Customer Interviews - Sepro
Customer Interviews
In this customer interview series, we talk with our Clients about how they experience working with TANIQ.
Interview with Steve McAlister, Board Member at Sepro Systems
Sepro Systems is Canada’s largest supplier of mineral processing and aggregate equipment with offices worldwide. In 2021 Sepro approached TANIQ for design and optimization of a peristaltic pump hose having a nonsymmetric cross-section, and the automated production thereof.
"We very much enjoyed the highly professional approach TANIQ took to our problem. TANIQ is a boutique-style technology partner where they take the time to get to know you as well as your problem.”
What is your business?
Sepro manufactures process equipment for the mining and aggregate industries.
What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product or service?
One of Sepro’s product lines is peristaltic pumps. Pumping is achieved by progressively squeezing material through a rubber hose. Stresses generated by this squeezing become larger as hose diameter increases. Fatigue also plays a role in hose life. We wanted to build larger pumps and make the hoses in existing pumps last longer.
Where did you start your search?
In advance of building costly prototypes, we decided to use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate an idea for enabling construction of larger peristaltic pumps and making the hoses in our existing pumps last longer. Although we do our own FEA for steel, we found that the analysis of reinforced rubber was too complicated for us to handle internally. We started our search for an FEA provider on the Internet and found there were very few experts in this field.
What made TANIQ’s product or service stand out from other options?
Although TANIQ had not previously done peristaltic pump hose, they had worked on products that were very similar. In addition, we found it very attractive that they could help us optimize the design of the hose reinforcement if the idea proved to be successful. A further attraction was that they could provide automated hose manufacturing equipment if the idea became widely accepted in the industry.
What made you happiest about working with our company?
We very much enjoyed the highly professional approach TANIQ took to our problem and the attention it got from not only the Engineer assigned to us, but also from the Company Principal. They were also very careful to explain that FEA results in reinforced rubber need to be confirmed in real life. TANIQ is a boutique-style technology partner where they take the time to get to know you as well as your problem.
What have you been able to achieve since using our product or service?
We are now deep into the process of confirming the FEA results in prototype machines. So far, the actual results are consistent with the models. We are now very optimistic that our hose innovation will enable this business unit to grow significantly. We have filed a patent application that covers the idea. We won a competition sponsored by the Mining Association of British Columbia with a cash prize of $150,000. Our submission for this competition included results, diagrams and video produced by TANIQ.
On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to recommend our product or service to others?
10. We intend to make further use of TANIQ’s abilities as the product line develops.
