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Business Initiative: Major Petrochemical Plant Reduces Valve and Fitting Expenditure
A major petrochemical plant on the Houston Ship Channel was buying far more small valves and fittings than thought necessary
for the work that was being performed. They attempted to curtail the usage by placing new locks on the cabinets and issuing
keys to only the craftsman who should be utilizing the material. After 12 months the usage was still significantly above what
was thought to be appropriate.
Challenge:
With the tight economy, budget reductions became critical. However, access to items necessary for maintenance
of operating units was also important. It would be hard to justify not being able to keep a process unit operating
because of hardware not being accessible. The goal was to assure availability but also create accountability, reduce
inventories and most importantly, the monthly spend on these types of items.
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Solution:
The RoboCrib carousel system was selected for its ability to assure access and provide security for the material as well as
it ability to read existing employees proximity badges. With the range of bin sizes, it allowed a large variety of items to
be stocked in the machine thus making it a more useful tool. It was also selected because the tool room could be managed with
the same software that runs the RoboCrib, saving the plant from purchasing a separate tool room software package.
The usage is now in line with the work being performed, the monthly spend has been reduced 40% and the value of the material
on hand has been reduced by approximately 50%. The customer is realizing a 5:1 payback on their 3-year capital lease payment.
In addition, the large number of bins has allowed them to manage other items providing additional savings. Management has also
benefited from reports that detail usage by work-order and cost-center.
» Learn more about RoboCrib
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