Time is money in manufacturing—especially when maintenance eats up entire weekends at overtime pay. Master Lock, a long-established manufacturer with a diverse mix of Hydromats and Screw Machines, was spending up to 10 hours cleaning sumps. The process was labor-intensive, expensive, and inefficient. Sound familiar?
In this case study, we’ll walk through how Master Lock partnered with us to significantly reduce cleanout time, reclaim valuable brass, and improve oil longevity—all by upgrading their sump cleaning equipment.
The Problem: Weekend Cleanouts at Overtime Rates
Master Lock operates on a large campus split between North and South buildings. While the South had already seen success with our sump cleaning solutions, the North was still relying on outdated cleanup practices. Their process involved using 342 dumping carts, which fed into a PRAB chip processor.
They were machining brass with straight oil, which generated a significant amount of small-chip sludge. One machine—thought to be relatively clean—ended up containing far more swarf than expected. This misjudgment led to blind filter bags and excessive manual labor.
Our Solution: Smarter Sump Maintenance with the SE15 Series
During our visit, we demoed the SE15-140PTL-H-F10 sump cleaner in the North building, building on the South building's earlier success with the SE15-200PTL-H-F10, SE15-060PTL-V-F10, and DF4 filter systems.
We began with an ADT0.0023 Poly Strainer Bag, which quickly blinded due to sludge buildup. Switching to the ADT0.0022 Burlap Strainer Bag, we pumped about 70 gallons and removed 3–4 inches of sludge coating, dumping the filter four times and ultimately clearing 3 cu. ft. of swarf.
Results: Massive Time and Cost Savings We reduced an 8 to 10-hour job—typically performed on weekends with time-and-a-half or double-time pay—to just 30 to 45 minutes, allowing cleanouts to be completed at the end of a regular shift.
Additional wins:
· Machine was left "the cleanest it's ever been"
· Reclaimed valuable brass for recycling
· Extended oil life by improving sump cleanliness
· South building continues to benefit from SE15-60PL use in parts washer tanks
Small Changes, Big Impact
For manufacturers like Master Lock, modernizing sump maintenance isn’t just about convenience—it’s about cutting costs, improving uptime, and capturing materials that would otherwise be lost.
Interested in turning your weekend maintenance into a shift-end routine? Let us help you find the right solution for your machines and fluids.
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