Seoil Industrial Co. is the leading and largest manufacturer of Drinking Straws and Foldable Utensils in the world. Their mission is to provide consumer friendly products which meet the demands of their clients in a fast changing world.
In 1998, we received a set of conceptual drawings from Seoil requesting a proposal for a new drinking straw plant to be located in Zanesville, Ohio. This plant would be their first facility in the U.S. After months of dialogue and inquiry, a baseline plan and budget were established, followed by a trip to Korea to become familiar with their operations.
Challenges
The Other Side of the World
Due to language barriers and time differences, communication was the single largest challenge on this project. Other distinctions included:
All drawings were completed in metric with limited program requirements
Limited technical data was available for process equipment, which was being imported from around the world.
Precise environmental controls were required for the manufacturing process
Features
A Factory Made for Straws
Metal Building with “truss style” rafters providing additional height to accommodate numerous mechanical systems
Precast panels acting as foundation and finish systems for both the interior and exterior wall surfaces
Numerous high speed doors expediting product flow
State-of-the-art mechanical and material handling systems
A “clean” environment where various processes are separated by glass walls giving the plant visual appeal and allowing the mechanical systems to be specific to that area
Results
East Meets West
This first-class facility for Seoil Industrial Co. is not a typical manufacturing plant.
It has distinctive qualities with features incorporated from other plants from around the world.
It is visually aesthetic inside and out.
We worked an accelerated schedule over winter months incorporating the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) specifications throughout the process.
