Ashland
Ashland is a globally operating company focused on additives and specialty ingredients for the consumer market, committed to responsibly contributing to a better world. Through science and a conscious and proactive sustainability mindset, they serve customers in pharmaceuticals, personal care, architectural coatings, construction, energy, food, beverages, and dietary supplements.
Ashland employs approximately 3,900 people who thrive on developing practical, innovative, and elegant solutions for complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries.
The question
Since 2008, our colleagues at Ashland have been maintaining the installation. Over time, various renovation works have been carried out, such as adding a speed pressure control, Firecoach, or replacing one of the diesel sets.
The site has four diesel-powered Firepacks in combination with a vertical pump. To ensure the continuity of safety, the initial request was to replace three engines along with control cabinets and exhaust systems. The goal of the renovation is to make the transformed pump room fully future-proof. Another aspect of future-proofing is training the technical colleagues who will conduct the weekly tests.
The solution
To continue ensuring fire safety, the request for three new engines in combination with a control cabinet, exhaust system, and Firecoach was met.
Given that we are dealing with an active location, the work must not impact daily activities on site.
To address this, the project was divided into three phases. Each phase consists of a full week of work during which Ashland and WB Firepacks carry out various tasks to have one new diesel Firepack operational by the end of the week. This way, the other three Firepacks remain operational in case of fire.
The work can be split into disassembly and assembly tasks. First, the current diesel engine and control cabinet were dismantled. Then, some adjustments were made to the existing stand to accommodate the new set with controller. After that, the new engine could be hoisted in through the roof.
To achieve this, a total of three weeks was allocated.
After completion, five training sessions on “weekly testing” were scheduled. The purpose of these trainings is to educate on the product properties and the technology of diesel-driven fire pumps. The training includes both theory and practice. Through our training, the operators are able to reduce downtime and perform first-line services themselves.
The challenge
Renovation projects inherently bring challenges. The work must align with an existing situation, requiring more preparation to avoid surprises in the field. Thanks to this extensive preparation, the work proceeded smoothly.
The biggest challenge in this case was project management. There were three weeks of planned work. During these weeks, certain tasks needed to follow one another, and any complication could affect the next day's work. As mentioned, the work went well, and we can state that this renovation project was successfully completed!
Would you like to know more about our solutions?
"I will talk to installers and end users to find out together what their needs are in terms of new construction. When we have identified the need, I will advise you on which solution(s) are most suitable!"
Roland Stolk
Related projects
Logistics & Distribution
Industrial Environments