In this day of high-speed Internet, instant messaging and e-mail, it is interesting to know someone who is rooted in the past and still uses “snail mail,” yet can surprise you with his or her grasp of today’s technology. D.D. Jarvis, a hard-working independent water treatment dealer from Lampasas, Texas, is comfortable with the old-fashioned way he communicates in today’s world, but is constantly finding new ways to expand his customer base and keep people informed about new water treatment technologies. He also aggressively pursues unique markets in order to find opportunities to sell new and existing products.
When Jarvis recently learned about ultrafiltration (UF) technology, he immediately traveled to Elburn, Ill., to purchase 10 systems, three of which were sold before he returned to Texas. Within a few weeks’ time, Jarvis had a full-blown business plan for selling UF and had started placing articles and advertisements in regional publications.
Sterilizing with UF
In fall 2006, Jarvis began to pursue a gastroenterology company in Waco, Texas, because he was sure there was a way the UF systems could benefit its business. After visiting the facility, Jarvis was convinced the Aquacore UF system could aid in the com- pany’s processes and ultimately save money.
Russell Mann of the Waco Gastroenterology and Endoscopy (WG&E) Center welcomed Jarvis to the facility and showed him what they were doing to purify water. The business at the WG&E Center involves cleaning and sterilizing colonoscopy and endoscopy diagnosis and treatment equipment. The water used in the process has to be absolutely void of any contaminants that otherwise could be left on the equipment and transferred to the next patient.
To process the water in the facility to such a high level of purity, a nanofilter is employed as the last line of defense against potential contaminants.
Exceeding $500 per cartridge, these filters are not inexpensive and perform extremely well. Any filter cartridge that can remove contaminants to that level of purity is not going to last very long when processing average municipal water, even with traditional prefiltering methods.
In fact, the center reported they were changing the nanofilter cartridge every three to four weeks.
Jarvis was sure that installing the UF system—which filters water down to 0.02 microns—just upstream of the nanofilter would extend the life of the cartridges.
It turned out Jarvis was right. Since the installation of the UF system, there has been no fouling of the nanofilter cartridge, and there is no pressure drop across the UF membrane.
New Opportunities
UF can bring new opportunities to water treatment dealers that are not typically on the radar screen. As a dealer, sharpen your vision and think outside of the box. UF is just one more piece of technology that can help you pursue new markets to expand your business.
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