Eastman

Surrounding companies can also benefit from outsourcing demin water and steam utilities.

The challenge

Greater needs, a reduced carbon footprint but no space. Following its commercial success, Eastman a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals company will expand its production facility in Ghent.

In order to reach the required production capacity, Eastman will need every square meter of its site for its core business: the production of PVB film for laminated glass. However, this increase in production means Eastman now faces a second challenge: an additional demand for demin water and steam.

Thirdly, Eastman’s corporate responsibility engagements and environmentally responsible ethos commit the company to create an eco-friendly site. Hence, it needs to limit its carbon footprint. The combination of these three challenges have led to a detailed re-examination of Eastman’s water management. As Eastman intends to concentrate on its core activities, the company has appointed Water-link to assess its water management and consumption and to put in place a reliable solution.

The solution

Induss Ill, a semi-mobile water and steam factory.

After conducting a detailed water audit together with Eastman, Water-link determined that Eastman’s water and steam consumption required far-reaching adjustments. Yet the solution was already close at hand. By constructing off-site, energy-efficient production installations, there are immediate benefits in terms of cost reduction and the environment. Water-link built two installations and placed them on a nearby site. In practice, this meant transforming two containers into two fully operational semi-mobile steam and water treatment plants that will operate entirely independently from Eastman. The new combination is known as Induss III.

Water-link takes ultimate responsibility for the entire project, as is customary for a full outsourcing contract. This means managing the inspection, licensing, supplier selection, mutual contracts and the construction and operation of Induss III, including transmission pipes between the various sites. In return, Eastman pays per m³ of supplied water and per ton of supplied steam. Utility costs are directly linked to production rates and closely monitored, budgeted and allocated.

Water-link found the optimal location for its water plant and has drawn up the necessary contracts. Water-link also dealt with all aspects of the negotiation process and the administrative handling of all legal issues. And last but not least, Water-link is fully responsible for handling all parties’ issues with maximum transparency.

The true beauty of this project is that any company in the immediate vicinity will be able to benefit from Induss III too. Local companies enjoy benefits of scale and an exceptionally secure water supply. In fact, waste-disposal company Ivago has already started implementing a tailor-made solution.