Industrial Process Development: Critical Concepts Everyone should Consider to Make the Most of any Investment

This webinar will provide examples of process development from concept to commercialization. Participants will gain an understanding of how a selection process should look between and within different unit operations.

Discussion of key unit operations will include:

• Thermal processing
• Size reduction
• Continuous mixing
• Agglomeration

If you’re responsible for the development and production of a solid material, where do you start to go from a concept to full scale production? Transforming a raw material to a high performance product can be accomplished in many ways, requiring multiple steps and most likely more than one unit operation. Optimizing the path to achieve peak results while maintaining minimum overall implementation and operating cost is a significant hurdle to any successful new product introduction. The ability to evaluate multiple unit operations simultaneously, and select from alternative processing methods within each unit operation provides a fast track to successful development.

Each step in a process must be understood and evaluated. Initial process steps influence and constrain subsequent unit operations. Understanding the implications of these interactions is essential in the development process. Integration of any new process into existing infrastructure and management of all handoffs, whether physical material transfers from one system or device to another, or process control hand offs in feedback or feed-forward interactions are also critical. An optimal commercial scale process incorporates key findings learned throughout the development and testing phases. A clear understanding of these interactions and the hands on experience of pilot-scale process development provides the ability to rapidly trouble shoot at startup and commissioning, minimizing delays to on-stream production.

No product is immune to shifting market demands in performance or even the supply of raw material. Changes in production are inevitable, therefore the entire process and corresponding unit operations must be adaptable and flexible. Knowledge of how to most effectively respond to these changes is critical. Continuity through the complete product lifecycle, inclusive of product evolution is an added but valuable aspect to consider in selecting process development partners.

Attendees will gain an understanding of what is possible to achieve within each unit operation, how these interact with each other, and the importance of considering and evaluating these interactions from initial technology selection, process design, scale-up, implementation and ongoing operation.

We will review this comprehensive process as it pertains to a number of real-world customer use cases. These examples will demonstrate the value of understanding your solids process development throughout its natural evolution.

Speakers

Greg Kimball, CEO, Bepex International, LLC

Greg Kimball has had the opportunity to work with the team at Bepex for over 35 years. During this time he participated in the design and development of a wide range of solids processing equipment and systems. His experience includes thermal treatment, size reduction, and agglomeration unit operations in the food, chemical, mineral, and polymer industries. Technical exchanges across this range of customers, system startups, and educational conferences have enabled him to travel and share ideas with industry experts in many regions of the world. Throughout his career he has authored and co-authored numerous technical papers and patents.

He is an active member of the Process Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (PEMA) and a Vistage Advisory Board which provide opportunities to learn from his peers across industries. Greg’s previous positions at Bepex have included R&D, Technical Sales, Director of Operations, and most recently Chief Technology Officer.

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Peter Koenig, Certified Food Scientist, Industry Development Manager, Bepex International, LLC

Peter Koenig has over 35 years of process and product development experience with Bepex, applying powder process technologies, specializing in continuous process equipment applications for food, chemical, polymer, mineral and related industries. Over the past 7 years Peter has used his experience in sales and marketing, combined with his technical process and scientific methods training, to advance and support Bepex development in key markets. These efforts include a new direct dispersion drying technology, and patents for novel process platform technologies, including continuous non-atmospheric processing and direct conversion of syrups into dry flowable granules.

Peter’s past positions at Bepex include regional sales manager, market director of food business, product manager for agglomeration systems and application engineer for continuous mixing and size reduction. Peter holds a BA degree in chemistry from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, he is CFS certified through the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and is a member of both IFT and the American Association of Cereal Chemists International- AACCi.

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