Batch House Equipment Modernization and Reliability Upgrade

A legacy glass manufacturing plant faced chronic material loss, unplanned downtime, and rising maintenance costs due to aging batch house equipment operating well beyond its intended service life. Re:Build Optimation partnered with the plant team to assess the full batch operation and execute a phased modernization program aligned with production schedules and ROI priorities. The upgrades reduced waste, improved equipment reliability, and stabilized batch house performance while maintaining production continuity.

Check Scale Modernization and Load Cell Upgrade

A glass manufacturer faced increasing material waste and unplanned downtime due to excessive wear and calibration drift in a critical batch house check scale system operating in an abrasive environment. Re:Build Optimation redesigned and modernized the system with more durable materials and upgraded load cell technology to improve accuracy and reliability while maintaining the existing footprint. The result was reduced waste, improved uptime, and a more reliable batching operation achieved through a targeted, cost-effective upgrade rather than full system replacement.

Colorant System Relocation and Integration

A glass manufacturer needed to add green glass production at an existing plant on a fixed timeline to support a product launch, but faced capital and schedule constraints and cross-contamination risks with its existing colorant systems. Re:Build Optimation repurposed and re-engineered a decommissioned colorant premix system, integrating it into the plant’s batch and control infrastructure to meet site-specific process and capacity requirements. The solution enabled a fast, capital-efficient launch of a new green glass production campaign while eliminating contamination risk and minimizing disruption to ongoing operations.

Batch House Audit Program and Maintenance Planning

Glass manufacturers often lack clear, data-backed insight into batch house condition, capacity, and maintenance risk, making it difficult to prioritize capital spending and secure funding for critical upgrades. Re:Build Optimation’s Batch House Audit Program combines on-site engineering evaluation with quantitative capacity and reliability analysis to create a clear, defensible roadmap for maintenance and capital improvement planning. The result is improved uptime, reduced waste, and prioritized, ROI-driven projects that enable informed capital allocation and long-term operational performance.

Automated Robotic System for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stacking

A manufacturer in the energy sector set out to transform one of its facilities from a research and development site into a scaled production environment for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). To support this transition, the company needed to replace a limited in-house system with a fully automated, high-throughput machine capable of assembling SOFC stacks with speed and precision.

Winding Consulting

The manufacturing operation was experiencing wound roll quality issues on film/film laminated products slit and rewound on a REM slitter/rewinder. The problem was described as rolls blowing out and is mostly an issue after winding although there have been problems on 3000 foot 5 to 6 inch wide slits during winding. The client was not sure whether the problem was due to circumferential slip (cinching) during winding or excessive conveyance and handling forces.

Test System for Filtration Company

Donaldson Company Inc. provides industrial filtration solutions to a variety of markets. To quantify the performance of the company’s filters, they are tested to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) specifications to determine how efficient the filter is at removing particles of various sizes. To further stress the filters during testing, the environmental conditions need to be widely varied from 50 to 90 °F, 20 to 98% relative humidity, and 600 to 3000 cfm airflow. The previous test bench used by Donaldson Company was undersized and not capable of achieving the high or low extremes of many of the test specification requirements. Additionally, as the ASHRAE test standard evolved over time, the old system approached its usable life span.

Upgrade of 750 Gallon Glass-Lined Reactor

Re:Build Optimation modernized a legacy 750-gallon glass-lined reactor by replacing obsolete 1970s-era pneumatic controls and aging piping with a fully updated electronic control and instrumentation system. The project improved safety, maintainability, and regulatory compliance while bringing the reactor in line with current Synthetic Chemicals Division standards and NYS MON/MACT requirements. Delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, the upgrade resulted in a cleaner, more organized work area and a more reliable, operator-friendly system that supports safer and more efficient chemical production.

Retrofitted Solvent Coater

New College Institute wanted to train the local workforce in Martinsville, VA. The local economy was primarily textile and furniture manufacturing related, with limited technical positions. Two local film manufacturers, Commonwealth and CP Films, were struggling to have enough qualified resources for their facilities. New College Institute approached Ralph Schultz of Commonwealth to tackle the problem. They determined that a machine was needed to demonstrate the principles of coating and web conveyance (both essential processes in film making), in addition to a classroom setting to teach the principles. Other companies offered solutions that New College Institute couldn’t afford. Schultz then brought in Commonwealth’s longtime supplier, Re:Build Optimation. Re:Build Optimation’s team was able to offer a creative solution that met New College Institute’s budget constraints.

Production Expansion & Solvent Recovery

American Aerogel, a company developing and manufacturing proprietary aerogel insulation products, had been growing rapidly and needed to expand its production capabilities.

Because demand for its product was so high, American Aerogel’s 24/7 operation required new equipment with process improvements to increase production and improve efficiencies.

Because American Aerogel’s products are made with a proprietary one-of-a-kind aerogel called Aerocore, maintaining confidentiality of the products’ chemical makeup and patented manufacturing processes was/is of the utmost importance. Re:Build Optimation continues to honor this confidentiality.