Downstream customers

Order penetration point The point in a product s flow when an item is earmarked for a particular customer. Downstream processes are driven by customer orders upstream processes are driven by forecasts and plans. However, the plans themselves can reflect actual customer orders in a demand-driven supply chain. (Adapted from APICS Dictionary, lOtb edition )... 

In contrast to the serial system. Figures 3.11 and 3.12 show what are the opposite extremes, in essence. In Figure 3.11 we show a distribution system, in which all nodes have no more than one supplier upstream, but may have more than one customer downstream. Again, all nodes at the farthest upstream stages are assumed to have suppliers of infinite capacity, and all nodes at the farthest downstream stages are assumed to send their output to external customers. Figure 3.12 shows an assembly system, in which all... 

The registrant(s) must develop exposure scenarios that describe how they and their customers ("downstream users") manufacture and use the... 

Physical distribution deals with the task of distributing products to tier 1 customers (downstream). 

The principal objective of technical service in the chemical industry is to provide timely and professional information and support to downstream customers regarding chemical products and thek uses. It is neither cost-effective nor necessary for a consumer of chemical products to develop a staff of speciahsts having detailed expertise in all aspects of chemical raw materials and thek uses, particularly in a time of increa singly complex and rapidly technologically driven economies. Rather, this variety of expertise is provided in the chemical marketplace by technical service professionals whose knowledge and skills are made available by chemical products suppHers. As such, successful chemical companies provide technical service as a critical element of thek offerings to the marketplace making use of this aspect of the value chain to enhance thek competitiveness. 

The level of technical service support provided for a given product generally tracks in large part where the suppHer considers thek product to be located within the spectmm of commodity to specialty chemicals. Technical service support levels for pure chemicals usually provided in large quantities for specific synthetic or processing needs, eg, ammonia (qv), sulfuric acid (see SuLFURic ACID AND SULFURTRIOXIDe), formaldehyde (qv), oxygen (qv), and so forth, are considerably less than for more complex materials or blends of materials provided for multistep downstream processes. Examples of the latter are many polymers, colorants, flocculants, impact modifiers, associative thickeners, etc. For the former materials, providing specifications of purity and physical properties often comprises the full extent of technical service requked or expected by customers. These materials are termed undifferentiated chemicals (9),... 

The choice between different types of dryers is often guided by the chemicals involved and their physical properties, particularly heat sensitivity. As when selecting other equipment, the designer should first ask if the step is necessary if so, whether this is the correct or safest process step. Does the material being processed have to have all of the liquid removed Can the downstream step or customer use the material in a liquid, slurry or paste form ... 

The purpose of the requirements is to ensure that you have established the requirements you are obliged to meet before you commence work. This is one of the most important requirements of the standard. The majority of problems downstream can be traced either to a misunderstanding of customer requirements or insufficient attention being paid to the resources required to meet customer requirements. Get these two things right and you are halfway there to satisfying your customer needs and expectations. 

Crystallization process control is desirable from a number of standpoints. The primary objective is often to meet customer requirements by achieving consistent product quality to a desired specification of crystal size, size distribution and purity. Secondly, process requirements often dictate maintenance of stable crystallizer operation, the avoidance of fines and encrustation, and the minimization of subsequent downstream processing. 

Chemical companies are also weak at looking for opportunities downstream of their own operations. Whilst most would recognise the need to understand the business of their customers, few look further downstream and try and understand their customer s customer. However, if your materials can reduce energy consumption or waste production in a final product, you reduce the costs further downstream and potentially change the value distribution across the entire supply chain. If you understand how your products are used downstream, you can share that value with your customers. 

Foreign contamination is typically first discovered by quality control checks of the finished product or by the loss of the web for film processes. If a melt filtration system is installed downstream of the extruder, the larger size particles will be collected. After the contaminants are collected they must be analyzed for composition. Some types of contaminants are easily identified using a microscope or hand lens and include paper and cloth fibers, dirt, and metal fragments. Other contaminants such as gels or foreign resins are not as easily identified, and their identification often requires advanced analytical procedures. Many resin manufacturers offer these types of services to their customers. After the contaminant is identified, the source must be determined and then eliminated. Elimination of the source can be simple for common contaminants but can be a challenge for contaminants that exist at a very low level. 

A 203.2 mm diameter smooth-bore extruder running a PS resin experienced low rates when extruding to a complicated downstream sheet line. The extrudate flowed from the extruder to a screen pack system and then to a sheet die. The line was able to produce acceptable product but at reduced rates. The reduced rates increased the cost of manufacturing the product and caused the plant to miss shipment dates to its customers. At a screw speed of 110 rpm, the rate was measured at 1750 kg/h for a specific rate of 15.9 kg/(h-rpm). Under all processing condi-... 

The extmders were monitored using a pair of custom-made transmission probes inserted into the extruder die just downstream from the screws. Each probe consisted of a sapphire window brazed into a metal body a quartz rod behind the window piped the light to the end of the probe low-OH silica fiber-optic bundles connected the probe to the NIR analyzer, an LT Quantum 12001. Optical path lengths were typically between 0.3 and 2.0 cm. 

The industrial importance of the nucleation lies in its effects on the yield and product size distribution of alumina crystals. The yield is significant for plant economic reasons while off-target product size distribution adversely affects the downstream operations (e.g. washing and separation) as well as not meeting the customers product specifications. 

Due to its size, the chemical industry is an important supplier to a broad range of downstream industries and is, as well, a customer of a broad range of products and services from other industries. It follows, therefore, that the chemical industry plays a major role in providing/supporting performance improvements, research and development progress and, last but not least, employment in other industries. 

The guiding principle of metric development is to have a stable system or process to collect, review, and draw conclusions. All metrics should be developed with stakeholders input taking into account the requirements and needs of the customers. This includes the touch points of the downstream quality processes. Without this input and understanding metrics may be developed within a silo and hold little value, causing both frustration at the leadership as well as the staff level. Without proper... 

All of these actions require a thorough understanding of the current and potential cost and price drivers along the entire chain. Downstream players more focused on customer needs and product performance often lack this knowledge and may need, for example, to hire upstream experts to achieve the skills needed to dissect these exposures and identify cost-effective hedging solutions. 

The communication requirements of REACH ensure that manufacturers, importers, and their customers (i.e., downstream users and distributors) have the information they need to use chemicals safely. Information relating to health, safety and environmental properties, and risks and risk management measures is required to be passed both up and down the supply chain. The primary tool for information is the familiar safety data sheet (SDS) for all dangerous substances. 

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