PeroxyChem
As the world’s largest and only North American producer of persulfates, demand continues to change at the Tonawanda plant of PeroxyChem. The rise of more specialty and environmental applications required upgrading the congested packaging and storage areas, and improving ergonomics and equipment reliability. With an eye on adequately serving the market, PeroxyChem leveraged UB’s engineering expertise through TCIE and a Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) grant to attack the bottleneck.
- Conducted a layout efficiency analysis of the packaging and storage areas by:
- Understanding business operations through observational studies
- Developing a CAD layout of the areas, accounting for machine and storage racks, workspace requirements and material movement
- Collecting data on layout requirements
- Devising layout alternatives with UB Engineering’s advanced facilities design tools
- Evaluating options with a customized simulation software program
- Gained a comprehensive view of the packaging and storage areas’ performance
- Learned how key production parameters – such as packaging size and resources – should be manipulated to achieve targeted production rates
- Identified additional personnel needed in upcoming years to handle increased customer demand
- Implemented changes, such as eliminating small labor-intensive packaging, to enable layout reorganization
- Determined and justified appropriate capital investments with project-resulting knowledge
Project ROI
How do we measure the impact of projects? It’s a mix of tangible, quantifiable savings with the more elusive “soft savings” – such as cost avoidance and improved customer satisfaction.