Automation Project
Project Summary
JBW Consulting Engineers provided a professional services proposal for the Hayward Finishing End Automation Project. The proposal was based on conversations with the plant engineer, a site visit, and quotes from potential vendors. The project aimed to explore the feasibility of automating the labor-intensive and safety hazard-prone finishing end area, which currently employed 32 workers across four crews. The goal was to potentially automate half of these positions and reallocate the workers to other areas in the plant.
JBW's scope of services included high-level feasibility engineering to explore different automation possibilities, their costs, and effectiveness. This involved providing schematic level drawings and a short report showing cost analysis with simple payback, along with other relevant information gathered during the research. The initial focus was on the Line 1 packaging area, specifically the cardboard application and board flipping tasks. The project also involved exploring the possibility of automating the bagging tasks, including researching potential vendors and designing an automated bagging system.
The objective was to compile enough information to plan the best utilization of the capital funding allocated. The deliverables included general arrangement drawings, sections showing concepts, a summary of the research with potential options, and a cost analysis with simple payback calculations. The project assumptions included access to the site for surveys, availability of sufficient information for the assessment, and access to all relevant equipment and system information.
Services Provided
Mechanical Engineering
Pipe Stress Analysis
BIM Coordination