Deciem Case Study
Overview 
With stores in shopping malls across North America, Deciem is a cosmetic manufacturer at the cutting edge of the beauty industry. Known affectionately as the “abnormal beauty company”, Deciem has been called “the beauty world’s most exciting disruptor”. At the vanguard of their trade, the company manufactures its own products and remains committed to its values of accountability, transparency and affordability.
The Problem
Undergoing a major overhaul and reorganization of the plant, Deciem needed help with its latest renovation. Always committed to operating ethically and responsibly, the company wanted to provide employees with a safe working environment and ensure their factory remained up to code. Like all plants that produce beauty products, Deciem had to contend with hazardous dust during their manufacturing process. While generally considered safe for use by consumers, long-term exposure to these powders could lead to serious side effects including respiratory illnesses and even cancer.
Deciem had a number of issues that needed to be addressed. Suction for their mixing kettles had to be provided to prevent workers from breathing in fugitive dust that could escape when pouring in dry powders. The key issue was to target only the dusts that would normally become airborne while ensuring the usable powders landed safely in the kettle.
Deciem also required ventilation for several of their weighing and batching stations. They were looking for one central air filtration unit to cover the entire plant. As the powders were both combustible and explosive, appropriate codes and provisions needed to be met.
The Solution
Having worked with Diversitech in the past, Deciem called on them again to help with their new renovation project. To provide high performance air filtration for the entire plant, Diversitech engineered a central Filterhawk 27-cartridge dust collector with the capacity to ventilate 15 stations simultaneously. Each station was outfitted with a 6 foot mounted capture arm that workers could reposition manually close or far from the source, guaranteeing containment of hazardous dusts.
Once extracted, the duct system would then pull these powders into the filtration system located outside the building. To further mitigate risks of combustion and explosion, Diversitech’s team equipped Deciem’s new Filterhawk 27-cartridge dust collector with explosion vents, as well as CO2 dry chemical fire and explosion suppression systems. Diversitech sold the entire filtration system turnkey and installed ducting all the way to the pickup points. This multifaceted approach ensured technicians were kept safe from airborne toxins while providing the plant overall ventilation and protection from fire and explosion.
The Result
With Diversitechs’ Filterhawk 27-cartridge dust collector installed, employees in the plant enjoyed cleaner air and protection from hazardous dusts. Technicians at the mixers could rest easy knowing they were safe from inhalation risks posed in the past. As an added bonus the work environment was less dirty and required less cleaning. Slip hazards were markedly reduced as a result.
Most importantly, the new filtration system protected employees and the building from the risks of combustion or explosion by eliminating airborne flammable dust. Now that their system is validated to meet code in Ontario, Deceim enjoys the peace of mind that comes with providing their workers with a healthy work environment as well as the benefits of reduced liability.
