Chemicals & Materials Now!
From basic to specialty, and everything in between
Energy Conservation Part 3 – Processes and Economics
Posted on January 12th, 2017 by David W. Spitzer, P.E. in Chemical Manufacturing Excellence
Energy conservation typically involves changing energy-related processes to improve economics while mitigating the detrimental effects of culture and politics. Note that not only does the previous sentence encompass all four domains that comprise sustainability but it also alludes to inter-dependencies between the process and its economics. Continue reading “Energy Conservation Part 3 – Processes and Economics” »
Meteors and Black Swans: Worst Case Scenarios
Posted on November 10th, 2016 by Mike Schmidt in Chemical Manufacturing Excellence
“No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse.” Randy Pausch
We really need to stop talking about “worst-case scenarios” when we do a process hazard analysis (PHA) or a quantitative risk assessment (QRA). It’s a nonsense term. More often than not, it is an obstacle to good analysis, not an aid. Continue reading “Meteors and Black Swans: Worst Case Scenarios” »
On Motivation: Autonomy In The Workplace
Posted on September 27th, 2016 by Chris Walker in Chemical Manufacturing Excellence
We’ve looked before at the impact our motivation (or lack of) can have on our work or that of the people around us. Last time I talked a little about some of the different things that can motivate people, and in particular the effectiveness of intrinsic motivators rather than extrinsic motivators (things like autonomy and purpose rather than money or extra vacation time). Continue reading “On Motivation: Autonomy In The Workplace” »
Requirements That Are Actually Helpful
Posted on September 15th, 2016 by Chris Walker in Chemical Manufacturing Excellence
Having spent a good number of years working as a systems engineer in the defence industry, I know what a bad rep requirements specs have. Continue reading “Requirements That Are Actually Helpful” »
