Midlakes Toyota

Midlakes Toyota was looking for a way to reduce waste and cut annual costs for brake cleaner. Switching to a cheaper aerosol supplier appeared at first to save costs on paper. But on further investigation, staying with disposable aerosols would not solve the waste problem and, even further, an in-house test showed that the technicians would need to use more of the cheaper brake cleaner to achieve the same results.

The answer was switching to refillable TOP-REFILL spray cans and buying brake cleaner in bulk. The same brake cleaner cost almost half as much as in the disposable 14oz. cans. The brake cleaner supplier provided the refill station free of charge and the shop paid for the 16 cans, which was is not an issue. “We want the technicians to take responsibility for their equipment and that includes the TOP-REFILL can.”

The idea of using refillable cans for chemicals like brake cleaner is not new, but shops often have to switch back to disposable aerosols because the refill process is not practical enough and the acceptance amongst the technicians is low. the owner reports, “We tried refillable cans a few years ago and had to give it up because the refill procedure was slow and impractical and the technicians were frustrated. They had to take the cap off of the refillable can, fill the product manually und then reassemble the can before re-pressurizing with shop air. The product cost savings were wiped out by the extra time wasted with this complicated refill process.” The success of the refillable spray can system depends on a quick and easy refill procedure. “With the new TOP-REFILL system, the technicians can refill their cans on the refill station, fully automatically and in seconds. Our technicians are happy and we are saving money”.