Quick mixing fix
An herbicide company altered its existing mixing equipment to bring a manufacturing step in-house, saving money, lowering contamination risks, and permitting quicker reactions to market changes.
US manufacturers that rely on overseas companies for materials or processing services know that schedules are tight, planning ahead is a given, and making adjustments to the material is no easy task. FMC Agricultural Products Group, Wyoming, Ill., a manufacturer of herbicides and pesticides, contracted with a plant in the UK for a portion of its manufacturing process for a new herbicide. Says the manufacturer's plant manager Steve Clements, "We had to schedule everything far in advance and would have to know how much material we would need and when we would need it -- that's a tough thing to do with a new product."