Coke and Ore Processing

 Esso Research & Engineering Co.

Field Engineer at a R & D type, semi-works size Imperial Oil fluid iron ore reduction plant. Jon was responsible for specific plant operating improvements from design stage through procurement, installation, and start-up.  Also, he had shift engineer duties, and was a member of the inspection team during a major plant turnaround.

 Inseco Associates

As Project Engineer, Jon coordinated engineering and purchasing efforts for both steel companies, plus construction and start-up activities for Republic, for a total of three site modification projects, to support the operation of new air pollution control equipment at coke plants for Shenango and for Republic Steel.

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Consumer Products

Breed Corporation

N.L. Industries

As a Project Manager, Jon developed work scope documents for onsite processing, utilities, pollution control, warehousing/materials handling, and fire protection, and also developed associated appropriation-grade cost estimates. For the modernization/expansion of one of N.L.’s existing specialty chemicals plants.

Jacobs Engineering Co.

Atkins Benham

Plant Utilities Liaison Engineer.  Jon was part of a corporate field team, representing Atkins Benham (St. Louis), for work contracted with Anheuser-Busch, at  one of their NY breweries. He assisted Busch’s St. Louis corporate utilities engineering group, as their onsite liaison at the plant. This was during a critical period associated with the phased revamp of existing utility systems and the addition of new utility systems, needed to support a major brewery expansion project. Systems included ammonia refrigeration circuits, ammonia air purgers, carbon dioxide vaporization, glycol heat/cool loops, condensate collection and handling, fuel oil storage, etc. Jon monitored and reported on systems installation progress. And helped identify required follow-up by the St. Louis office, by equipment vendors, etc to foster appropriate installation work. He was a process hazard analysis review team member. And oversaw certain equipment CIP work and pre-start acceptance tests. And he assisted with some systems’ start-up and troubleshooting efforts.

Campbell Soup Co.

Field Process Engineer.  As part of a major expansion project at one of their plants, Jon assisted their process engineering staff, near the end of the construction period. This involved equipment and systems functional checkout work for the ingredients preparation, blending, and sterilizing areas of a new Picante sauce production facility.

Metsys Engineering

Consulting Engineer.  Jon was a member of a three-man team, representing Metsys Engineering (MN), for work contracted with Hartz Mountain Pet Foods (NJ). The team assessed two of Hartz’s plants, and then developed the overall process and packaging game plan needs. The goal was to retrofit these plants in a cost-effective fashion, to add cut orchard grass, or cut timothy, to selected products. Jon was responsible for developing the process requirements. This entailed sourcing new ingredient and equipment needs, helping plan and conduct ingredients preparation/product packaging tests, melding the new needs with the existing processes, etc. Please refer to J. Pfister testimonial.

Thermal C/M Services

As part of a major retrofit project at one of International Home Food Products’  plants, in a Plant Engineer role, Jon assisted the  plant engineering staff with project engineering activities. Work involved expediting process equipment layout drawings, new equipment purchases, PLC controls work, etc

Nabisco Biscuit Co.

Nabisco Foods Co.

Ocean Spray Cranberries

Petrochemical and Chemical

Allied Chemical

As a Project Engineer, Jon had overall project responsibility including schedule, budget, engineering, purchasing, design, expediting, contracts, and contractor selection. His team completed two wax plant projects for an existing plant – a polyethylene expansion and a new prilling unit.

American Cyanamid

Consulting Engineer.  Jon prepared hazardous waste decontamination procedures for portions of an existing chemical plant, and coordinated the associated clean-up work by client crafts and outside contractors. 

Jacobs Engineering Co.

C.F. Braun & Co.

Jon was a Project Staff Member advising the Army Corps of Engineers on administrative/technical aspects, from early planning through start-up, for the revamp of three ammunition plants. The program involved successful coordination among eight prime contractors and various federal agencies.

 Benjamin Moore & Co. [recent client]

Project Manager/Plant Engineer.  On behalf of their corporate engineering department, Jon managed several EHS-related capital projects at a Benjamin Moore paint manufacturing plant. While stationed at the site, he also coordinated some plant-funded projects. In-house staff and outside resources (design firms, services firms, and installation contractors) were used where applicable. Examples of his work:

·         Provided secondary spill containment for a tanker truck unloading area (using a new, sloped, curbed, concrete unloading pad to suit two tanker trucks), and upgraded containment for two tank farm dikes (adjacent to the new unloading pad, upgraded to suit shared containment capacity with the new unloading pad).

·         Retrofitted an existing, manually controlled, latex resin batch manufacturing process, to obtain a PLC-controlled, automated system, that controls safety-related critical production parameters, for a range of resin types and operating conditions, using appropriate alarms and interlocks (and HMI screens), to prevent a runaway reaction that could release undesirable hazardous chemicals.

Early on in the project, lab tests simulated batch making and identified operating conditions that could lead to runaway reactions. Also, critical reference documents were prepared to capture starting conditions for detailed design use (e.g. P&IDs, one-line diagrams, electrical area classification dwgs, process description, operating system parameters matrix).

This project was regulated by PSM (OSHA), TCPA (NJDEP), and RMP (EPA), due to the use of extraordinarily hazardous substances. Management of change, process hazard analysis, and pre-start-up safety review were all included while executing this project.

Overall, the new system resulted in an inherently safer process, with a noticeable increase in batch-making efficiency.  

·         Provided secondary spill containment for portions of fuel oil transfer piping, between unloading area and tank storage area.

·         Implemented vac-jet cleaning and CCTV inspection of most of the plant’s underground storm water drain piping system, to remove any debris and to assess the integrity of the piping and catch basins.

·         Replaced the existing truck pit scale with a new scale that’s 10 feet longer, to accommodate the longest tractor-trailer rigs.   An extended pit was required. Enhanced alarms were also employed (regarding sump pump failure), along with pull-through pit  ventilation, to maintain a dry pit environment.

      For all the Benjamin Moore work, please refer to A. Mengon testimonial.

 Jacobs Engineering Co.

Esso Research & Engineering Co.

Exxon Chemical Americas

·         Process Design Engineer.  Exxon wanted to improve both the cooling rate and the filtration of batch-produced, multi-functional viscosity modifiers (motor oil additives), at a chemicals plant. Jon developed the overall process design specification, for new and existing modified facilities needed, to accomplish the desired improvements.

·         He also developed the process specifications for instrumentation, to be used with a fourth dispersants reactor system (motor oil additives), which would supplement an existing three-reactor system.

 Exxon Chemical Co.

·         Onsite Design Engineer.  Jon prepared process design guidelines, for general company use, for impervious graphite heat exchangers and for industrial sewer systems.

·         He also assisted with preparation of Exxon specifications/drawings, for debottlenecking an existing propylene/ethylene refrigeration circuit at a butyl rubber plant. 

 Fairmount Chemical

Consulting Engineer.  Jon developed the work scope and schedule of events for an existing chemicals plant, defining the equipment and instrumentation needed, to properly pretreat/monitor industrial waste streams. These streams discharged into the P.V.S.C. Treatment Works.

NJ MEP

·         Lead Consulting Engineer.  Jon coordinated the overall work of a small team of associates, for consulting work done by his company. Under the auspices of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJ MEP), for work contracted with Magnesium Elektron, a plant survey was done at their production plant to assess and identify opportunities to reduce wastewater discharges and increase product recovery. This survey was designated Project 1, Phase 1 work. Survey results were encouraging, identifying several processing features that if modified, might result in significant operating cost savings. Thus, follow-up investigations were then suggested.

·         Lead Consulting Engineer.  Jon coordinated more work of a small team of associates, for consulting work done by his company, via NJ MEP, for additional work contracted with Magnesium Elektron.  Project 1, Phase 2 work involved at-plant, bench-scale lab tests. To simulate a mass transfer technique for reducing rinse water consumption, along with a corresponding reduction in wastewater disposal. Lab test results looked very promising, and a pilot-scale in-plant testing program was then suggested.

·         Lead Consulting Engineer.  Jon coordinated still more work of a small team of associates, for consulting work done by his company, via NJ MEP, for additional work contracted with Magnesium Elektron.  Project 2, Phase 1 work involved pilot-scale tests conducted at a membrane vendor’s lab. To assess TDS removal capabilities, regarding another foreseen opportunity to reduce wastewater disposal at the plant. These test results also looked very promising, and a second pilot-scale in-plant testing program was then suggested.

M&T Chemicals

      Petroleum Refining

Esso Research & Engineering Co.

Process Engineer.  Jon did detailed calculations for heat and material balances and for equipment sizing and selection, and he developed process/flow plan drawings, for various petroleum refineries.

Exxon Research & Engineering Co.

·         Consulting Engineer.  Jon assisted with screening study work for a foreign refinery upgrading program. It involved upgrade of existing utilities, a new Flexicoker process and associated processes/auxiliaries, some revamp of existing processes, consolidation of existing control houses, etc. To enable competitive processing of heavy crudes while eliminating air/water pollution problems. He helped develop the basis for positioning new and relocated onsite processes, and offsite support facilities, within the existing refinery. Jon also helped develop the basis for the efficient/safe use of the refinery flare systems while maximizing flare maintainability, without sacrificing refinery onstream capabilities.

·         Onsite/Offsite Design Engineer.  Jon did facilities engineering work -- preparation of Exxon specifications/drawings -- for various refineries’ onsite processes and offsite utilities. Facilities included gas treating, NMP solvent conversion, ammonia recovery, LPG/gas fuels, steam/condensate, and chemicals handling.

C.F. Braun & Co.

Field Engineer at mid-West site of large grassroots refinery for Union Oil during latter construction and early start-up phases.  Jon was responsible for process checkout and follow-up of four process units, and was a member of the instrument group, commissioning refinery-wide instrument loops.

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Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology

Undisclosed Client

Facilities-Utilities Technical Writer.   Jon assisted the Product License Industrial Management Group. The work involved interacting with Regulatory Affairs, other local-plant groups, and some foreign affiliates, to prepare modules of an overall technical document. The client would use this document in their pursuit of foreign licenses for selected vaccines. Jon’s work, utilizing “Documentum”, described the detailed, in-use facilities and some of the utilities supporting the production of these vaccines.

DPT Laboratories [recent client]

Plant Engineer/Facilities Maintenance Supervisor.  Jon assisted a new management team at this pharmaceutical toll manufacturing co., on an interim basis, in the plant engineering group, and  as the facilities maintenance supervisor, until a new facilities manager could be selected and brought up to speed, having both plant engineering and maintenance responsibilities. Jon supervised daily facility maintenance and repairs, and also implemented certain facility/process/utility upgrades, along with FDA audit-related follow-up work. He helped enhance the computer-based maintenance scheduling program, and developed some maintenance SOPs. Jon also assessed and upgraded certain in-place plant-wide service contracts (e.g. air compressors, pest control, fire protection), to ensure cost effective use of plant funds. Please refer to J. Trushell testimonial.

ER Squibb

·         Project Manager/Construction Engineer/Start-up Leader.  Jon coordinated all phases of work for a renografin pharmaceutical process expansion project, and for a centralized vitamin batch weighing system. 

·         Construction Engineer/Start-up Leader.  Jon coordinated all installation work (and all modified design needs where necessary, re initial design work by others, to ensure proper installation) and all start-up activities, for a new clean steam generation/distribution system and a new pyrogen-free water generation/storage/distribution system. These systems, except for the distribution piping, were located within a new mechanical room (built within an operating production area), complete with new floor drains that were routed to a new outside manhole, etc.

Hoffmann-La Roche

·         Project Engineer.  Jon coordinated engineering, purchasing, design, contracts, construction management and building permits, and some of the shakedown/start-up, for a bulk sulfas pharmaceutical modernization/expansion program. A five-story, sequenced approach was needed. There were building modifications, including a new penthouse for the centrifuge, and major demolition/relocation work. Along with relocated/modified existing equipment and updated filtration technology, with phased automation to enable timely swingover to computer control. Plus an updated electrical room and vestibules, and building support steel major modifications. A new process-control computer room and associated HVAC were added, along with a new computer system. A new process was also added: slurry transfer, centrifuging, cake feeding, drying, explosion suppression system, dust collection, powder transfer, and blending. Then, in specially controlled environments, the new drum staging and product feeding/drumming/storage equipment were added.  All work was done within a high-hazard building environment remaining in production.  

·         A second project during this period involved eliminating existing air pollution problems at a large, multi-purpose pilot plant. As Project  Engineer, Jon coordinated the preparation of work scope, activities list, schedule, required resources, process engineering, and preliminary design work.

·         Project/Construction Engineer. Jon coordinated all phases of a vitamin A pharmaceutical major expansion project. A four-story, tight-fit, sequenced approach was needed. Building modifications, relocated/modified existing equipment, plus the addition of the new processes were all required. All work was done while the high-hazard building environment remained in production.

Schering Laboratories

Lead Consulting Engineer.  Jon coordinated the overall work of a small team of associates, for consulting work done by his company. The team assessed the use of toxic chemicals, and prepared the EPA’s Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Reporting Form, SARA Title III, for an existing pharmaceuticals plant.

Schering-Plough Corporation

·         Validation Engineer. As a utilities validation team member, Jon provided assistance in the successful preparation and execution of Commissioning, Installation Qualification, and Operational Qualification documents. This work was done for “cGMP critical” legacy plant-wide utility systems (liquid/gas nitrogen and main compressed air), at a Schering-Plough plant.

·         He successfully completed training classes on cGMP and validation documentation practices. Jon also assessed, developed, and assembled in-plant and from-vendor documentation for legacy systems equipment. Documentation included P&ID drawings, vendor documents, nameplates, ID tags, materials of construction, etc. He field-verified existing piping, valves, instrumentation, filters, etc. And assisted in the creation and execution of engineering studies for equipment testing purposes, to resolve critical validation issues. Studies included Improvement Procedures, Interim Control Procedures, and Fit-For-Purpose Procedures. Jon also helped with Qualification Summary Reports. He prepared, and/or updated, equipment Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and equipment Preventive Maintenance Procedures (PMPs), and trained maintenance personnel in using the PMPs.

·         Jon revised a vendor’s standard gas particle counter sampling system, to suit a wide variety of testing needs. Then he prepared the associated testing procedures, led the plant-wide prep work for sample point hookup needs, and trained others in using the sampling system, for test-execution purposes. 

·         The team was challenged by a grueling schedule, tough-access areas, concealed piping runs, and off-hours systems availability to suit production schedules. Please refer to L. Keck testimonial.

Jacobs Engineering Co.

Sverdrup Corporation

Process Design Engineer.   Jon assisted Sverdrup with the initial preparation of P&IDs and associated equipment selection, for a new manufacturing facility (for Syntex), producing a powdered antibiotic for use in livestock feed.  Please refer to D.A. Smith testimonial.

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