Complex projects often require an initial Feasibility Study to assess the technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility of implementing process, equipment, and plant changes or additions. Integrated Technologies, Inc. (ITI) brings extensive knowledge on numerous process technologies and alternatives and decades of experience to our Feasibility Studies. ITI has studied the feasibility of alternative surface finishing processes and equipment, process improvement, production expansion, toxic waste and use reduction, hazard reduction, and insourcing vs. outsourcing. The objective of a Feasibility Study is to present the costs (monetary, schedule, regulatory, and technical risks) and benefits (monetary and technical) on a qualitative or quantitative scale. If an ROI calculation is required, then operating and capital costs will require a quantitative assessment; however, at this stage, these costs are often presented as rough order-of-magnitude (ROM) accuracy. More accurate cost estimates usually require completion of a conceptual design.
Factory Planning
ITI can provide new Factory Planning support to help companies’ plans for required process and plant equipment and efficiently visualize material flow and factory layout. Step 1 begins with review of production needs, process specifications, automation plans, and environmental permit standards. Step 2 includes major equipment sizing, development of conceptual factory layouts, and documentation of a project design basis. Step 3 includes development of a design, construction, permitting, and commissioning schedule. Step 4 includes development of capital cost estimates and, if required, process modeling, resource planning, and operating cost estimates. The objective of ITI factory planning services is to support companies in the development of effective business plans and respond effectively to new business opportunities and challenges.
Additional services can ultimately include detailed engineering, procurement support, construction management, and commissioning, as well as complete design-build support.
Renovation Planning
ITI has planned dozens of complex plant renovations. We understand the conflicting demands to minimize production disruptions, manage construction logistics, and simultaneously transform aging and obsolete facilities to meet the competitive demands of plant expansion, new process integration, and lean manufacturing transformation.
ITI’s aims always include development of a final plant layout that results in improved material, people, and information flow and improved operability and maintainability of plant and process equipment.
Renovation Planning is similar to Factory Planning, with the added complexity of planning and designing to manage production downtime without compromising on the objectives of the renovation project.
Process Planning & Development
ITI works interactively with our clients to review client and/or customer specifications, client policies and government regulations, and product and production requirements, in order to plan current and future process requirements. ITI will develop process sequences, define process chemistries, and establish critical process control parameters. Our work normally includes development of process flow diagrams, process chemistry and solution schedules, solution contaminant limits, rinsewater quality requirements, analytical methods and schedule, identification of tooling requirements, part database design, and documentation of process rules and procedures. Effective process planning is essential to a successful process engineering project.
