Environmentally Friendly TGAL Saves Thousands with Monitoring Solution

TGAL – Think Globally Act Logically

TGAL Recycling is a family-owned local business founded in 2010. Based out of  Boonville, Indiana, TGAL (Think Globally Act Locally) develops creative solutions to solve waste minimization, pollution prevention, recycling, logistics, and transportation needs for industries small and large.  

Market: Environmental

Application: Wastewater Monitoring

Challenge:

A customer of TGAL operates a production facility that produces wastewater that is stored in two 3000-gallon and two 10,000-gallon above ground tanks. At this 24/7 production facility, maintenance staff is charged with manually monitoring the level of the tanks for 12 hours per weekday. During the other 12 hours per day and on the weekends the tanks were unmonitored. Over an 8-year period there were approximately two dozen occurrences where the tanks overflowed overnight or on a weekend when no monitoring was occurring. Overflows of the wastewater require at least 4 hours of time and attention, which was spent away from main job functions. Avoiding tank overflows required employees to be called in and paid for overtime in order to check the tank which cost the company approximately $150 per occasion. Routine dates to collect the wastewater were set up however, there was often not enough water to collect to completely fill the tanker resulting in increased trucking costs per gallon disposed.

Solution:

After researching options, TGAL turned to ATEK Access Technologies for the TankScan solution.

“The monitor system allows TGAL a hands-off approach to managing the tanks. Less time for both parties involving calling, stopping, and checking tank levels.” said Jim Trouba, General Manager.

The TankScan TSM1000 uses a battery powered sensor that screws into the top of the tanks and measures the fluid levels in the tank. The monitor sends the data to the web-based portal which stores and alerts on the level reading.  Alert emails and text messages are sent to the user on a high-level condition.  Additionally, users are able to log into the portal from a laptop, PC or mobile device and monitor tank levels from anywhere an internet connection is available.

The high-level alert text/emails were a very important feature for TGAL. The alerts allow TGAL to view the data from the tanks and determine if an on-call driver needs to be dispatched to the facility in the middle of the night or weekend, or if it can wait until regular business hours. The amount of after hour calls have been substantially reduced utilizing the TankScan solution.

“With the TankScan solution we can now max out every load getting the most efficiency out of every stop.” said Trouba. TGAL estimates a 10-15% savings on logistic costs by stopping less often and hauling out full loads.

A Story of the Results:

“Over a random weekend a tank monitor alert went off. The Maintenance department was not working and there was no one in the area where the waste-water tanks are located. The alert indicated a large jump in water collected in the tank, different than normal use would indicate. A pipe froze and cracked. Water leaked and spilled into the collection area that feeds into the tanks. TGAL alerted a maintenance employee that was on call to check the alert. The TankScan solution helped mitigate the flood of waste-water saving the company $250,000 in product that would have otherwise been damaged.”

Benefits:

• Cost and time savings realized
• Eliminated the overflow of the tanks
• Reduced stops at the customers’ facility to pick up wastewater
• Relieved time and labor demand on the maintenance department
• Audit and compliance streamlined