Laundry Detergent Reformulation

New regulations meant a longtime Consumer Products client needed to adjust how it manufactured one of its most popular laundry detergents. SSOE was hired to lead the process mechanical design at the plant, which included new tanks, mixers, pumps, piping, and truck and rail unload spots.

The project required the double-walled piping design to be exact because it was being prefabricated in another state. To navigate that challenge, our team used laser-scanning technology to capture and route piping around the existing plant conditions.

All of the work followed Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) implementation principles and work flows. The project was on a tight timeline, with kickoff and planned completion less than one year apart. SSOE completed the bulk of the design within six months. The use of IPD allowed the team to deliver progressive work packages to the contractors to enable construction to begin sooner. As a result of the project, SSOE was able to more effectively collaborate with the client and other vendors and reduce waste by generating only the designs needed for the project.

The client was very pleased with the project – even naming it the year’s Top Project in their global Fabric and Homecare Division.

SSOE saved the client $84,000 by providing a design to reuse jacketed piping and existing valves, as well as switching to the main nozzle on the main mixer.