maintenance downtime and saved them about $20,000 a year in repair costs.
In the end, they didn’t just save water—they improved reliability, cut costs across the board, and made their operation more sustainable without compromising on clean tanks or production quality.