Purchasing engineer

SURGE TANK, ENGINE JACKET COOLER, CIRCULATING PUMP BY PURCHASER ENGINE MANUFACTURER... 

Supply chain includes other functions such as purchasing, engineering, production, finance, marketing, and related control activities in the single company. 

In 1987 Seatde Metro purchased 10 new American built M.A.N. coaches powered by methanol. Six GM buses powered by DDC methanol engines entered revenue service at Triboro Coach in Jackson Heights, New York, 2 GM buses in Medicine Hat Transit in Medicine Hat, Manitoba, and 2 Flyer coaches in Winnipeg Transit, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. An additional 45 DDC powered methanol buses were introduced in California as indicated by Table 4. Figure 11 shows the distance accumulation of alternate-fueled buses in the four California transit properties. 

Cladding and backing metals are purchased in the appropriately heat-treated condition because corrosion resistance is retained through bonding. It is customary to supply the composites in the as-bonded condition because hardening usually does not affect the engineering properties. Occasionally, a post-bonding heat treatment is used to achieve properties required for specific combinations. 

Almost all vendors and manufacturers of process equipment use computer programs in designing and rating the equipment that they make. Such programs are made available to the purchasers of their equipment, often as a service or at a minimal cost. From an engineering point of view, some of these programs are biased in favor of the vendor s equipment. 

The CE Plant Cost Index (7) is also pubHshed monthly in the Chemical Engineering]omaci A. Index values are given for various categories of equipment, installation, labor, building, and supervision, as well as a composite plant cost index. The composite index for complete plant costs, tabulated in Table 1, is frequentiy used for the translation of purchased equipment costs, even though the equipment component of the index would be better. 

Example Two chemical engineers, John and Mary, purchase stock in the same company at times tj, to, t , when the price per share is respectivelyp, po,. . . , pn. Their methods of investment are different, however John purchases X shares each time, whereas Mary invests P dollars each time (fractional shares can he purchased), Who is doing better ... 

While successbil and economical system designs can be devised by experienced process engineers, the competent technical aid available from equipment supphers has led to a growing trend toward the purchase of complete systems, even on small jobs, rather than iu-plaut assembly from components on the basis of in-house designs. An idea of the change in capital investment for typical pneumatic-conveyor systems as a function of increasing transfer rates is given in Table 21-12. 

The author is sure that the readers will find ample opportunity to learn from his experience and apply this information to their field of activities. The book aims to provide a bridge between the concept and the application. With this book by his or her side, an engineer should be able to apply better, design better and select better equipment for system needs and ambient conditions. It should prove to be a handy reference to all those in the field of design and application, protection and testing, production, project engineering, project implementation or maintenance, in addition to the sales and purchase of these products. 

At times you ll find that the information is the same, but the presentation of the curves is different. Almo-St all pump companies publish what are called the family of curves . The pump family curves are probably the most useful for the maintenance engineer and mechanic, the design engineer and purchasing agent. The family curves present the entire performance picture of a pump. 

As w as mentioned earlier, extra rows are provided as can be seen in Figure 1. This gives extra flexibility needed for process design case studies. Often, the set of case studies initially envisioned by the engineer or manager are not sufficient to answer all questions. The extra rows allow intermediate recycles or intermediate flows from or additions to the plant that might not have been envisioned initially. Another value of the intermediate rows is to provide component values at intermediate points in the process. The breakeven value of a proposed purchase stream from another plant would be one use of intermediate component values. 

When considering the possibility of using internal combustion drivers, evaluate process requirements and costs. If a low-cost, gaseous fuel is available, gas engines and gas turbines may surpass other drivers in economical installation and operation. In the initial process design stage, a method of establishing the cost of purchase, installation, and operation for drivers is needed. 

After the estimates are made, process design has taken shape, and the funds to build the plant are authorized, it s time to buy the equipment. To the uninitiated, the task can appear quite formidable. Even to the veteran, the chore is great with a multitude of details to remember. Note, the title of the chapter is not how to, because that is left to each engineer and his client or company to decide. What will be presented here can be more nearly described as a checklist and outline to help the purchaser recall all the details and avoid as many surprises as possible. 

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