We sat down with Supply Chain Manager Volker Linnertz from Herkula to discuss how they transformed their cleaning process by switching from solvents to Ambimization®. 

Herkula is a coatings and ink manufacturer based in Belgium, and after working with Terrafend their cleaning process is now completely solvent free, using only our patented methodology, Ambimization®. 

In the video, Volker describes what attracted him to Ambimization®, including how it worked as a drop-in solution for their high pressure cleaning infrastructure.  

He also highlights that many manufacturers might be concerned about contamination, and how Herkula and Terrafend worked together to do extensive lab testing. 

He discusses the onboarding process and how it was less complicated than expected and what the outcomes were for Herkula. 

Herkula operates within the Responsible Care® Framework, which is a voluntary initiative in the chemical industries, where companies agree to: 

• Continuously improve the environmental, health, safety and security knowledge and performance of processes and products over their life cycles to avoid harm to people and the environment. 

• Use resources efficiently and minimise waste. 

Herkula’s dedication to moving away from solvent cleaning involved extensive research in considering alternatives, but they found that everything came with a compromise.  

Solutions like caustic soda didn’t improve safety processes, but high-pressure water cleaning didn’t offer a high quality clean. 

See how Ambimization® compares to alternative cleaning solutions like caustic soda, high pressure water cleaning and low solvent cleaning options. 

As Volker said, ‘I ran through all the other options that we looked at and there was a big negative point on all of these, but with Ambimization® we didn’t really see a negative.’ 

In working with Terrafend to move away from solvent usage, it allowed Herkula to focus on improving the environment for their operators, make the site safer and take advantage of the high reusability of Ambimization® Wash Fluid (AWF) which reduces waste product. 

Herkula say they are incredibly pleased with the results, already recognising immediate benefits like:  

• A safer and healthier cleaning environment for their operators 

• Increasing reusability and minimising waste in line with the Responsible Care® framework 

• A great quality clean without fear of contamination 

For more information on how Ambimization® can have an impact, consider our case study on Scott Bader, who reduced their emissions by 93.9% by switching to Ambimization®.