Adding Mixing Capability To An Existing Rubber Goods Production Facility: Practical Considerations

The decision to replace all or a portion of purchased compounded rubber with an in-house compounding and mixing facility requires a careful evaluation of several issues.  These issues are divided into two broad categories:  The internal considerations of adding equipment and processes requiring more power, additional process utility support systems, differing maintenance and operating skills and  knowledge, changes inventory and work-in-process management techniques; the external considerations of changes in supplier relationships, the impact on various stakeholders, the shift in quality assurance from compounded materials to raw materials, a change in environmental permitting and regulatory compliance concerns.     A framework is outlined for identifying these concerns as a means of developing an organized approach to making a determination as to whether the addition of in-house compounding makes sound technical and economic sense.