Case Story. GRUNDFOS at Rombat, The Largest Car Battery Maker in Romania

5/22/2018 Case Story. GRUNDFOS at Rombat, The Largest Car Battery Maker in Romania

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July 2014

GRUNDFOS Pompe Romania

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The secret to winning supply bid forbattery maker: pumps that keep pumping

15-year-old pump persuades Romanians to stay with Grundfos

When the leading manufacturer of car batteries in Romania needed to expand its plant, Grundfosstood out as the reliable partner for its water treatment unit, thanks to a long business relationshipand Grundfoss willingness to go the extra mile.

Rombat was impressed with a Grundfos pumps 15 years in circulating aggressive effluents, such as watertainted with sulphuric acid. This became a main selling point for Grundfos as the main supplier to a new watertreatment facility at the Romanian car battery manufacturer.
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Industry case story

For 15 years, a single Grundfos pump did for car battery manufacturer Rombat SA what pumps do: itpumped. And it did so reliably and uneventfully. Thus in 2008, when Rombat considered expanding its

water treatment unit in Bistria, Romania, the company turned to Grundfos.

Wastewater treatment is a significant part of the production cycle at Rombat. The facility processesapproximately 200 cubic metres of neutralized and pre-treated water daily. Up to 120 cubic metres perday of the treated water go back into the production cycle in order to meet environmentalrequirements. The remainder goes to the municipal water treatment facility and then enters the cityswastewater system.

About one out of every three pumping units at Rombat is Grundfos-made, and they pump about halfthe volume of fluids circulated on the industrial platform.

The acquisition of that first Grundfos pump, however, was a matter of luck.

It was part of some equipment we ordered, explains engineer Gabriel Hrua, head of the productionunits at Rombat SA. Up to that point all our equipment was Romanian-made. We didnt know who thetop manufacturers and brands were.

Then, in 2008, as Rombat saw the need for a bigger water treatment plant as part of a long-term planto expand its production facilities, the question of which manufacturer to go with became urgent. Dueto protracted negotiations with various pump suppliers, the deadline for completing the expansion ofthe water treatment plant shrunk.

At this point, Gabriel Hrua explains, the single Grundfos pumps 15 years of dependable service stoodout as a major selling point. Another big selling point was the repair kit that comes with the Grundfospumps.

Gabriel Hrua, head ofproduction at Rombat SAin Romania


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Buying industrial equipment is not a one-off expense, he says.One always has to consider themaintenance costs. And Grundfos made the overall expense more palatable with the repair kit thataccompanies the pumps, which greatly extends their life, hence bringing down their cost. That mattersa lot when buying pumps in bulk.

A sacrificial order

Indeed, how long a pump will last is of paramount importance in light of the aggressive fluidscirculated in a water treatment facility. And the life of a pump is directly related to the quality of thematerials from which it is made.Manufacturing car batteries result in water effluent that is tainted with sulphuric acid. The watertreatment process involves neutralization and pre-treatment. Pump materials used in the applicationmust be able to resist the aggressive chemical behaviour of the fluids.

So it seemed counter-intuitive that Grundfos would fit its pumps with cast iron impellers, which are

doomed to have a short lifespan in the wastewater of the battery plant.

Grundfos understood that we needed to expand the water treatment plant quickly, explains GabrielHrua. Theydidnt have pumps fitted with steel impellers in stock, so they sent us the whole pumporder fitted with cast iron impellers, knowing that those would not last long. In fact, the cast ironimpellers lasted exactly the time Grundfos needed to bring us the right type of impellers, the onesmade of stainless steel.

That was really something, being willing to deliver cast iron impellers as cannon fodderto the acidicwaters, at no cost to us, simply to fulfil our need to quickly expand our water treatment unit. It showsreal commitment to the clients needs.

Trusted partnership

However, Gabriel Hrua says, one grand gesture is not enough for a lasting business relationship. Sucha partnership requires daily maintenance and commitment. And the high-quality products Grundfoshas provided are cost-effective and reliable. Not to mention, his plants expansion has been anunqualified success.

So far Grundfos has excelled in keeping a directline of communication open with us, meeting ourdemands and really helping us take our businessforward, Gabriel Hrua says. Things inevitably gowrong, and when they do its good to know you

have a trusted partner, one who will deliver. Its likea marriage.

Buying industrial equipment is not a one-offexpense, says Gabriel Hrua of Rombat SA.

Rombats wastewater needs


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Each day the Rombat plant processes about 200 cubic metres of neutralized and pre-treated water. Tomeet environmental requirements, up to 120 cubic metres per day of the treated water go back intothe production cycle. The rest goes to the municipal watertreatment facility and then enters the wastewater system of the

city of Bistria.

In line with environmental requirements, Rombat also recycles thelead in used batteries in its

Rebat facility, opened in 2005 in the city of Copa Mic. Its currentoutput capacity is 20,000 tonnes per year.

A Rombat SA battery, producedat the plant in Bistria, Romania

Grundfos supplied these end-suction pumps

Grundfos supplied 6 close-coupled (NBG) end-suction pumps at Rombats Bistrita wastewater facility,helping the company to pump about half of the volume of fluids circulated on the industrial platform.The specific models included:

NBG 80-50-200/219 NBG 125-80-200/222 NBG 125-80-200/196.

Rombat, largest car battery maker in Romania

SC Rombat SA,located in Bistria in northern Romania, isthe largest car battery maker in Romania, turning out 2.2million batteries per year. The company started 32 yearsago as a state-owned entity in a tightly regulated market,but it has since adapted to the open-market environmentof the post-communist era. In 1996 Rombat was sold to itsworkforce. In 2012 it became part of the South Africangroup Metair Investment Ltd, when Metair InternationalHoldings Coperatief U.A. bought 99 percent of thecompanys shares, which are not publicly listed. The

company holds the top certificates in product quality,health and safety and environmental management.

The repair kit that accompanies the pumps greatly extends their life, hence bringing down their cost.,Gabriel Hrua, head of production at Rombat SA in Romania.

So far Grundfos has really helped us take our business forward.Gabriel Hrua, head of production atRombat SA in Romania.
http://www.en.rombat.in/index.phphttp://www.en.rombat.in/index.phphttp://www.en.rombat.in/index.php

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Case Story. GRUNDFOS at Rombat, The Largest Car Battery Maker in Romania