The Client

A privately owned chemical company

Background

The company had dated factory infrastructure. Their goal was to assess their current operations to discover how to become more productive, efficient and profitable via the overhaul of its infrastructure and facilities.

The Project

Bessemer worked with the client’s team to assess current infrastructure vs. current production requirements while also conducting an assessment of the industrial automation architecture for their control systems.

After doing an analysis of batch sizes and consumption rates, Bessemer arrived at the conclusion that the business could build machines approximately 75% smaller than those currently in use. (With current systems, 500 gallon batches are frequently processed in 4000 gallon vats.) Working closely with the client and lead technologist Mark Crossier, Bessemer took an additional step of offering conceptual designs for the proposed machines and the controls required to operate them.

The new machine would offer a more modular format with a simpler control architecture that would facilitate overstock reductions, improve cash flow and maximize the client’s manufacturing footprint. The proposed solution would replace the outdated larger machines with a series of smaller machines, offering a significantly higher degree of efficiency and manufacturing flexibility.

Key Points: The extra step.

The client was being held back by outdated infrastructure and made the wise choice to not simply replace old equipment but to assess their infrastructure needs through the big-picture lens of their entire organization. Bessemer analyzed production methods in a way that allowed the client to see new possibilities. The results were quickly synthesized and developed into concrete recommendations for new infrastructure and control options for the plant environment. Once a vision for the future plant was agreed upon, Bessemer brought in an alliance partner and took the next step of developing designs for the actual machines and controls that would enable the company to achieve its goals. The machine concepts are currently being tested.