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Weekly selected highlights in flow control, treatment and combustion from the many McIlvaine publications.

Is 3M Leading the Way to IIoT for Industrial Filter Suppliers?

3M is now remotely monitoring and replacing $22 furnace filters with use of a blue tooth enabled pressure sensor.  We are reporting on this development and then commenting (see material in red) relative to the opportunity for suppliers of dust cartridges, commercial HVAC filters, liquid cartridges and cross flow membranes.

FiltreteT Smart Air Filters, the first-ever Bluetooth®-enabled HVAC air filters for the home, are now integrated with Amazon Dash Replenishment to automatically reorder air filters when they need replacing. Filtrete Smart Air Filters are available for purchase on Amazon.com and at participating retailers nationwide.

Suppliers of replacement industrial filters are seeking new ways to reach their customers.  You can find filters through general E-commerce sites such as Grainger or more specialized sites such as Harrington Industrial Plastics or even the Nalco site.  However, the supplier is providing a discount to the E-commerce site. With direct automatic reordering the filter supplier has higher filter margins and can also generate sensor and software revenues.

Filtrete Smart Air Filters, paired with the FiltreteT Smart App and Dash Replenishment, take the guesswork out of when to change your air filters and what size and type to purchase. The filters contain a Bluetooth®-enabled pressure sensor that, when paired with the app, allows customers to track filter life based on airflow and usage, not just time. Dash Replenishment automatically reorders new filters and delivers them right to your door when you need them.

The knowledge about furnace filters is well known but many industrial applications are very complex. If the filter supplier acquires deep knowledge about the process they can provide very valuable filter management decision making through data analytics.

"We know it is incredibly common for people to forget details about their air filters such as size, type, and the best time to replace filters, so it was important for us to create a simplified and streamlined product experience for consumers," said Patrick Hiner, New Product Marketing Manager, FiltreteT Brand. "Many people understand that as a filter's effectiveness diminishes from use, airflow can be restricted and impact the home's indoor air quality. Integrating Filtrete Smart Air Filters with Dash Replenishment is a smart and easy way to help manage a filter's lifecycle, so air filters are changed when they need to be - not too early and not too late."

To get started, customers simply set up Dash Replenishment through the Filtrete Smart App using their Amazon account credentials. The Filtrete Smart App tracks filter lifespan, type and size, and Dash Replenishment will automatically reorder the correct product when the life of their filter reaches 10%. Dash Replenishment enables connected devices to automatically reorder goods from Amazon whenever supplies are running low. For more information, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dash-replenishment.

The industrial filter supplier has the opportunity to provide the filters on a yearly contractual basis. He eliminates administrative cost for the customer and can increase margins and revenue. One option is a variable cost contract which is based on the number of filters needed throughout the year.

Another option is an O&M contract for a fixed amount.  The supplier takes on the responsibility of minimizing filter usage through continuously monitoring conditions and advising the operator of needed changes in the operation to avoid premature filter failure.  If the supplier does not have complete control it is better to structure this type of contract under a "shared savings" basis.  The present yearly filter cost is the benchmark.  The filter savings in a subsequent year is shared between supplier and customer. This provides a very big profit potential for the supplier and lowest total cost of ownership for the customer.

The Filtrete Smart App also provides data on outside air quality and gives other useful tips for helping to improve indoor air quality. Users can decide how much interaction they have with the Filtrete Smart App by opting into specific smartphone notifications. The app can also pair with compatible indoor air quality monitors to provide real-time indoor air quality readings. (Monitors sold separately.)

Many filter suppliers are divisions of larger companies who can leverage the filter opportunity to sell complete integrated O&M systems with process control management packages including edge computer analytics.  Nalco operates a 24-7 remote monitoring center to control treatment chemicals.  It also sells Pall membrane filters on its E-commerce site.  Alternatively, it could monitor these filters and replace them as needed.

Danaher may want to capture this membrane filter revenue itself.  It has the Chemtreat line of treatment chemicals to compete with Nalco.  It also owns Hach and supplies all the analyzer technology.  It purchased Pall several years ago.  It is targeting IIoT and can leverage this activity.

Nederman has acquired Auburn who makes broken bag detectors. It is has also acquired NEO Monitors who makes TDLS analyzers.  We have been conducting webinars on the use of TDLS for optimizing combustion in coal fired boilers as well as many other applications where instant and accurate sensing of H2O, H2S, CO2, NH3 and C2H2 is required. Nederman supplies complete dust collection and mist elimination packages with extraction hoods as well as contaminant removal.  Control of air flow through ducts and hoods to minimize dust escape around the hoods while also minimizing air flow and energy consumption can result in huge savings for the customer. Nederman has a digital initiative and is very likely to be pursuing this opportunity.

Parker Hannifin has acquired Clarcor and its Total Solutions division. This group supplies all the filters for automotive and other industrial plants. It buys competitor filters as requested by the customer and eliminates all the administrative costs of buying thousands of filters from many sources.  Parker Hannifin has all the controls and software to supply complete IIoT and Remote O&M packages. So, it could easily monitor every filter and replace as needed.

Eaton is another company which has it all.  They make a number of different filter types.  In certain industries such as food they have a variety of products such as adsorbers and other purification products which are important to the quality of the end product.  They have all the electronics and software to supply complete packages to reduce costs and improve product quality.

3M is leading the way. Industrial filter manufacturers should realize that the train is leaving the station.  McIlvaine conducts monthly webinars on the use of IIoT in different industries.  Rio Tinto is moving toward the mine of the future where ore is extracted in central Australia and transported to the sea cost terminal with no human operators.  BASF in Germany has standardized on OSIsoft, Samson valves and E+H instrumentation for all its plants around the world (McIlvaine has a 150-slide presentation just on these opportunities at 100 BASF plants).  Arcelor Mittal is making substantial reductions in the operating cost of making steel around the world with centralized purchasing and extensive total cost of ownership analyses.

So, a filter supplier who is not yet even on the train platform would be well served to accelerate his pace and make sure he is not left behind.

Information on the IIoT and Remote O&M service  is shown at N031 Industrial IOT and Remote O&M

 Details on the complete business program are shown at www.mcilvainecompany.com

Utility E Alert is part of the Tracking System or available separately

Here are the headlines in the latest weekly Utility E-Alert.  Coal fired power is a big and growing market worldwide.  The weekly Alert is available for just $950/yr but it is also part of the $3020 subscription to the Utility Tracking System with profiles of the major purchasers, details on each plant and an extensive intelligence system.

UTILITY E-ALERT   #1369- April 20, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  COAL - U.S.

·        Southern Company awards Hamon Research-Cottrell the rebuild of Two Electrostatic Precipitators

·        Duke Energy agrees to Coal Ash Fine

·        Clyde Bergemann India embarks upon execution of Orders for Boiler Efficiency Equipment of Seven New 660 MW Supercritical Boiler Units in India

COAL - WORLD

·        Guodian is now the largest FGD and SCR Supplier

·        1,320 MW Coal-fired Power Plant planned near Cirpilar, Turkey

·        Ekon awarded EPC Contract for EUAS Çan 2x160 MW Flue Gas Desulfurization Plant

BIOMASS

·        Gestamp Biomass Solutions to construct Boiler for Ence 40 MW Biomass Power Plant

·        GRP selects Veolia to operate and maintain Three Bioenergy Facilities

·        BSP licenses Technology from RBE, plans Louisiana Biocoal Plant

·        Duke delays plans for CHP Plant, focuses on Biogas options  

NUCLEAR

·        Westinghouse ready to supply Six Nuclear Reactors on Schedule

BUSINESS

·        Cemtek Environmental has acquired KVB-Enertec

·        CECO Environmental Corp. reports disappointing results due to challenging End Markets - Refreshed operating Strategy gaining momentum in 2018

·        Turkey has Major Coal-fired Power Plant Initiative

·        NTPC wants to exit Joint Venture with BHEL

·        More Abstracts from the NTPC-listed IPS 2018 Power Conference in New Dehli

HOT TOPIC HOURS

·        Market Webinars

You can find out more and subscribe at 42EI Utility Tracking System  and 41F Utility E-Alert


Project Updates for Pharmaceuticals, Semiconductor and other Clean Industries

Here are the latest updates on pharmaceutical plants.  They are combined with profiles of the major purchasers and a project database with all the plants around the world.  There are also specific market reports on Ultra-Pure Water and Cleanrooms.

PHARMACEUTICAL & BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY UPDATE

 March 2018

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNITED STATES

Vetter's U.S. Sterile Plant Project Delayed  

Laboratory Sciences Annex, University of West Florida

Biodesign C Research Building, Arizona State University

Micronclean Achieves ISO 9001:2015

Lonza Expands Encapsulation and HPAPI Capabilities

LakePharma Increases Biologics Offering

Avista Pharma Solutions Drug Product cGMP Manufacturing Expansion

Cellenkos Receives FDA Registration of GMP Manufacturing Facility

Amgen to Invest in New Biomanufacturing Facility

Amgen Invests in Next-Gen US Biomanufacturing Plant

Novo Nordisk Equipment Boost in Clayton, NC

Chemours Discovery Hub, University of Delaware

Amneal Expects New York Plant Expansion After Merger with Impax Laboratories

New Virginia Tech Biomedical Research Addition

PRA Opens New Clinic for Early-Stage Clinical Research

Cancer Center Expands at the University of Nebraska

 REST of the WORLD

Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Novo Nordisk's Parenteral Facility

New Flexible Serialization Suite Operational at PCI Site

ProJect Pharmaceutics Expands Safety Facilities

Pall Biotech Expands Hoegaarden Facility

Almac Group Completes Expansion

Catalent Completes Singapore Expansion

Fujifilm Building Facility to Support Liposome Drugs

Samsung BioLogics Wins Contract for Plant 3 Facility

Pall Launches NYP Centre of Excellence

ClearSphere Delivered Design and Build of Class 7 Cleanroom to ABEC in Ireland

GE Healthcare's FlexFactory Selected for Clover's  Changxing Zhejiang Facility

Ferring to Invest in New Biotech Center

MedPharm Announces Expansion of Formulation Development Laboratory

MSD Repurposing Dormant Irish Site

Science and Food Laboratories, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland

Delmar to Upgrade Canadian API Plant

Johnson & Johnson Opens First European JLABS Incubator

Shaanxi Aoxing Pharmaceutical Renewed its GMP Certification

Cavendish III Lab Soon to Be Built at University of Cambridge

For more details on the options and prices contact Bob McIlvaine at 847-784-0012 ext. 112 rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com