HERR > Paint Finishing Systems > System Design Basics > Plant

The Five P's:  Plant

The fifth and final “P” is the plant or physical area that will be utilized to house the system. This information must be gathered and transferred to the contractor to determine a system layout and configure the equipment as well as plan the specifics of system installation:

• What utilities (gas, electric, compressed air, water, steam, sewer, etc.) are available for the system and what are the ratings and locations?
• What is the clear height from the floor to the ceiling available? What obstructions are present?
• What floor area is available for the system?
• Are there up to date and scalable building and property drawings available?
• Where is the product flow coming from and where is it going to after the paint system?
• Can equipment be placed on the roof or outside the building?
• How are the roof and walls constructed? Does a roofing company bond the roof? How must openings be constructed?
• Can the building frame support equipment, e.g. conveyor, air houses, ovens, etc.?
• How is the floor constructed? Can pits be constructed?
• What insurance requirements must be met for the system, e.g. FM, IRI, etc.
• What type of fire protection is required? Are there firewalls present that may need to be breached?
• What are the air and wastewater discharge requirements?
• Is there clear access to the system site? What size are the doors and aisles? Are there ramps or docks?
• Must the system be protected from adjacent processes or segregated to protect the adjacent processes?

"The Five P's:  Product, Production, Paint, Process, and Plant"