While the climate of the U.S. chemical industry is now improving, several black clouds remain on the horizon. A major one is the likely need to compete with the ―China price.‖ This is the price at which Chinese producers can supply materials. It usually is significantly below the current manufacturing cost of most American or European plants. With stiff foreign competition and declining margins, some poorly performing U.S. manufacturers are, or soon will be, nearing a crisis situation. Many of them, seeking to be ―lean‖ rather than efficient, have already slashed costs and weakened their manufacturing organizations. They may now feel that they have no alternative but to follow the herd, closing domestic facilities and transferring manufacturing capacity to the third world.
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

ACHIEVING THE TECHNICAL LIMIT USING EXCELLENT OPERATING DISCIPLINE
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

It is often suggested that one specific process, technique, approach or methodology holds the key to success in improving operational efficiency in refineries and process plants. Since each location differs, each improvement initiative starts from a different point with varying timeframes for completion. Our belief is that there is no “one technique” or “one right way.” These single-dimensional approaches have many potential pitfalls, which are best illustrated in the often-quoted saying, “If the only tool in your bag is a hammer, all your problems look like nails.”
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

HAZARDS OF LOADING AND UNLOADING TRUCKS USING A FORKLIFT TRUCK
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

A structured systems approach to Mistake Proofing / Error Reduction in the Process Industry
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

While the climate of the U.S. chemical industry is now improving, several black clouds remain on the horizon. A major one is the likely need to compete with the “China price.” This is the price at which Chinese producers can supply materials. It usually is significantly below the current manufacturing cost of most American or European plants.
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

This article will explain how Archimedes actions could have been connected to classic plant failure modes. It goes on to describe our experiences on current projects and offer suggestions to improve the reliability of modern process units. More specifically, it will explain and disprove the over-simplification of the graph of Reliability (risk of failure) vs. Time – THE BATHTUB CURVE.
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

The “Technical Limit” improvement process is usually focused on drilling and completion techniques not “Reliability Improvement”
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

Has the operational reliability in offshore drilling and production improved in the last 20 years? If we are to believe several recent benchmark studies and articles in professional magazines it appears that despite design and construction improvements there are still many rigs and production units operating with as much as 8 + % downtime and more. Could it be that during this period of improving conditions some of money now being spent on new equipment should be being spent on proven currently available improved reliability technologies and management methods? Maybe we can share the mistakes and experiences of the mid eighties and ultimately move to a new higher level of performance across the industry.
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago

The use of contract labor is one of the major tools frequently used to achieve world class maintenance and manufacturing performance. This article describes many of the beneficial factors and some of the pitfalls that should be considered in moving toward the use of contract support services.
SuperUser Account submitted 2 years 20 days ago