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The chemical processing industry is one of the many industries that we serve. We provide a variety of custom heating solutions for chemical storage tanks and processing units of varying shapes and sizes.
Michaels Enterprises Inc. was hired by two world-renowned chemical production and processing companies to provide heating solutions for their industrial equipment.
The first is a prominent North American firm. With a rich legacy spanning over 120 years, this client has a presence in approximately 160 countries with more than 54,000 workers worldwide. It is currently ranked among the top 5 chemical companies in the world by market cap and generates revenues of close to $US50 billion annually. The client found us via a leading product sourcing and supplier discovery platform that provides services specifically for the engineering and manufacturing industries.
The second company, based in Taiwan, specializes in the production of adhesives, resins, industrial coatings, paints, and primers. They were founded in 1955 and operate mainly in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. Their products are frequently used in the furniture, sporting, footwear, and construction industries. The company had been working with Michaels Enterprises Inc. for more than 20 years prior to this project.
The Problem
Greases, heavy oils, and other polymer-based chemical fluids need to be kept at a constant temperature to maintain consistent flow rates. As the temperature decreases, the viscosity of these fluids increases, leading to decreased flow rates and reduced workability. This causes the fluid to “thicken” to a sludge-like consistency, which can result in blockages and damage to mechanical equipment. Furthermore, subsequent repair operations and maintenance downtime can be costly due to lost production.
The Process/Solution
The clients needed a reliable heat source to ensure that viscosity remained at manageable levels and differential pressures were kept to a minimum.
We addressed the problem by manufacturing custom silicone rubber heaters to fit industrial tanks, vessels, hoses, and other equipment of various shapes, sizes, and materials. Both clients turned to Michaels Enterprises Inc. for customized heating solutions that could be manufactured on an expedited timeframe without sacrificing quality.
Our engineering team worked closely with the engineering teams from both clients to ensure that we thoroughly understood and adequately documented the project scope, technical requirements, and design details. Both clients came to us with preliminary design drawings which roughly outlined their job requirements. Based on these initial designs, the technical teams on both sides held several meetings, after which we revised and fine-tuned the design drawings to meet the clients’ expectations and comply with industry standards and specifications.
Our manufacturing department then built several customized silicone rubber heaters in accordance with the finalized design drawings and specifications. This process involved extensive research and development (R&D) and several extensively tested prototypes.
Conclusion - The Results
Both projects were completed well within the stipulated time frame and budget. More importantly the final customized silicone rubber heaters ensured consistent production efficiencies and significantly reduced the amount of maintenance and downtime.
The success of the project was mainly a product of our rigorous R&D processes and regular engineer to engineer communication with the client. By allowing technical teams on both sides to collaborate, we were able to work out kinks in the final product and resolve issues with greater efficiency.
If you are interested in working with Michaels Enterprises Inc. on your next chemical processing project, contact us today to request a quote.
