Kalamazoo equipment maker’s treatment systems let plants reuse process water instead of buying fresh water and paying to haul it away
KALAMAZOO, Mich., [Release Date], 2026: PRAB, a Kalamazoo-based manufacturer of industrial recycling equipment since 1950, is helping manufacturers turn wastewater from a recurring disposal cost into a reusable resource. PRAB’s industrial wastewater treatment systems combine ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, vacuum evaporation and automated pH adjustment so plants can clean and reuse their process water on site.
Water costs and disposal fees keep climbing, and discharge rules are not getting any looser. For many plants, used water means drums and totes hauled away, surcharges from the local sewer authority, and fresh water bought to refill the same tanks every week.
“Most manufacturers watch their coolant bill closely and their water bill barely at all,” said Paul Montgomery, Marketing Leader at PRAB. “Water feels cheap until you add up what happens after it is used. Every gallon recovered is a gallon you don’t buy or pay to dispose of.”
Documented results
Across PRAB’s industrial water treatment installations, documented results include up to 90% reduction in wastewater volume, up to 75% reduction in detergent costs and up to 90% reduction in disposal costs, with return on investment typically achieved within 12 to 18 months. Customer examples include:
- Eaton achieved $196,000 in annual savings through an ultrafiltration-based washer cleaner solution.
- Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems reuses 81% of its alkaline cleaner and rinse wastewater as make-up for its wash and rinse tanks, using an EVALED® heat pump evaporator.
- A European engine plant treating 30 tons of parts-cleaning water a day now reuses about 95% of it.
- A Texas fastener manufacturer saves approximately $95,000 a year through improvements to its fluid and process water.
Matching the technology to the water
PRAB does not treat a plant’s water as one problem. Oil-water separators and ultrafiltration remove oils and solids from parts-washer water. Reverse osmosis removes dissolved salts and metals from rinse water. Vacuum evaporation handles the hardest mixed streams, recovering up to 99% of the fluid as reusable distillate, and is the technology that takes plants to zero liquid discharge. Automated pH adjustment keeps any water that is released within the 6.0 to 9.0 pH range required for discharge to a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), and logs every batch for audits.
Every project starts with an analysis of the plant’s actual wastewater. Through PRAB’s free Fluid Testing program, manufacturers can have their samples tested before any equipment is recommended. Systems are available as standalone units or as skid-mounted, factory-tested turnkey packages, and are backed by the PRAB Performantee® Guarantee.
Manufacturers can read more in PRAB’s guide, How Does Industrial Water Recycling Work in a Manufacturing Plant?
About PRAB
Founded in 1950 by Peter Ruppe and Alan Bodycomb, PRAB designs and builds metal scrap conveyors, metal chip processing systems, coolant recycling and fluid filtration equipment, and industrial water and wastewater treatment systems for the aerospace, automotive, construction and recycling industries. The company is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with its European headquarters in Opole, Poland. Every PRAB system is backed by the Performantee® operational guarantee.
Media Contact
Paul Montgomery, Marketing Leader, PRAB, Inc.
Phone: (877) 994-2320
Email: [email protected]
Website: prab.com