The industry’s intervention tool chest must include an assortment of weapons for anti-microbial warfare — not the least of which being plant-floor drains offering built-in product protection. Few areas of plant construction warrant more attention than drains that must handle volumes and volumes of water and other liquids — practically around the clock.

Make no mistake, industrial floor drains are not akin to ordinary household sink drains. Sturdy and most effective commercial channels come from quality-grade stainless steel to handle the rigors of today’s processing facilities.

The Henry Group (THG), dba StainlessDrains.com, and stainless steel drains go together like Henry Ford and the Model-T — both contributed to evolutionary progression in their respective industries.

"We find solutions when manufacturers need to speed up production and save money," notes Shelia Heller, director of sales and marketing, The Henry Group (THG) based in Greenville, TX. “We offer stainless at cast iron prices.” This despite a 20-percent increase in the cost of stainless material, she adds.

Such was the case concerning THG’s entry into the stainless drain business. As Heller explains, the company began building drains for a processor in the baking industry.

“There was a need for stainless steel trench drains and area drains,” Heller recalls. “The word spread from there and we began filling other orders. We didn’t promote the service in any way. We were outsourcing the spinning machine work since we were not mass producing the area drains.”

Thanks to computer technology, THG is taking its business solution theme a step higher by providing the opportunity for customers to custom-design trench drains on line starting June 15, 2004. THG created a special Web page for this purpose, complete with available options and helpful diagrams.

Heller says drains can be designed, built, and shipped within 10 days. An additional expediting fee of 20 percent shortens the timeframe by five days.

Meanwhile, THG’s standard offerings targeting the food processing industry include trench and square-to-round (STR) drains.

“The trench drain is ideal in food processing because it allows a lot of water flow, is extra heavy duty, and can withstand heavy traffic loads,” Heller explains. “The STR is good for area-drain needs because it has a round sump and a square top to accommodate installation with tile and brick.”

The most important benefit relates to food-safety measures, Heller adds. THG drains are fashioned from 304-grade stainless to handle most chemicals used in sanitation steps. A higher grade of material is necessary for high-acid environments, however.

“We can design and build any kind of drain system necessary,” Heller concludes. “We are also very interested in private-label business to build for other suppliers.”