A manufacturer from Cannock is helping companies across the UK save money – by using plastic balls.
Euro-matic UK is the sole UK suppliers of croffles and floating ball blankets, which are used in industries such as galvanising plants and automotives.
Once placed onto the surface of a liquid, the hollow plastic balls arrange themselves in a close-packed formation covering over 91 per cent of the surface area. This provides a barrier which reduces liquid and heat loss through evaporation, odour release and conversely prevents surface absorption of oxygen.
The products, made by Euro-matic’s parent company in Hungary, can cut liquid loss from evaporation by up to 90 per cent and reduce heating costs by up to 75 per cent.
Demand for the products has risen due to the cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy bills.
Commercial Director Helena King said: “For any factories or production plants with chemical processes or heat or cooling tanks, there will inevitably be a number of knock-on effects, such as maintaining tank temperature, nasty smells and toxins, or even just the damage evaporation can do to the workplace environment.
“Now with the issue of rising energy costs, people are desperately looking for solutions and are turning to us to help with that.
“Different types of plastic balls are supplied, dependant on the type of chemical used by the customer.
“We’ve had some really impressive results from small outlays with a recent customer reporting an annual saving on energy bills of £89,461 since the croffle installation.”
The balls have also been used in reservoirs, wastewater, ponds and slurry lagoons to reduce the penetration of UV rays, stopping the growth of algae and clogging weeds and reducing the rate of ice formation in freezing temperatures.
Euro-matic UK, which also supplies playpen balls, is one of three Staffordshire companies representing the county at the national Federation of Small Businesses Celebrating Small Business Awards later this month after picking up the Sustainability Award in the regional competition.
