CONSIDERATIONS WHEN DECIDING ON AN ALTERNATIVE
TECHNOLOGY PROCESS METHOD

Making the transformation from one technology or product type to another is always a little disconcerting especially when there are Health & Safety or Environmental implications and inevitably production could be affected. Most alternative options have a financial as well as potentially a process implication. In a lot of cases people will tend to always look for the “cheapest” option without realizing that invariably the “cheapest” option at the start may prove to be far more expensive in use or could create additional problems that could have been avoided without too great an addition in the original cost. With this in mind the following points should be considered before choosing what new process, method or product you change to, as follows:

•  What volume of parts you need to process – to ensure production levels can be met

•  What substrates are involved and their configuration – to ensure the right cleaning method is chosen chemically and so that the right cleaning process method is chosen for the parts.

•  What type of contamination you need to remove - Some preferred chemistries or process methods may not be capable of achieving this objective.

•  What the next process after cleaning is – the condition of the cleaned parts may be critical to the next process e.g. if water could not be used the type of chemistry and process that may be needed might require specialist equipment.

•  What is your budget? – obvious, but surprisingly a lot of companies do not consider the process cost implications of changes of this type.

•  What are the safety constraints within which you must work – for obvious reasons.

•  Could the existing process be modified or used in some way without totally new equipment – can be more cost effective but only if the existing equipment is sound and suitable for the proposed chemistries.

•  Can you see the new process in operation and get some factual feedback from the end user – Makes assessment more possible.

•  Listen carefully to the proposal and specification being offered and assess if it fits the criteria you have – words are cheap, but by listening carefully you can challenge grey areas to gain clarity.

•  Do not automatically choose the cheapest option – the initial savings can be lost very quickly once the process starts – The right process demands the right price.

•  You may have used your existing supplier for years but it does not automatically mean they have kept up to speed with evolving technology – using some new (but obviously capable) company gives you the opportunity to check out the latest technology but also allows time for your existing supplier to realise what is happening in the market place and either come up with the goods next time or prove they are not capable of giving you the support you now need.

•  Before making the final decision get your local authority to give you some support in what you would like to do – if they back it, you overcome some potentially major obstacles in the future.

•  Make sure the operators who will have to use the new technology are fully involved – they can make a new process work or fail, everyone prefers to be kept informed and not left in the dark.

•  Involve everyone who is involved directly or indirectly with the process area – effective two way communication at the start can reduce problems later on.

•  Finally use suppliers who will work with you and who both understand the equipment and the chemicals to be used – this avoids arguments later over who may be responsible for inadequacies in the process.

CORE-CHEM 07/09/03