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July 2014
GRUNDFOS Pompe Romania
marketing-ro@grundfos.com


The secret to winning supply bid for
battery maker: pumps that keep pumping



15-year-old pump persuades Romanians to stay with Grundfos


When the leading manufacturer of car batteries in Romania needed to expand its plant, Grundfos
stood out as the reliable partner for its water treatment unit, thanks to a long business relationship
and Grundfoss willingness to go the extra mile.


Rombat was impressed with a Grundfos pumps 15 years in circulating aggressive effluents, such as water
tainted with sulphuric acid. This became a main selling point for Grundfos as the main supplier to a new water
treatment facility at the Romanian car battery manufacturer.




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Industry case story

For 15 years, a single Grundfos pump did for car battery manufacturer Rombat SA what pumps do: it
pumped. And it did so reliably and uneventfully. Thus in 2008, when Rombat considered expanding its
water treatment unit in Bistria, Romania, the company turned to Grundfos.

Wastewater treatment is a significant part of the production cycle at Rombat. The facility processes
approximately 200 cubic metres of neutralized and pre-treated water daily. Up to 120 cubic metres per
day of the treated water go back into the production cycle in order to meet environmental
requirements. The remainder goes to the municipal water treatment facility and then enters the citys
wastewater system.

About one out of every three pumping units at Rombat is Grundfos-made, and they pump about half
the volume of fluids circulated on the industrial platform.

The acquisition of that first Grundfos pump, however, was a matter of luck.

It was part of some equipment we ordered, explains engineer Gabriel Hrua, head of the production
units at Rombat SA. Up to that point all our equipment was Romanian-made. We didnt know who the
top manufacturers and brands were.

Then, in 2008, as Rombat saw the need for a bigger water treatment plant as part of a long-term plan
to expand its production facilities, the question of which manufacturer to go with became urgent. Due
to protracted negotiations with various pump suppliers, the deadline for completing the expansion of
the water treatment plant shrunk.

At this point, Gabriel Hrua explains, the single Grundfos pumps 15 years of dependable service stood
out as a major selling point. Another big selling point was the repair kit that comes with the Grundfos
pumps.



Gabriel Hrua, head of
production at Rombat SA
in Romania




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Buying industrial equipment is not a one-off expense, he says. One always has to consider the
maintenance costs. And Grundfos made the overall expense more palatable with the repair kit that
accompanies the pumps, which greatly extends their life, hence bringing down their cost. That matters
a lot when buying pumps in bulk.


A sacrificial order

Indeed, how long a pump will last is of paramount importance in light of the aggressive fluids
circulated in a water treatment facility. And the life of a pump is directly related to the quality of the
materials from which it is made.
Manufacturing car batteries result in water effluent that is tainted with sulphuric acid. The water
treatment process involves neutralization and pre-treatment. Pump materials used in the application
must be able to resist the aggressive chemical behaviour of the fluids.

So it seemed counter-intuitive that Grundfos would fit its pumps with cast iron impellers, which are
doomed to have a short lifespan in the wastewater of the battery plant.

Grundfos understood that we needed to expand the water treatment plant quickly, explains Gabriel
Hrua. They didnt have pumps fitted with steel impellers in stock, so they sent us the whole pump
order fitted with cast iron impellers, knowing that those would not last long. In fact, the cast iron
impellers lasted exactly the time Grundfos needed to bring us the right type of impellers, the ones
made of stainless steel.

That was really something, being willing to deliver cast iron impellers as cannon fodder to the acidic
waters, at no cost to us, simply to fulfil our need to quickly expand our water treatment unit. It shows
real commitment to the clients needs.


Trusted partnership

However, Gabriel Hrua says, one grand gesture is not enough for a lasting business relationship. Such
a partnership requires daily maintenance and commitment. And the high-quality products Grundfos
has provided are cost-effective and reliable. Not to mention, his plants expansion has been an
unqualified success.

So far Grundfos has excelled in keeping a direct
line of communication open with us, meeting our
demands and really helping us take our business
forward, Gabriel Hrua says. Things inevitably go
wrong, and when they do its good to know you
have a trusted partner, one who will deliver. Its like
a marriage.


Buying industrial equipment is not a one-off
expense, says Gabriel Hrua of Rombat SA.


Rombats wastewater needs



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Each day the Rombat plant processes about 200 cubic metres of neutralized and pre-treated water. To
meet environmental requirements, up to 120 cubic metres per day of the treated water go back into
the production cycle. The rest goes to the municipal water
treatment facility and then enters the wastewater system of the
city of Bistria.

In line with environmental requirements, Rombat also recycles the
lead in used batteries in its

Rebat facility, opened in 2005 in the city of Copa Mic. Its current
output capacity is 20,000 tonnes per year.

A Rombat SA battery, produced
at the plant in Bistria, Romania



Grundfos supplied these end-suction pumps

Grundfos supplied 6 close-coupled (NBG) end-suction pumps at Rombats Bistrita wastewater facility,
helping the company to pump about half of the volume of fluids circulated on the industrial platform.
The specific models included:

NBG 80-50-200/219
NBG 125-80-200/222
NBG 125-80-200/196.


Rombat, largest car battery maker in Romania

SC Rombat SA, located in Bistria in northern Romania, is
the largest car battery maker in Romania, turning out 2.2
million batteries per year. The company started 32 years
ago as a state-owned entity in a tightly regulated market,
but it has since adapted to the open-market environment
of the post-communist era. In 1996 Rombat was sold to its
workforce. In 2012 it became part of the South African
group Metair Investment Ltd, when Metair International
Holdings Coperatief U.A. bought 99 percent of the
companys shares, which are not publicly listed. The
company holds the top certificates in product quality,
health and safety and environmental management.

The repair kit that accompanies the pumps greatly extends their life, hence bringing down their cost.,
Gabriel Hrua, head of production at Rombat SA in Romania.

So far Grundfos has really helped us take our business forward. Gabriel Hrua, head of production at
Rombat SA in Romania.