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Confidential: Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

The client initially contracted SPEC to provide process engineer...

Antigenics

SPEC began working with the c...

Arkwright

Arkwright, a Rhode Island coatings manufacturer, needed to upgra...

Assessing Property Conditions: What an Industrial Client Should Consider When Moving to a New Location

Posted by Super User in Industrial Real Estate - March 08, 2012

Last year, we wrote a post outlining specific physical building characteristics industrial clients should consider when reviewing real estate, particularly from a cost perspective.  While these factors are important, it is also important to consider more macro-scale factors like code compliance and municipal requirements that would not only affect the cost of a project, but also the feasibility.

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Industrial Real Estate

Owner’s Program at SPEC Process Engineering & Construction - Translating Your Needs into an Effective Engineering Outcome

Posted by Matt Boynton in General - June 27, 2011

The owner’s program model we have developed at SPEC Process Engineering & Construction is a document which allows the client, who is often not an engineer but a business owner or facility manager, to express the desired project outcome using readily available information within their own company. It is a practical outline of what you want your improved process or facility to do, helping us, the engineering firm, gain a clear image of your business goals with the project while avoiding any costly mistakes. At SPEC we prefer that the owner’s program be developed by the engineering firm rather than the client, and is tied into the design/build contract, often completed during the first study phase of the engineering project.

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General

Fixed Price vs. Guaranteed Maxiumum Price Contracts

Posted by Bob Hubert in General - June 17, 2011

Because SPEC works with a wide variety of clients and projects, we’ve found it useful to develop two contracting methods to better fit our diverse clients. We’ve broken down the two styles of contracts here,Fixed Price and Guaranteed Maximum Price, so that we can provide some guidance for any industrial clients facing this issue. 

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General

The Importance of Performing a Process Review Prior to Planning your Process Expansion

Posted by Matt Boynton in General - May 27, 2011

Prior to planning any process expansion project, it’s important to perform a thorough process review and evaluation. We've written up a case study of our work with a client where this proved particularly helpful, and have outlined specific issues we found when performing this review. We were able to identify weaknesses, inefficiencies, as well as gauge the impact that an expansion would have on their overall process.


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General

Recent Successes in Biofuels Funding Despite Setbacks

Posted by Matt Boynton in Alternative Fuels - May 03, 2011

The boom in biofuels may seem to have fallen after the recent expiration and reduction in government subsidies. However, there have also been recent developments both in the private and public sectors which could signal a second chance for biofuels. Here are a few companies still receiving significant investments despite the less than favorable economic climate for biofuels.

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Alternative Fuels