Clean Air Worldwide
Cover Story
By Stephanie Sims   
Monday, 15 January 2007
smc Purafil adapts to worldwide political, environmental and economic challenges, responding to everything from tsunamis to political takeovers.
Purafil adapts to worldwide political, environmental and economic challenges, responding to everything from tsunamis to political takeovers.
As a global company specializing in dry-scrubbing chemical filtration products, Purafil must adapt quickly to worldwide political, environmental and economic issues, President Jim Mash says. “We must respond to everything from tsunamis to political takeovers and their effects on regional and global markets,” he says. “We also diversify our marketing, products and distribution by markets: industrial, commercial, wastewater, museum/archival, airborne molecular contamination [AMC]/clean rooms and ethylene, as well as by geographic territories.” Mash explains this approach “prevents dependency on any one customer base or geographic territory, and that provides a balance for our global business that protects us from any one dramatic change in the world that can have an adverse effect on our business.”

Despite the fact that Purafil is a mature, established company, Mash says it is continuously expanding its market and product bases through technology and manufacturing of new products and services dictated by the markets themselves. Purafil’s OnGuard 3000 instrumentation is a new version of an existing product that was initiated by customer demand, Mash says.

“The sleek, battery-powered unit offers all of the features of the OnGuard 2000, but eliminates the expense of hard-wiring this unit for a customer,” he says. “Increased performance and targeted gas removal in Purafil’s chemical medias is also a response to world demand and new technology,” he adds.

Mash spoke with Manufacturing Today about Purafil’s products and what he is most proud of about the company.

Manufacturing Today: Explain your products.
Jim Mash: Purafil’s business focus is being the single-source manufacturer of complete, engineered solutions to provide clean air to our worldwide customer base.

Let me explain that chemical filtration functions similarly to particulate filtration, except in lieu of collecting particles of dust and dirt, chemical filters remove molecules of odors and aggressive gases. These molecules of gases and odors are removed and withheld from the airstream with some of our products, while others remove and totally destroy the molecules of gas so only a residue of harmless salts and moisture remains.

We do this by manufacturing approximately 12 different chemical media with a pan pelletizer, an adjustable pan device which is utilized to create or pelletize raw materials, in our chemical manufacturing plant.

We also manufacture approximately 12 different equipment models designed to offer engineered solutions for our worldwide customers based on the market served and specific customer needs.

Purafil also offers the tools to verify media performance with our patented instrumentation that enables our customers to certify performance as it pertains to industry air quality standards or the customer’s specific air quality needs.

MT: Who are your customers and how do they define quality?
JM: Our customers consist of any organization offended by or whose manufacturing process is affected by odors or aggressive gases.

Quality in our business is defined by clean air. Although this definition changes by market and by customer, the bottom line of quality for a customer is guaranteed clean air furnished in compliance with our customer’s delivery system and measurable over time to support our customers’ needs.

MT: What is your vision of the future for Purafil?
JM: Recently, Purafil was purchased by Kaydon, a public company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Although Purafil has been historically successful for several decades as a private company, this new investment in Purafil allows us to accelerate our commitments to developing new technology in our core business and will allow Purafil to actively search for strategic partners and possible acquisitions in the worldwide marketplace.

With the world’s attention focused on improving air quality, Purafil’s vision is profitable growth in our core dry scrubbing expertise through advancements in technology and our continual commitment to customer satisfaction.

Purafil will continue our commitment to drive industry standards for air quality as we serve on many boards and standards committees globally, and by consistent improvements in manufacturing.

MT: What are you most proud of about the company and its manufacturing operations?
JM: I am most proud of the fact that Purafil Inc. is recognized and trusted as the worldwide leader in providing engineered solutions, quality products, performance and, ultimately, clean air to our customers.

The Purafil brand is as recognized and referenced in worldwide discussions on dry scrubbing and providing clean air as the Kleenex brand is referenced with discussions on tissue. Purafil’s excellence in manufacturing, marketing and technology allow our global, factory-trained distribution channels to continue to serve their local industries with the best products and the most innovative, effective solutions to customer problems.

While many of our competitors make unsubstantiated claims on their product performance, Purafil maintains a level of excellence unmatched in our business. In a performance- and technology-driven marketplace for chemicals, equipment and instrumentation manufacturing, Purafil continues to be successful by adding value to our products and services.

We are almost never the least expensive, but an educated customer understands the added value and return on the investment Purafil offers. Our business growth continues to support this successful business model.
 
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