When global hazardous-environment certification was a hard requirement and a 16-week custom build was not an option, Siemens chose NexGen.
The Waste Problem
Siemens Hearing Instruments, a division of Siemens Medical Solutions and one of the world’s largest hearing instrument manufacturers, ran precision manufacturing operations across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Their process for producing hearing aids relied on a Stereo Lithography apparatus, and that process generated waste alcohol as a continuous byproduct.
The volume was significant. Managing it meant purchasing fresh solvent on an ongoing basis, coordinating hazardous waste disposal, and deploying operators to handle and remove spent material. None of it was value-adding. All of it was costing money.
Siemens needed a closed-loop solution: recover the waste alcohol, return it clean to the process, and do it in a way that met the compliance standards their global operations required. The platform also had to be deployable at scale, not a one-off installation, but a system they could replicate consistently across every manufacturing facility worldwide.
Two Non-Negotiables
Siemens evaluated five or six manufacturers before selecting a solution. Two requirements ended most conversations early.
First, the equipment needed to be available. Not theoretical. Not a custom build requiring 16 weeks to produce something that had never been tested. Siemens needed to see what they were buying before committing.
Second, ATEX and UL certification were non-negotiable. As a global manufacturer operating across multiple regulatory environments, Siemens required equipment certified to both international and U.S. hazardous-environment standards. Most U.S. manufacturers at the time could meet one or the other. Few could provide both.
NexGen could, and they had a unit on the floor to prove it.
ATEX and UL certified.
A combined compliance standard most U.S. competitors could not meet. NexGen could.
Siemens’ manufacturing engineering team drove to NexGen’s facility and saw exactly what they were going to get: a robust, certifiably compliant solvent recovery system, available and ready to install. That visibility closed the deal.
Closed-Loop by Design
NexGen engineered a closed-loop solvent recovery system, Class 1, Division 1, Group D explosion-proof, certified to both ATEX and UL standards, and integrated it directly into Siemens’ existing wash process.
NexGen’s solvent recycler was paired with Siemens’ emersion wash unit via an auxiliary holding tank and transfer pump. The result: clean alcohol was delivered to the wash system continuously while the recycler processed spent solvent in parallel. The loop ran without interruption. Operators were removed from the material-handling cycle entirely.
"Clean solvent returned to the line automatically. Spent material processed without operator contact. The loop was closed."
The IST 90 was engineered for exactly this application: continuous closed-loop operation in a hazardous environment, integrated directly into an existing production line.
Five Weeks to Full Production
From purchase to full production at Siemens’ U.S. headquarters facility in New Jersey: five weeks.
From there, the rollout expanded. Los Angeles. Europe. Asia. The same certified platform, deployed consistently across Siemens’ global manufacturing network. Additional units were planned for all remaining manufacturing locations.
"From purchase to full production in five weeks. Then Los Angeles. Then Europe. Then Asia."
Cost Down. Labor Out. Compliance Met.
The results at Siemens were direct and measurable across three areas:
Cost reduction. Solvent purchasing costs dropped as recovered alcohol was returned to the production process rather than disposed of and replaced. Hazardous waste disposal volume decreased substantially alongside it.
Labor elimination. The labor previously required to manage, handle, and remove spent solvent was eliminated. The closed-loop system managed the full recovery cycle automatically with no operator intervention required.
Compliance and operator safety. Operator exposure to solvents was reduced. The platform met ATEX, UL, and Class 1 Division 1 standards across all deployed locations, providing a consistent compliance baseline regardless of facility or geography.
"Hazardous waste disposal, significantly reduced. Solvent purchasing costs, cut. The labor of managing spent alcohol, eliminated."
Proven Before the Purchase Order
NexGen did not win the Siemens evaluation on price or promises. They won it because they could demonstrate the equipment, prove the certification, and deliver in weeks rather than quarters.
That combination of engineering depth, compliance credentialing, and operational readiness is what NexGen brings to every engagement. Whether the application is a standalone solvent recycler or a fully custom closed-loop system, the approach is the same: understand the production environment, engineer the right solution, and deliver it ready to run.
"One certified platform. Multiple facilities. Consistent closed-loop recovery across every manufacturing location."
“Working with a global manufacturer like Siemens means every detail matters — certification, timeline, consistency across facilities. Our team worked closely with their engineering group to understand exactly what they needed and delivered a system that met every requirement, on their schedule. The fact that they deployed it worldwide is the result we’re most proud of.”
Jason Robbins, Vice President, NexGen Enviro Systems
About NexGen Enviro Systems
