Beaulieu International increases productivity with installation of Russell Eco Filters

The Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G) found its roots in 1959 in Wielsbeke, Belgium where Roger De Clerck set up his first fabric production business. Due to rapid expansion and growing diversity in their products, B.I.G extended their product range to include raw materials, soft flooring, hard flooring and fabrics. With 30 sites spread over 8 countries, and with their innovative designs, wide product range and a constant pursuit of quality, B.I.G has become a European leader in floor coverings and fabrics.
Cushion Vinyl, known under the brand name Beauflor, is a relatively new and fast growing product within the hard flooring industry. The product offers many features such as easy maintenance and sound absorption, as well as being available in a wide range of colours. The production process of the Cushion Vinyl consists of coating different layers onto a fibre glass film. First, two layers of a PVC-base paste are coated on to a fibreglass film. Second, the design and a wear-resistant layer are then applied. Third, an additional PVC coat is put on the back of the fibreglass film. As a finishing touch, a pattern is pressed into the vinyl and a coat of varnish is applied.
Before coating the paste on to the fibreglass film, filters with static baskets were being used to filter out contamination larger than 0.05mm. Because the film is very fragile, a contamination larger than 0.05mm, could damage the film. However, the static basket filters were letting some contamination through, causing the production line to halt until the filters were cleaned, thus increasing downtime.
Dieter Van Overbeke, Product Manager, explains "We were previously using static basket filters, however they were easily damaged and had to be cleaned eight times a day, resulting in production breaks and a loss in revenue.”.
Having dealt with Russell Finex, http://www.russellfinex.com/ previously, the company approached it for a new filtration system. Russell Finex offered to test its Self-Cleaning Russell Eco Filter® at the Cushion Vinyl production plant. After successful testing, B.I.G decided to replace its old filters with four new Self-Cleaning Russell Eco Filters®.
Dieter Van Overbeke mentions, "the Russell filters take less than half of the space of the previous filters but still have a large capacity of 1500kg/hr. In addition, the filter media doesn’t get damaged easily and is reusable”. As a result, the company has experienced decreased production downtime as well as a significant reduction in product wastage. With the unique self cleaning design, the Russell Eco Filter® requires no stoppages to change filter elements, enabling the company to conduct a visual inspection of the machine twice a week without the need for a weekly clean. "The Russell Eco Filter is a real must – it is more robust and wears less than other filters”, concludes Dieter Van Overbeke.
Dieter Van Overbeke also adds "We were so impressed with the improvement in production and product quality following the installation of the new filters that we recommended Russell Finex to one of our suppliers”.
For more than 75 years Russell Finex has manufactured and supplied filters, sieves and separators to improve product quality, enhance productivity, safeguard worker health and ensure liquids and powders are contamination-free. Throughout the world, Russell Finex serves a variety of industries with applications including food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, adhesives, plastisols, paint, coatings, metal powders and ceramics.