As productivity targets continue to increase, plant managers, R&D scientists, process engineers and operators are faced with environmental, health and safety (EHS) challenges on several fronts. Changes in global regulations and consumer preferences have resulted in the need to consider alternate raw materials, which can be challenging to select and use. Pressure to reduce costs, do more with less, and comply with increased regulatory scrutiny has resulted in EHS obstacles. These obstacles can become magnified when coupled with the addition of people challenges routinely encountered when running a plant.
Fortunately, there are some effective solutions to remove these obstacles and improve the overall environment, health, and safety of the plant working environment.
Some owners and managers address chemical additive EHS challenges with new equipment or improvements to the mechanical production process. The problem with this approach is that it can be expensive and time consuming.
Today, there are other simpler, faster, cost-effective methods to managing EHS obstacles encountered using additives. Mayzo’s team are experts on the best practices for handling chemical additives and have been able to furnish customers with useful solutions.
For example, one adhesive manufacturing plant needed to handle a dangerous preservative. The plant had been directing an employee to manually dose the production batches by scooping the hazardous powder preservative from a drum. The dust from this manual operation created hazards for him and other plant personnel.
Mayzo was able to create a new primary pesticide registration with the United States EPA using customized, pre-weighed batch inclusion bags and a dissolvable drum liner system to eliminate the potential for hazardous waste. Instead of triple rinsing and disposing of the drum, the operator now simply discards the drum liner cleanly into the batch of adhesive.
By providing the plant with this new option, the plant manager avoided making a large capital investment on a hazardous dust collection system, reduced the risk of exposure for employees, and eliminated potential dosing errors of a critical raw material.
At another plant, the Mayzo team noticed an operator carrying 44 lb. bags of powder antioxidant (AO) up a flight of stairs. The operator then fed only 32 lbs. of the total 44 lbs. into an extruder. The “leftover” AO was typically added as excess or sometimes even discarded as waste.
To resolve this challenge, Mayzo created a custom 32 lb. bag. The operator now carries a lower weight bag to reduce the long-term impact on the employee’s body. The potential for overdose and waste was eliminated.
The Research & Development team at a plastic color compounder was faced with the task of removing a key raw material and reformulating with something new because of changes in the Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) list.
Mayzo had proactively identified this material several years prior, and had already developed a technical offset in anticipation. As a result, the R&D manager performed qualification and performance testing rapidly, which allowed his company to bring a new product to market faster than their competitors.
“Backed by years of experience, Mayzo can develop highly viable and cost-effective solutions for the management of additives. These solutions often include custom packaging and blends. Or unique forms of the additives such as powder, semi-bead, micro-sphere, pellet, granular, free flow, or masterbatches,” stated Dave Linville, Mayzo’s Director of Strategic Growth.
“We routinely find and solve problems for our additive customers large and small, one at a time. Based on our deep understanding of how they use additives, Our customers continue to rely on our expertise to develop additional solutions designed to reduce environmental, health and safety risk in their plant,” Dave Linville.
Reach out to us to schedule a review of your current management of additives: [email protected]
Mayzo provides specialty chemical additive solutions on a global scale in a wide range of markets. Mayzo’s proven materials make manufacturing processes safer and more efficient while reducing costs and creating more sustainable, durable, and reliable end-products. Mayzo’s antioxidants and UV absorbers function as stabilizers to prevent product damage due to heat, light, or oxygen exposure. Other technologies include optical brighteners, release coatings, polymer enhancers, and cutting edge masterbatches and blends.
Since 1986, customers have relied on the Mayzo team for their ingenuity, responsiveness, and extraordinary service culture. To learn more, visit www.mayzo.com or contact the company at 1-800-449-9068 or [email protected]
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