How QUANTM Electric Diaphragm Pumps Reduced Pumping Energy Costs by £1 Million

Many manufacturing sites continue to rely on air-operated diaphragm pumps (AODDs), despite the significant energy costs associated with producing compressed air.

When one UK manufacturer wanted to reduce operating costs and improve energy efficiency, CDR Pumps recommended replacing its existing AODD pumps with QUANTM electric diaphragm pumps. The result was almost £1 million in annual energy savings across a multi-site implementation.

This case study explains how switching from compressed air to electric diaphragm pump technology improved efficiency while maintaining the reliability and process performance required by the application.

The Challenge

A national corrugated packaging manufacturer relied heavily on air-operated diaphragm pumps (AODDs) for continuous production across multiple sites.

However, this created three key issues:

• High energy costs driven by compressed air usage
• High maintenance burden due to exhaust icing (caused by moisture in the pump) and air valve wear
• Limited visibility of true operating costs, as air usage wasn’t closely tracked

The business needed to reduce energy consumption without disrupting production.

The QUANTM Solution

Initially, CDR Pumps proposed a controlled trial:

• Replace one AODD pump with a like-for-like QUANTM electric diaphragm pump
• Measure real-world performance by comparing the air consumption of an AODD with electrical usage on the QUANTM unit

The QUANTM pump was selected because it:

• Eliminates the need for compressed air
• Operates at up to 80% efficiency (versus 10–15% for the AODD)
• Fits within existing system footprints with minimal modification

The Initial Impact of Switching to QUANTM

The impact from a single pump was immediate:

Energy costs were calculated using a conservative cost of £0.21 p/kWh. Air consumption calculations didn’t factor in any potential leakage or inefficiencies stemming from the compressor, so could well be even higher.

Scaling the Impact

Following the successful trial, seven air-operated diaphragm pumps were replaced with equivalent sized QUANTM pumps. The transition was simple and straightforward since QUANTM fits within the same system footprint as an equivalent AODD with minimal modification.

We continued to monitor live data to measure real-time kWh usage at the supply point. The results continued to demonstrate significant improvements in energy efficiency, with average savings of 7.5 kWh per pump.

We subsequently supported further rollout, installing 96 QUANTM pumps across 11 UK manufacturing sites.

In the first year alone, this saved our customer £980,000 in energy costs.

Operational Benefits of QUANTM Beyond Energy Savings

As well as providing over 80% energy efficiency, QUANTM delivered wider operational benefits including:

• No exhaust icing (having eliminated the need for compressed air)
• Lower noise levels
• No dry running issues (due to automated priming)
• Reduced maintenance requirements (due to fewer moving parts)
• Improved reliability and reduced downtime
• Integrated controls (with 4-20 mA input and output capabilities) enabling remote operation
• ‘Plug and play’ technology

The Outcome

By switching to QUANTM electric diaphragm pumps, our customer achieved significant energy cost savings while improving operational efficiency.

The reduction in CO₂ emissions has also helped them to operate more sustainably.

Key Takeaway

Electrification isn’t just a sustainability initiative, it’s a commercial advantage.

By replacing compressed air systems with efficient electric alternatives, manufacturers can achieve:

• Immediate cost savings
• Greater operational resilience
• Measurable progress towards decarbonisation

Read more about the operational efficiencies of electric diaphragm pumps here>>

If you’re evaluating pump efficiency on your site, contact the CDR Pumps (UK) Ltd team on 01933 674777 or sales@cdrpumps.co.uk to discuss whether QUANTM is suited to your application.

Click here to arrange a no-obligation QUANTM demo>>

Beyond supplying the pump, CDR Pumps (UK) Ltd provides technical advice, assists with pump selection, and offers after-sales support to ensure the right solution for your application.