Building a manufacturing plant is a huge undertaking, but a necessary one in today’s world. So many things are mass produced out of necessity to create enough supply for the demand that’s out there.

If you’re about to embark on an exciting venture involving building a manufacturing plant from the ground up, we at Flex Tech commend you! In today’s blog, we want to offer some pointers to help you avoid mistakes while saving money and building quality and reliability into your new plant or factory. Know what questions to ask and what to consider; read on!

As a supplier of high-quality silicone hoses and tubing, we also want to share what makes silicone a great choice for manufacturing settings. If you have any questions for us after reading this blog, please don’t hesitate to connect with us. Our technical teams are always happy to work directly with designers and builders across all industries to come up with custom solutions, even for the most demanding specifications. We’re always up to the challenge and ready to assist.

Budget

In an ideal world, there’d be no money constraints and you could build the best, most amazing manufacturing plant to meet all of your customers’ needs! But in reality, financial aspects must be considered, and you have to work within your budget.

It goes without saying that you’ll need to do a cost analysis and come up with a budget for your project. You’ll have to figure out how to build quality into your factory or plant while finding cost-effective solutions and making sound financial decisions. As you do your research, you’ll find that silicone is a low-cost, high-quality option. Even customized silicone hose solutions can be affordable.

Plant Layout And Size

Once you know what budget you’re working with, you can come up with the specifics of your manufacturing plant. Size and layout are two basic considerations. How large does your plant need to be? Consider the cost of space. Can you design your plant for efficient processing or manufacturing using a smaller footprint?

The same goes for layout. Efficiency is important; can you accomplish more with less equipment, for example, by coming up with a more effective layout?

Also consider how you and others will move about the floor. Can you access equipment easily when it’s time to service it? You’ll likely need to reach a compromise between the size of your plant and the placement of production lines and equipment to accomplish a number of things; consider these important factors:

• Ease of use
• Accessibility
• Limiting your costs
• Making the best use of space
• Heating and cooling the plant
• Efficient production lines
• Safety
• Preventing contamination
• Comfort levels of factory workers

Equipment

You will be investing a great deal of funds on equipment to produce or process what your manufacturing plant is designed to make. This equipment needs to be affordable, dependable, safe to use, and easy to service or swap out, among other things.

Here are important questions to ask before purchasing the equipment you’ll need:

• Does it have the right safety features to keep your employees safe?
• How well is the equipment’s manufacturer rated (check reviews)?
• How much training will employees need to operate the equipment efficiently and safely?
• What warranties come with the equipment and supplies you’ll need?
• What specific equipment will reduce production times?
• Are you best off with equipment that’s manual or automatic (or a combination)?

In addition to setting up your factory equipment, you’ll need cabling, tubing, conveyor systems, storage, and replacement parts. For your tubing, consider silicone. As always, Flex Tech can customize solutions for you.

New Techniques And Technologies

Manufacturing techniques are constantly being updated and streamlined. Are you caught up on the latest technologies and trends? Familiarize yourself with the current state of manufacturing equipment and processes to make sure you’re investing in the optimal way of doing things instead of going with outdated methods.

Integrity

What you’re producing, processing, or manufacturing needs to maintain a high level of integrity. There’s no room for compromise; your ingredients have to be of the highest quality, and your process streams need to keep any contaminants or impurities out.

Silicone tubing is a great option for maintaining the integrity of the ingredients you’re mixing and for keeping out contaminants. Contact Flex Tech to learn more.

Other Considerations

We’ve chosen to focus on a few categories, but there are countless other considerations you’ll need to go over before you begin to build. Here are some additional points to think about:

• Location: You may already have one in mind, or you may not have much of a choice on where to build, but if you’re still looking at several possible locations, consider distance- and travel-related logistics for shipping and receiving.
• Utilities: A big part of your expenses will involve utilities, including water, electricity, natural gas, and internet. How much do utilities cost where you’re considering to build your manufacturing plant?
• Permits: Well before you begin construction, and even before you select a location, find out what permits and approvals you’ll need to move forward.
• Schedule: Come up with a realistic construction schedule and be sure to adhere to it.
• Hiring A Contractor: Who will oversee the building construction? Be sure to work with a reliable, knowledgeable contractor you can trust.

Turn To Flex Tech For Custom Silicone Hose Solutions

We at Flex Tech take tremendous pride in being able to offer solutions across countless industries. Our high-quality silicone hose and tubing products offer what our customers need to build manufacturing plants that are efficient, cost-effective, and productive.

One of the great things about working with us is the attention to detail we give to every project you bring our way. Our mindset is that no challenge is too difficult to overcome! We have technical teams who are knowledgeable and ready to help. For options you can count on, talk to Flex Tech about custom silicone hose and tubing solutions.