Ceramex boosts DPF cleaning volume as demand spikes

Having invested over £3 million in its long-term future, the UK’s leading provider of patented DPF cleaning, remanufacturing and inspection services, Ceramex, is ramping up production volume further, in response to rising customer demand, both nationally and across Europe.

The Reading-based company had already boosted its DPF cleaning and remanufacturing volume for LGVs to more than 2,500 per week, a doubling in capacity, following its relocation to a brand-new, 67,000 square-foot facility last year.

As part of its five-year expansion strategy to meet the anticipated growth in demand from major truck manufacturers and operators, Ceramex is seeing the number of DPFs for processing heading beyond pre-pandemic levels, due in part to increased logistics fleet activity.

Barney Milles, who became Managing Director of Ceramex earlier this year, commented:

“Even before Covid-19, tighter EU emission controls meant that the demand for cleaning and remanufacturing of commercial DPFs was on a steady upward trajectory. We expect further growth over the next few years, so having our new facility fully operational with scope for increased capacity, gives our business a high degree of future-proofing during these challenging economic times.”

Ceramex’s patented Xpurge^® DPF cleaning process uses a combination of purified water and air to remove accumulated soot and ash deposits from the filter. As the deposits are suspended in water, there is no risk of them entering the atmosphere. The cleaning process removes between 350-450g of soot and ash from each filter, which restores it to at least 95% or more of brand new functionality, thereby avoiding the need for a brand new DPF.

The resultant soot and ash that’s collected forms a ‘filter cake’ of particulate matter.  Ceramex ships around five tons of filter cake every two months, approximately 30 tons per year, to a waste management partner for further treatment prior to its disposal as non-hazardous waste at a licensed landfill site.

Concluded Barney Milles:

There are over 400,000 diesel-fuelled HGVs operating in the UK, plus thousands of foreign registered trucks, so it’s vital to keep their emissions control systems running as efficiently as possible, in accordance with Euro VI emissions regulations. Overall, our mission is to help keep truck fleets emission-compliant and operating efficiently, which also demonstrates the commitment of Ceramex to play its part in the drive towards cleaner air.”