In the earlier stages of the pandemic, increasing concerns about hygiene and transmission sparked a severe shortage of hand sanitiser in the United Kingdom — both on a domestic and industrial scale. Amid the shortage, manufacturers have rushed to diversify their operations to produce the product for essential use, including that of the NHS.
In the midst of the shortage, a national manufacturer of chemical products approached Apex Pumps to deliver a bespoke pump urgently. The pump was essential to produce hand sanitiser, as it would be used to handle and circulate a recipe of Ethanol and ESTASOL, a combination of Dimethyl Succinate, Glutarate and Adipate.
As a specialist manufacturer of pumps, Apex Pumps was able to use parts in its inventory to begin to develop the pump immediately, calling on motor manufacturer, WEG, to provide the motor. To adhere to the requirements of a chemical environment, WEG supplied the W21 Series 3.0kW 2 pole Exd 11b T4 motor — an ATEX approved hazardous area motor.
“Apex Pumps has been working alongside WEG for over 18 years,” explained Sam Kemp, sales director at Apex Pumps. “As a time-sensitive project, we were able to rely on WEG to provide a motor quickly. In fact, the team delivered a motor in just five days, allowing us to despatch the pump to the customer within one week of the order placement.
“Crucially, we could rest assured the motor WEG provided was appropriate for the application at hand. The pump delivered was ATEX certified, which means it is appropriate for use in explosive atmospheres. As a leading manufacturer of motors, we were confident WEG’s motor would be suitable for use at a chemical processing site.”
As part of its efforts to fight coronavirus, Apex Pumps is now fast tracking the manufacture of any pumps destined to produce goods for use by the NHS. The Bristol-based manufacturer offers one of the broadest ranges of centrifugal pumps in the United Kingdom. Manufacturers involved in the production of goods to help in the crisis are encouraged to contact Apex Pumps to discuss their requirements.
