Our Client was a tier 1 supplier who supplies a large portion of the fuel systems market. The Client had used a competitor helium recovery system in the past, but were very dissatisfied with this solution. The systems were prone to faults, which caused extensive downtime, wasting time and resulting in a net loss of helium. The problem was only exacerbated when the helium shortage began and prices started to rise, taking a toll on the company’s balance sheet.

Facilities management identified the problem with the old helium recovery system whilst conducting an appraisal of the helium consumption. Purchasing then carried out an audit, which was clarified by the Engineering team.

The client created a taskforce to find a helium recovery solution that would work across multiple plants. They researched different recovery systems, using different stress pressures, and found that most machines weren’t able to handle the company’s large workload. After speaking with a helium consultant, the team spoke to a member of the VES’ sales team.

Our team were confident from the start that they could meet the client’s needs –  the VES team are experts at flexible machine-to-machine compatibility, and with the unique ability to connect to any helium leak tester, the VES PURE system was the ideal solution.

Once talks were initiated and the team’s clear pain points were identified, a site visit was arranged, during which our team discussed the clients’ concerns and proposed a bespoke PURE system to address their unique needs whilst providing a quick return on investment.

After this, our consultants collaborated with our engineering team to make the solution a reality. The client was assigned a project manager within VES, and a series of meetings were arranged to discuss details such as leak rates, integration time, etc. The client was involved every step of the way to ensure they got the exact solution they needed.

The conclusion of these discussions was that the client would be able to lease a custom PURE machine for £60,000 PA. This was a great help to the client, especially as the helium shortage grew worse around this time. PURE allowed the company to reduce helium purchasing by up to 90%, and saved them £140,000 in overall helium expenditure.

Furthermore, the helium connection we installed is of a higher quality than than other recovery systems, resulting in a tighter, more reliable leak test than before, as well as a huge saving in Helium costs.