Overview of the Pigging and Liquid Transfer Project for Paint and Coatings
Welcome to the first blog in our series that’s following the liquid product recovery (pigging) and liquid distribution project being delivered by HPS to a manufacturer of paints and coatings.
We’ll update you every step of the way as the project progresses at the manufacturing plant. We’ll document progress, key stages, developments and events, and everything of interest, warts and all!
HPS use a tried and tested process to ensure the success of all pigging, liquid product recovery and liquid transfer projects (learn more about our proven process for pigging projects). We’ve been delivering projects since the 1990’s so we know what we are doing and that’s why our customers trust us.
This specific project is being delivered by HPS as a full turnkey solution with hygienic design throughout. The manufacturer has peace of mind that HPS will manage and deliver the project from the very beginning to the very end.
Benefits of the Pigging and Liquid Transfer Solution
Once fully implemented and commissioned, the fully automated pigging and liquid transfer solution will minimise product waste, increase yields, and prevent contamination and cross-contamination. An innovative feature of this project is that HPS have designed the system to significantly reduce product hold-up pockets, which can be a problem in many liquid transfer systems.
The hygienic nature of the design will also help the paint manufacturer to use less biocides in their product, making them even more eco-friendly as well as helping them ensure they meet environmental legislation. And like the majority of HPS projects, it will also help the company reduce labour intensive cleaning processes, ensure rapid changeovers, reduce water, and lower chemical and product waste and the associated costs of safe disposal.
Importantly, the pigging and liquid transfer solution for paint and coatings production has an extremely strong business case and will deliver ongoing return on investment for many years to come.
Getting Started with the Pigging and Liquid Transfer Project
This blog article specifically focuses on phase 1 of the pigging and liquid transfer project. HPS were awarded the contract at the beginning of the year following an extremely lengthy and competitive tendering process.
Projects vary in scope and requirements, but this specific project is cross-collaborative. HPS will deliver the pigging equipment (including control systems and programming) and our partner engineering companies will install the tanks, pipework, fillers, robotics and other solution.
As with all HPS projects, the project commenced with a kick-off meeting. This involved the project team and other stakeholders meeting to discuss the project and lay the foundations for success. At this stage, timelines were established, tasks defined, roles and responsibilities assigned, risks identified, and a project plan was developed.
It was important during this stage that we established a regular communication schedule and developed and documented a well-defined scope with lead times, mitigating the risk of costly changes, missed deadlines, and customer dissatisfaction during the life of the project and beyond.
finalising the Pigging System Design
Preliminary designs were submitted during the tender progress. However, as it’s such a large-scale project, there were some modifications and revisions to the design as requested by the customer.
HPS experts worked closely with the manufacturer to finalise the details of the pigging system design to ensure it met their needs, expectations, and objectives. Following approval of the design, manufacturing of the equipment commenced.
Please note, although some process pigging providers offer “ready-made” and “off the shelf” pigging equipment, nearly all HPS equipment is bespoke and designed and manufactured around customer’s specific requirements. This is important because no two factories are the same, which means no two pigging systems should be either. By designing each pigging solution around precise customer requirements, HPS ensures maximum levels of performance, operational efficiency, and reliability.
Next Stages of the Pigging System Project
Following the completion of the design phase, we are now moving into phase 2 which is the installation of the pigging and liquid transfer equipment. All HPS equipment has been delivered to the paint manufacturing plant and will be installed in a few weeks’ time along with the pipes and tanks.
Before leaving HPS’s head office in Nottingham, UK, rigorous quality control tests were carried out to ensure equipment met our high-quality standards.
To prepare for the installation of the equipment, civil engineering works are currently being carried out in which the floor level is being dropped down by 300 mm to form a natural holding area for the storage tanks. We’ve taken some pictures of the current works, so take a look at them below.
Find Out More
As mentioned previously, this is a series of blogs about a pigging and liquid transfer project. The next blog article will focus on the installation of the pigging, liquid transfer, and other processing equipment. The project is expected to be completed by the end of November 2020.
If you have an upcoming project and would like to discuss it with one of our specialist pigging system engineers or arrange an on-site visit, please contact HPS. Our friendly, knowledgeable experts will provide you with all the information you need to get started with your pigging project.