Sychem has over 40 years of experience as an expert leading provider of Disinfection, Sterilisation and Decontamination solutions. Sychem offers Equipment Servicing, our line of Chemicals and Infection Control consumables to a range of different industries.
At the centre of the Sychem team is our talented Projects department. So, whether you need a singular piece of decontamination equipment or a complete refurbishment, the Sychem Projects team is the right option for you!
Our team recently undertook an installation at a large surgical educational facility in the heart of London.
Projects at Sychem
Sychem’s skilled Projects department ensures that customer satisfaction is their highest priority. We at Sychem strive to take care of clients from the start of their customer journey to the end, with the assistance of our expert Projects department.
Some of the core services here at Sychem include the Installation, Commissioning and Validation of capital decontamination equipment from our extensive portfolio. Our Projects team will guide our clients through this process, every step of the way.
In addition to planning the installation works, our knowledgeable Projects department work alongside our experienced Service & Test engineers to develop specific cycles to meet the requirements of your process. This can range from adhering to HTM Standards in your healthcare facilities or cGMP within your pharmaceutical production facilities.
We offer completely customisable solutions, creating bespoke decontamination equipment for your facility!
Project brief
We recently undertook an installation at the Royal College of Surgeons, a membership organisation for surgeons that runs courses for medical graduates to grow their surgical skill set. The client had been hand washing their instruments used on animal tissue for surgical educational lessons in the past and was looking for a machine to replace the hand washing process. The facility uses only animal tissue for their surgical techniques, so they did not require a steriliser.
The client required a new machine that would allow them to automate the process as much as possible, whilst maintaining the quality and condition of the kindly donated instruments that they use.
After receiving the clients’ requirements and specifications, Sychem’s talented Sales team and Projects department worked together to make the client’s dream machine a reality.
Design considerations
Sychem faced some design considerations during the specification phase that required specific design solutions available within Steelco’s range.
Due to the facility’s location, the client only has access to very hard London water. Additionally, the client wanted to provide surgical quality instruments to its students to ensure the highest educational advantage possible, however installing a Demin system for the final rinse would be extraordinarily costly.
For this client, space is a luxury in the washroom! Therefore, the requirements included a washer that would fit between their two mobile benches and sufficient cabinet capacity to hold the chemicals and Demin add on.
Tailored solutions by Sychem
After these design considerations were taken into account, the Project team worked alongside the client to ensure the facilities were prepared for the installation, and all client cycle requirements were captured.
The machine has an inbuilt softening system that accepts hard, hot and cold water, with low-cost consumables to maintain to combat the hard water.
To reach the required 30µS water quality, the client purchased a low cost, small Demin system add on. The system runs from mains hard water, features an affordable resin consumable and provides simple maintenance.
A lockable stainless-steel cabinet was also specified, which contained enough space to store all of the machine add-ons purchased, their consumables and space to spare. The cabinet had the additional benefit of bringing the washer to a far more ergonomic height, reducing the risk of manual handling on the operators.
Sychem’s high standards
We completed a FAT of the machine at our facility to maintain the high-quality standards and customer service that Sychem is widely recognised for.
We also programmed the system before the installation, and provided 1-day installation and training for the Royal College of Surgeons team.
A happy customer
Dr Kenny Webster, who has a background in Biochemistry and working at the Science Museum, has worked at the Royal College of Surgeons for over four years; Dr Kenny Webster was at this facility and was incredibly pleased with the work of the Sychem Projects team.
Dr Webster is thrilled with the machine that was installed by Sychem, detailing the ease that the decontamination device provides in comparison to the previous washing processes; he said:
“Prior to our shiny new Instrument washer, we had to wash everything by hand with hot soapy water in our very large sink!
When we used to wash by hand, it was the job of Ben and Lady, but I’ve always said it was important for a manager to be willing to get their hands dirty and get stuck in. So, it is not unknown for me to have been down here and help out when needed.”
Sychem offers decontamination equipment in various sizes manufactured by our Italian partner Steelco. When deciding on their machine, Dr Webster said:
We talked about instrument washers before the facility even opened; that’s how far back we’d been planning for this machine.
Regarding physical requirements for our facility, the volume of instruments that are being washed is not huge- we’re not a hospital. So, we thought a small, under the bench type of machine would be perfect for us, but as things progressed, we looked into this machine.”
When asked about his favourite part of the machine, Dr Webster said, “I won’t lie to you; the glass door was the selling point for me! We love the glass door, and we jokingly refer to it as our in-house water feature! It’s surprisingly therapeutic when you can see and hear the water going around.
We are incredibly pleased with the machine and the installation process.
Once we got the information that the washer was here in the UK, we were told which facilities needed to be here ready on-site, and then it was just plug and go, really! Very straightforward.”
Sychem was recommended to the Royal College of Surgeons by their instrument supplier. When Dr Webster was asked about future Project’s with Sychem, he answered: “If I was in the market for another instrument washer, or someone was asking me where I should purchase another instrument washer from, I would recommend Sychem; without a doubt.”
Future Projects
At Sychem, our expert Projects team can create tailor-made solutions for any facility. So no matter your sector of operation, our Projects department can create the bespoke decontamination options that your site needs.
Transform your facility today!
Discover our complete range of decontamination equipment, including washers and autoclaves, or view Steelco’s full decontamination portfolio on their webpage.
Contact the Sychem team at [email protected].
