Food Processing - February 2008 - (Page 37)

BRINGING ON A NEW LINE commodity purchases available from the lowest bidder. Consultants can help manufacturers work with suppliers to drive machine costs down while also delivering superior production requirements. Suppliers delivering the required equipment on time and on budget are critical to a project’s success. The most important specification element is the machine’s efficiency requirements. This defines the machine’s performance, reliability, speed and efficiency calculation method. The efficiency specification will define the acceptable time for machine failure repairs and the allowable machine failure frequency. Once an owner has selected a supplier and issued the equipment specification, the supplier’s engineers and the consulting engineers will conduct design reviews at various stages of equipment development process. Equipment submittals from the machine suppliers are reviewed for their conformance to machine specifications. Finally, the food processor and its engineers will arrange factory acceptance tests (FATs) with each major equipment vendor prior to equipment shipping. This test is defined in a FAT specification document defining test expectations and the required protocols. The purpose of the tests is to simulate actual production conditions as closely as possible and test the machine’s mechanical, electrical and control systems. These tests will analyze the machine under static conditions, dynamic operation and induced failure. Any repairs or modifications that are needed for efficient opProject1:Layout 1 1/19/07 at 9:15 AM Page rather than eration are executed much better the supplier’s site 1 the owner’s site. Without such testing, there are no reliable assurances from the equipment supplier that the machine will be ready for installation and commissioning Phase 3: Line construction Manufacturing line construction also is a critical phase in a successful line startup. Great design and great equipment cannot overcome poor installation. The three key processes that determine construction success are contractor selection, construction manager selection and field engineering support. Contractor selection is done by the owner. These installation specialists include trades such as millwrights, riggers, electricians and pipe fitters. For instance, rigging, leveling and assembling equipment should not be performed by any common industrial contractor. High-tech, high-speed packaging equipment requires careful balancing, torque settings and alignment that come only from experience. Construction manager selection is another overlooked art. The challenge is to find experienced road warriors who manage modern construction projects under strict performance requirements, tight costs and accelerated schedules. The tasks these experts must perform include: • Contractor management to control conformance to design and minimize change orders. www.foodprocessing.com february 2008 food processing • 37 http://www.remcoproducts.com http://www.remcoproducts.com http://www.foodprocessing.com

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Food Processing - February 2008 Contents Editor’s Plate NewsBites Regulatory Issues The Trends Rollout Food Biz Kids Product Spotlight Ingredients From Where? Product Development RCA Show Review Plant Operations Packaging New Supplier Products Toops Scoops

Food Processing - February 2008

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