DAVE RADTKE
maintenance lead, Autogard/Dynacorp

Dave Radtke has a full plate caring for mechanical equipment and facilities at Autogard/Dynacorp, an Illinois-based manufacturer of torque limiters, load monitors, and electro-magnetic clutches, brakes and controls.  But he’s always hungry to do more.

Case in point: the plant’s parts washers.  Radtke knew the solvent used to clean oil from parts had an unpleasant odor, but when he found it irritated some operators’ skin and was difficult to dispose because of its hazardous material classification, he stepped in.  “I thought, ‘Hold on. Maybe we can solve this problem,’” he says.

Radtke researched solvents and then worked with existing suppliers to find a better product.  He earned the full backing of plant management, purchasing and factory workers, who he used as a sounding board for new product samples.

The selected solvent cleans parts as well as the old product.  But, it is less aromatic, is gentler on skin, has a much lower flashpoint and is easier to dispose because it isn’t classified as hazardous material.

“Looking at total cost, it saves us money,” he says.

This article appeared in the December 2000/January 2001 issue of MRO Today magazine.

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