Cost clarity, calculability and absolute process reliability: these are the advantages of professional contract cleaning, from which Klaus Baier GmbH & Co KG, based in Pfronten (Bavaria), also benefits. The family business relies on the expertise of Offingen-based Richard Geiss GmbH to clean its stamped parts. In its in-house contract cleaning facility, the Bavarian solvent specialist cleans the parts down to the pores to remove oil and other particles and offers a complete all-round service.
Klaus Baier GmbH & Co KG specializes in toolmaking and stamping technology and combines everything from toolmaking to series production under one roof. The family business manufactures a wide range of parts for the automotive industry, commercial vehicles and household appliances, among others: from elements with a diameter of around one centimeter to over one meter. Around 15 million parts leave production at the company headquarters in Pfronten every year. Just under 20 percent of these go to Richard Geiss GmbH for contract cleaning, i.e. around three million parts per year.
Outsourcing component cleaning to a professional
"We have outsourced our entire metal degreasing process to Richard Geiss GmbH," explains Harald Sommer, Head of Materials Management at Klaus Baier GmbH & Co. Klaus Baier originally had its own cleaning system for small quantities. Due to the increased demand and thus also the increased quantities, parts cleaning at the site was to be expanded. Klaus Baier came across Richard Geiss GmbH thanks to a tip from the system manufacturer Pero. "However, we quickly realized that we couldn't play in the same league as Richard Geiss GmbH when it came to degreasing. Instead of expanding our in-house degreasing department, we therefore decided to outsource the entire area of parts cleaning to the professionals - and it paid off," adds Werner Gmeinder, Production Manager at Klaus Baier GmbH & Co.
This allows both professionals to concentrate on their core competencies: Klaus Baier on toolmaking and stamping technology and Richard Geiss GmbH on contract cleaning and related services.
Sustainable contract cleaning
Richard Geiss GmbH has been cleaning Klaus Baier's stamped parts at its headquarters in Offingen since 2016 - that's around 500 pallet cages per year. The solvent specialist uses two systems in its in-house contract cleaning department: one system works with modified alcohols such as RG Cleaner 63, which is also used to preserve the parts. The other system uses perchloroethylene (PER) and efficiently cleans parts from deep-drawing oils, for example. "We operate our high-end degreasing system with high-purity PER recyclate. This is 100 percent the same quality as virgin material, but has a significantly lower carbon footprint: Geiss PER saves up to 90 percent CO2 compared to virgin material," explains Bastian Geiss, Managing Partner of Richard Geiss GmbH.
From incoming goods, through preparation and cleaning of the parts, to quality control, assembling and packaging of the parts according to customer requirements and finally outgoing goods - all steps are handled by the professionals at Richard Geiss GmbH. The entire cleaning process is computer-controlled so that no uncleaned parts can leave the 800 m2 contract cleaning hall.
High surface tension
The parts that Klaus Baier sends to Offingen for cleaning include tube sheets or heat exchangers for charge air coolers, which are later used in VW or BMW vehicles. "These parts for the automotive industry have to be completely clean," emphasizes Harald Sommer. In combination with the high-quality Geiss solvents, the highest surface tensions are achieved during degreasing in Offingen. "In the case of Klaus Baier's parts, we always have a surface tension of greater than 38," adds Waseem Rana, Head of Contract Cleaning at Richard Geiss GmbH. Thanks to the reliable top cleaning results, Klaus Baier only randomly checks the cleaned parts for surface tension and residual dirt.
In addition to the automotive industry, Klaus Baier also supplies other sectors such as household appliances. For example, the company manufactures pull-out rails for ovens for Bosch-Siemens household appliances. These also come to Offingen for professional degreasing.
Process reliability through contract cleaning
In contract cleaning, the specialists at Richard Geiss use cleaning processes specially tailored to the parts so that chips, particles, oils and greases are removed down to the pores. The Bavarian solvent specialist cleans parts measuring up to 1,200 mm x 800 mm x 970 mm (L x W x H) - whether stamped, deep-drawn and turned parts or steel and stainless steel parts and assemblies. Thanks to short batch times, a high batch weight and permanent distillation of the solvent, contract cleaning at Richard Geiss GmbH works reliably and cost-effectively for customers. "We no longer have to worry about degreasing our parts, we can rely on absolute process reliability because Richard Geiss has the know-how," emphasizes Werner Gmeinder.
Flexibility in contract cleaning
Despite all the process reliability, Klaus Baier also benefits from Richard Geiss' great flexibility when it comes to contract degreasing. Klaus Baier works just in time for his customers and can also rely on this for contract cleaning in Offingen. "We work in three shifts with a lead time of two to four days. Sometimes it can be faster if necessary. Then the parts arrive at our contract cleaning facility in the morning and can be picked up again straight away in the evening," explains Waseem Rana.
Klaus Baier works with seven different oils in his production. "Sometimes we have to switch to a new oil in the middle of the process. This is also no problem for the contract cleaning department at Richard Geiss GmbH," explains Werner Gmeinder. Or Klaus Baier receives parts for further processing that have already been pre-greased. The solvent specialist also analyzes these oils in the company's own laboratory in Offingen and carries out oil compatibility tests.
All-round service for contract cleaning
With contract cleaning from Richard Geiss GmbH, everything comes from a single source. The solvent specialist provides its customers, including Klaus Baier, with pallet cages for the parts produced. For heavily oiled parts, the lattice boxes are also equipped with oil collection trays. Klaus Baier delivers his parts from Pfronten to Offingen, around 150 kilometers away, using a freight forwarder. "However, we also have our own fleet of vehicles, which we use to handle the entire logistics for our customers," emphasizes Bastian Geiss. For Klaus Baier, the contract cleaning professionals also repack a large proportion of the parts after the degreasing process so that they can be delivered directly to the customer in their original packaging. Various laboratory services are also available to Richard Geiss customers for an optimum high-end degreasing process. (OM-1/25)
Contact
Richard Geiss GmbH
Lüßhof 100
89364 Rettenbach (Germany)
Phone: +49 (0) 8224 807 - 0
E-mail: info@geiss-gmbh.de
geiss-gmbh.de
About Richard Geiss GmbH
Richard Geiss GmbH is one of Europe's leading specialists in the field of solvent recovery and is based in Offingen in the district of Günzburg. The company produces high-purity distillates from solvent waste through distillative processing. Richard Geiss supplies solvents to the industrial surface cleaning, textile cleaning, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Contract degreasing rounds off the range of services as a fourth business segment.