AT&S industries
(Austria)
Revitalized high-tech 
AT&S is the largest PCB (printed circuit boards) manufacturer in Europe and the United States, and is a technological leader. PCBs are used in mobile phones and in cars, and have become indispensable in the mobile telecommunications sector. Because environmental protection is seen as just as important as the quality of the products in the corporate philosophy of this company, the factory in Leoben also decided to install Grander Technology.
The effects of the conversion can be seen particularly well in the cooling towers and in the cooling of the coolant water in the air conditioning. Press officer Reinhold Oblak explains. ‘The water we need is 20 to 25 degrees C, which is an ideal temperature for the growth of bacteria. The usual practice is to add chemicals to prevent bacterial growth in the water. We, on the other hand, decided to use the Grander water revitalisation system to reduce our dependence on these chemicals. Since then, their use has fallen completely and the investment was realised in less than a year.’
As is often the case, when new ideas are mooted, sceptics are in the majority at the start. But because these companies place an equal importance on both expenditure and their ‘clean’ image, good records of both are kept. The initial financial outlay made in any new system has to show its financial return, and its contribution to the positive image of the company, within a reasonable amount of time.
Keeping a close record is exactly what AT&S did. The dramatic reduction in the use of chemicals, which was found to be a direct result of the water being revitalised using Grander Technology, shows yet again how much financial resources and budgets can benefit from installing the system. ‘Our decision to install the system was confirmed correct in all aspects,’ is how AT&S director, Reinhold Oblak, sums up the situation. | 