Building a Plant the Smart Way
To maximize efficiency and minimize the effect on the environment, the project management team for a plant requires experience, understanding of the industry, and a fundamental appreciation of the equipment, its capabilities and how individual components work as a complete system.
The plant needs to have all its component parts put together in a smart way to eliminate contamination, avoid dead ends and air pockets, make it easy to clean, and ensure that the plant works in harmony.
Similarly, the process itself needs to be optimized to save time, energy and avoid wasting resources. For example, if a biotech or chemical plant needs to be sterilized at 121°C for 20 minutes, there is no point in treating it for longer or at a higher temperature — it’s just a waste. But, designing a system that will achieve the necessary sterilization without the need for operators to “give it a bit longer to be sure” requires experience.
Making Profit by Taking Care of the Environment
Building a plant that minimizes the effect on the environment can save money in the long term. The initial investment might be a little higher but the total cost of ownership will be lower, more than compensating for the additional up-front expenditure. Less use of power reduces fuel bills, avoids penalties for unacceptable emissions and saves resources. Efficient use of chemicals and the clever use of water —including closed circuit systems — minimizes disposal costs. Good cleaning means less down time. Heat recovery systems save money and help the environment, too, so they make good commercial sense.
First Time — Every Time
Perhaps the greatest savings from professional project management come from getting the plant ready on time, allowing you to achieve your launch objectives and making sure you get your product to market on time and, hopefully, before your competition. A few weeks of lost production can be many times more expensive than a little investment at the start to make sure deadlines are met and the plant works, first time — every time.
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