GE Water & Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Co., recently presented Roper Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric that manufactures cooking appliances, with a 2007 ecomagination leadership award for achieving substantial reductions in water and energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient levels in wastewater effluent - much of which was achieved by using GE’s ecomagination-certified Permatreat Enhanced Performance Pretreatment (EPP) Program to prepare metal parts for painting.

GE Water & Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Co., recently presented Roper Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric that manufactures cooking appliances, with a 2007 ecomagination leadership award for achieving substantial reductions in water and energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient levels in wastewater effluent. By switching to GE’s ecomagination-certified Permatreat Enhanced Performance Pretreatment (EPP) Program to prepare metal parts for painting, Roper Corp. has reduced its annual water consumption by more than 360,000 gallons, lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 13.9 million ft3, and saved approximately U.S. $100,000 in energy costs. Phosphate levels in plant wastewater have also declined by 45% as a result of the EPP Program.

Pretreatment of metal parts with conversion coatings is an important first step in the painting process, providing paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. Until recently, Roper Corp. used an iron phosphate conversion coating that required a bath of 125 to 140ºF (52 to 60ºC) and a post-treatment rinse stage.

GE’s EPP Program for metal surface preparation enabled Roper Corp. to perform pretreatment at ambient temperature, eliminate the need for a boiler to heat the bath, and also remove a post-treatment rinse. Roper was able to incorporate the EPP process in its existing tanks without major adjustments.

“Roper Corporation’s team members pride themselves on being responsible environmental stewards,” said Scott Ossewaarde, president, Roper Corp. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve energy efficiencies in all areas of our operations”

For more information, visitwww.gewater.comorwww.roperappliances.com.