improves its incentives to develop products compatible with recycling and to
support recycling processes. Monitoring of practice and systems is essential to
ensure functionality of the fluids. Consumption within and costs of separate fluid
systems can be tracked in a well functioning monitoring system. The supplier must
be trusted by the customers, be quick-learning and have good connections with site
fluid management to develop the necessary monitoring tools.
Lack of means to invest in equipment is often mentioned as a barrier for development
of fluid management. This could be overcome in a CMS partnership if
the CMS supplier facilitates pooling or sharing of equipment at several plants.
Since fluid usage is greatly affected by machinery design and equipment maintenance,
issues and problems at the plant have to be transferred to supplier development and
problem-solving departments, preferably involving equipment and tool suppliers in
joint projects. The expenditure on research and development of chemical management
and equipment and some less tangible costs should be measured or estimated;
this can possibly be supported by using EMA.
To push the environmental performance further the most important factors
should be evaluated in each partnership. Identification of deficiencies and critical
issues can facilitate improvement and develop a well-functioning partnership