Product design process chain characterization

Because the higher alcohols are made by a number of processes and from different raw materials, analytical procedures are designed to yield three kinds of information the carbon chain length distribution, or combining weight, of the alcohols present the purity of the material and the presence of minor impurities and contaminants that would interfere with subsequent use of the product. Analytical methods and characterization of alcohols have been summarized (13). 

Within process industries characterized by large production units and high levels of automation, risk and accident analysis is focused on the avoidance of low-probability events entailing serious consequences for the plant and its environment. Safety analysis is based here on causal or probabilistic models of the accidental chain of events that can serve to identify deficiencies in the design of the plant and its protective system as well as to predict the level of risk involved in an operation. Methods developed are fault tree analysis, MORT (Johnson 1975) and INRS (Leplat Rasmussen 1984). A detailed analysis of the actual, individual incident or failure is performed to identify these possible weak spots in the plant and its operation. It is a common experience that human acts play an important role in such industrial mishaps so, especially after the reactor incident at Three Miles Island in 1979, much effort has been spent on developing suitable predictive tools for the... 

Within these value chains, change happens frequently. Relationships come and go. The value chain is characterized by the number of nodes in the network, the number and type of constraints, the variability of demand and supply, the rhythms and cycles of decisions, the products and shipments, and the latency of information. Five years ago, the design of supply chains and value networks was an ad hoc process. Today, over 35 percent of companies have planning teams to rationalize the design and refine the network for current conditions. In our interviews, we learned that these teams are growing in both size and importance. 

A standardized work flow for strain acquisition, strain purification, primary characterization, and where necessary, classical strain improvement was initiated in our laboratories in 2(X)8 and designated the strain supply chain (SSC). The introduction of these four standardized systematic work processes has resulted in a faster and more resource-efficient development of new strains, both wild-type strains and classically improved strains, for new product development. It is presented here to serve as an inspiration for other groups seeking to systematize their strain-screening activities (Figure 10.1). 

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