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CORPORATE REPORT


T&S Brass: Taking the lead in low lead manufacturing BY JEFF BALDWIN


T


&S Brass prides itself on being an industry leader in terms of developing and providing


innovative products that make dispensing water more environmentally sound and consuming it safer for everyone. Its products frequently benchmark new levels of productivity and innovation, as seen with our water conservation products, hands-free technology and concealed plumbing capabilities that exceed the environmental, health and safety expectations of its customers. A current pressing issue


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throughout the plumbing products industry is lead-free or low-lead products for potable water applications. As a result of growing concern over the health risks associated with lead contamination, social and political strides have been made to establish tighter low- lead regulations in order to minimize risk to public health and wellness. When it came to leading the way


toward a “lead-free” product, T&S took control and moved ahead of the rest. Though T&S fixture fittings have always conformed to the NSF 61 performance standard for drinking water contaminants since its development by the National Sanitation Foundation in the late 1990s, it foresaw — well in advance of the legal implementation — the regulatory


under a defined limit. In 2006, however, the State of


California passed California Assembly Bill 1953 (AB1953), which required that pipes, fixtures and fittings contain no more than 0.25% lead. Products not meeting this standard by the implementation deadline of January 1, 2010, could no longer be legally introduced into commerce in the state of California. Because no plumbing fixture


fitting manufacturer was presently meeting that standard, this legislation required drastic changes to the manufacturing process for water- related products. Like many companies, T&S initially faced the situation in stop-gap fashion by creating two domestic product lines, one for California and one for the other 49 states.


Making the bold call While to some, it was assumed


that the California legislation was anomalous and unlikely to gain traction elsewhere. T&S recognized early on that the trend toward lead- free legislation was a moving train from which there was no escape. Believing that other states were likely to quickly follow suit, T&S began planning for a domestic product change in 2008, setting the ambitious goal of having its top 95% of products based on sales volume converted to the California standard by the 2010


The decision to convert to lead-free products as a proactive business approach is just another example of T&S Brass’ commitment to understanding the market and working hard to stay ahead of market demand.


changes that were emerging and decided to proactively develop new processes and products that would adhere to a more stringent lead content standard.


California AB1953: A primer Previous standards pointed to


water purity as the means of testing for maximum lead presence within water meant for human consumption. Negligible (trace) amounts could be existent, so long as the levels were


implementation deadline. This move was radical at the time, as some other companies fought the change and legislation, instead of planning for it. T&S began working on an innovative strategy to prepare for the changeover. The company gathered cross-


functional teams to determine if it would be possible for them to meet this goal and conducted research to determine how much this conversion would impact costs and


what the market would bear in terms of any price increase. But, it was a desire to be ready to deliver what its customers would need that drove engineers to the drawing board. And, it was the progressive foresight and aggressive action that gave T&S the results it needed. A major question in the


conversion process was: Can brass alloys still be used in its products? There was misinformation in the market that led some to believe that stainless steel is the only metallic option that may legitimately be used under AB1953. This simply is not true. There are a variety of sustainable brass materials that can be employed in manufacturing products that meet the new low- lead requirements. It’s still brass, but without the same lead content. T&S was able to provide the strength and economy of brass its customers rely on, with technologically advanced lead-free capabilities the law requires. T&S Brass has switched to a new


array of alloys like Eco Brass, a low- lead alternative to the standard brass alloys on the market. Not only does this type of brass comply with new state and federal regulations, it’s also much more affordable than stainless steel, which can be at least double in price than its low-lead solution. New material selections allow its customers to comply with emerging lead-free standards without sacrificing the durability and economy of brass. In the end, by the time the


legislation came into effect in 2010, T&S was 98% successful in meeting its original goal with only a marginal price increase. T&S quickly converted the remaining products, and by mid-2010 its entire line of T&S and equip products were in compliance with the new regulations. Fully prepared to meet the need


for the next generation of plumbing and foodservice products, T&S had a first-mover advantage. After Vermont and Maryland


passed similar legislation and other states threatened to do the same with even more stringent standards, even those most aggressively fighting these changes began to see


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phc october 2011 www.phcnews.com


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