Project and Process Design Consulting

When starting a new project it is essential to identify key process elements, develop equipment lists, locate the components on the site, identify potential bottlenecks and resolve them, and a host of other critically important pre-design conceptual issues.  I have worked with softwood and hardwood chips, bark, biomass of all sorts, MSW, agricultural wastes, straw and stover bales, short rotation grasses, and a host of others.  

Machinery manufacturers are good at building individual machines, but often need help when it comes to understanding just what the customer's process needs, and where there are opportunities to invent something new and innovative.  Working in collaboration with your engineering, sales, and service groups, I have a proven track record of drawing out the key essentials needed and of finding a niche of opportunity for something novel and potentially patentable.  I look at process optimization, cost reduction, and competitive equipment alternatives that ultimately come into play.

As new employees come into contact with material handling equipment they are often unfamiliar with how it operates, and where potential hazards may exist.  Also, there are commonly key maintenance and performance enhancement activities that can be missed.   A safety meeting is a good place to start to review these issues, and a more formal training course might be called for.

One of the most popular and beneficial short courses has been the Chip Quality Short Course.  It is given over a 2 day time period, and covers wood fundamentals, log handling and debarking, chipping including whole log and sawmill chips, screening and cleaning, satellite chipping, chip and bark storage and handling, sampling and quality variation, and important mill operations relating to chips.  It was originally developed to address pulp and paper mill chip issues, but has been expanded to include wood pellet plants, biomass energy plants (to a limited extent), and current sawmill chip production practices.  I can present this short course on your site either alone, or with another collaborator.  

In support of the topic of chip quality, the Forest Resources Association has recently produced the 3rd edition of the Chip Quality Manual, to which I was a contributor.  The link below takes you to the FRA website.  Be sure to get the chip gauge with the manual when you order them.

If you have something you want to let the world know about getting it into "print" is essential.  I will write articles about your projects, processes, equipment, and successes, and submit these articles to the media outlets that are looking for them.  It can be a walk-through of a new process or installation, a detailed examination of a piece of equipment, or anything of interest.  Technical articles are my specialty.  I have high quality photo gear and can include pictures with the text, if you like.