Description

Arkwright was faced with the problems of an aging mix facility for their Rhode Island coatings operation.  Additional problems were being caused by an influx of new products that were increasing the number of recipes that operators had to use.  Arkwright approached SPEC to determine if a new, state of the art mix facility could be built adjacent to the existing facility without impacting current operations.

Project

SPEC has designed, constructed and performance tested a 5,000 square foot, $4.7M, specialty coatings manufacturing facility within strict budget, time and performance constraints.  The project utilized blast resistant / relief construction Class I, Division 1 & 2 due to solvents used in the Process. In addition to meeting the client’s goals for schedule, budget and performance requirements, SPEC’s Design / Build approach provided single source responsibility to the owner.

Project Highlights

• Accuracy for batch ingredients of less than 1%. Powder delivery system capable of dust free performance at accuracy specified. Flow control of bulk solvents, and bench scale additives via a closed loop system to insure operator safety and product quality.
• Automated Batch Control System utilizing Modicon PLC’s and Intellution Visual Batch software, with preprogrammed recipe management and handheld barcode scanners to track raw material lots through entire batch process to insure quality and support enterprise wide management systems.
• Complete performance certification of facility to certify that our design met the requirements of the contract. Performance requirements defined Batch accuracy and run rates, supporting building utility requirements and the facility schedule of construction. All SPEC subcontractors were held to the same performance criteria to deliver an integrated construction package for this Design / Build project.
• 5,000 sqft
• $4.7M budget