FOCUS: Water Treatment – Solids reduction
OPPORTUNITY OR PROBLEM
A Water Treatment facility measured their total solids to be 7 times the specification and treatment costs to be $.14 per barrel. Improvements were required to reduce this cost and bring water quality within required specifications.
APPROACH TAKEN
A Process improvement team was formed to analyze the process and implement appropriate changes. The team identified potential changes to improve water quality and lower cost. As a result of their efforts:
– The quality of the water was improved 7 fold within acceptable limits, while the operational costs were lowered to $.08 per barrel
– Training on “variation reduction” was instituted for all operators
– New SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) were developed and standardized
OUTCOME
The overall benefits of this project yielded $854,000 in annualized ROI (Return On Investment).
* Due to nondisclosure agreements, the organization referenced in this example cannot be disclosed.
