S Y N T H E T I C FIBER Glass yarns are produced from selected silica sand, limestone, and other minerals abundantly available in nature. After the ingredients are mixed and melted, the molten glass flows by gravity through tiny apertures at the base of small electric furnaces. Streams solidify into cobweb-fine glass filaments, of which one S/,-inch diameter marble produces an approximate 97-mile length. The filaments are processed differently, depending on whether continuous filament or staple yarn is to be the end product. Fiberglas continuous filament yarns are formed by gathering and winding the filaments mechanically and subsequently twisting and plying into the yarn construction desired. Fiberglas staple filament yarns are formed by the impact of compressed air jets driving the molten glass filaments down on a revolving drum, off which they are mechanically drafted into a fuzzy strand.
PROTEIN FIBERS
Vicars, the man-made fiber manufactured by the VirginiaCarolina Chemical Corp., is produced from zein, a protein derived from corn. In 1951, the wet milling industry processed approximately 135,000,000 bushels of corn containing around 8% or 604,000,000 pounds of protein. The zein fraction used for the manufacture of Vicara is near 25% of the total protein; therefore, the basic raw material available for the production of Vicara is in tho neighborhood of 150,000,000pounds annually. The present bottleneck in the manufacture of larger quantities of Vicara is the lack of processing equipment to convert the basic corn protein to the zein stage. Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp. states that their present plant a t Taftville, Conn., can produce around 22,000,000 pounds annually as soon as the zein becomes available. Present rate of production is considerably less than this, but actual figures are not available. Vicara is selling tnrlav at $1.00 per pound.
Polyethylene mono- and multifilament yarns have been made experimentally in both the United States and Great Britain but are still in the development stage. With polyethylene resin currently priced a t 50 cents a pound and reductions po~sibleaa expansion of production facilities cmd other technical improvements are made, polyethylene fibers offer interesting possibilities, particularly if chemical modification can increase strength and heat susceptibility. FUTURE
There are many complicated and interrelated factors that will determine the success or failure of the newer synthetic fibers. Critical are the cost and availability of the raw materials. It is our opinion that if the newer fibers are to attain real maturity and fulfill their early promise, they must combine solid performance features with ready availability a t a low cost. The aim of the intermediate producers and fiber manufacturerfi is to obtain key fiber intermediates from the simplest possible materials-hydrocarbons, oxygen, ammonia, etc.-and to base the syntheses on these intermediates. As the pattern now takes shape, the introduction of new fibere and the further expansion of nylon and rayon production is creating new markets for virtually every basic chemical. The production of newer fiber intermediates-acrylonitrile, tereph thalic acid, and hydrocyanic acid-is being paced with predicted future requirements and based on readily available matcrials. Sales of their fiber derivatives will eventually increase the demands for and step up production of the older intermediates such as ethylene glycol and vinyl chloride. The eventual results of larger production of such versatile raw materials should be a lowering of costs and a more gcneral availability of'interesting chemicals for plastics, surface coatings, and other products far afield from textiles, a benefit to all industry. RECBIIVBD for review Maroh 21, 1952
AOCEFTHIDJuly 8. 1952
Choice of Plant Sites C. 0. HOYER Tha Chemstrand Corp., Decatur, Ala. ELECTION of a location of any new plant-regardless of the nature of its operation or its end productinvolves correlation and evaluation of many important interrelated factors that affect, in varying degrees, the ultimate decision. These factors are basic and are recognized generally in a search for a synthetic textile-fiber plant site. First, it is important t o define accurately the functions of the plant. Then, it is necessary to have a good idea of the items comprising capital costs and, finally, to make a detailed study and summary analyses of the region and the community. Other than these basic factors, there is no fixed formula that will suggest a scientific approach to the problem of plant site location. Recent studies reveal that all factors involved are usually too numerous and complex to evolve standard or stereotyped methods. Relationships for different industries are so wide in scope that generalizations are quite improbable. However, closer attention t o the factors of plant site location has been increasing since the late twenties, with the trend from individually managed and owned enterprises to large integrated and dispersed businesses. With increasing competition, it behooves manage-
S
September 1952
ment t o determine and analyze thoroughly all cost factors in plant site location. I n the past decade some general basic information and methods of approaching the solution have emerged, and there has been more and more thought given t o bringing some order and logic t o the otherwise abnormal situation. One of the chief factors regarding plant site location is the proximity of a company to its raw materials. This is of vital importance because of the relationship of the costs of raw materials to the cost of finished fiber. Consequently, high freight costs may become uneconomical because of the distances from necessary materials. Another factor is labor-unskilled, technical, and professional-the availability and cost, the quality and diversity. In the manufacture of synthetic fiber, a relatively new field, workers must be trained in new techniques in plant operation. Recent surveys have disclosed that the skilled labor market potential has dropped, and demands for highly trained personnel has placed modern industry in a close, competitive race. Highly trained technicians must be employed to carry on the necessary research for this type of industry. A thorough observation
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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SYNTHETIC FIBER G l w yarns are produced from selected & h e e n d , limeatone, and other minerals abundantly available in nature. After the ingrediente are mixed and melted, the molten glass flown by gravity through tiny apertures at the baae of small electric hunaces. Stroams solidify into cobwebfine glssa filamenta, of which one '/.-inch diameter marble oroduces an aooroximate 87-& length. The filamenta are ~ r o ~ s a s addi f f m t l v . denendha on whether continuoue filament *or staple yam is be the ind product. Fiberglas continuous filament yarns are formed by gathering and windhg the filamenta mechanically and subsequently twisting and plying into the yarn construction desired. Fiberglas staple 6lament yams are formed by the impact of compressed air jete driving tbe molten glass filamenta down on a revolving drum, 05 which thsy are mechanically drafted into a fuzzy strand.
_.
to
PIwIzm FmEas Vicara, the man-made fiber manufactured by the Virginia-
Camlina Chemical Corp.,is produced from rein, a protein derived from corn. In 1951,the wet millingindustry p r o c e a p p r o - t e l y 135,OOO,OOO bushels of corn containing around 8% or 604,OOO,oM] pounds of protein. The zein fraction ueed for the manufacture of Vicara is near 25% of the total protein; therefore, the basic raw material available for the pmduction of Vicara is in the neighborhood of 150,OOO.ooO pounds annually. The pres& bottleneck in the mnnufacture of lnger quantities of Vicar8 is the lack of processing equipment to convert the basjo OOA protein to the zein stage. Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp. states that their present plant at Taftville, Conn., can produce around 22,ooO,Mw)pounds annually 88 soon as the zein becomes available. Present rate of production is conriderably less than tbis, but actual l i p are not available. Vicara is selling Ma~at$l.GOperpound.
11;
.
Polyethylene mono- and multifilament yarns have been made experimentally in both the United States and G m t Britain but are still in the development stage. With polyethylene d n currently priced at 50 cents a pound and reductions poerible as expaneion of production facilities and other technical impmve menta are made, polyethylene fibers 05er interesting posaibilitiea, particularly if chemical mcdi6cation can increaae stremgth and heat susceptibility, pIpNB&
There are many complicated and interrelated factom that will determine the success or failure of the newer synthetic fibers. Critical are the coat and availability of the raw materials. It is our opinion that if the newer fibem are to attain real maturity and fulfill their early promien, they must combine solid prformance featum with ready availability at a low coat. T h e aim of the intmnediate producers and fibr manufacturers is to obtain key fiber intermediates from the simplest possible materials-hydrocarbons, oxygen, ammonia, e t e . - m d to bass tlie syntheses on these intermediatca. As the pattern now takes ahape, the introduction of new fibere and the further expansion of nylon and rayon production is creating new markets for virtually every basic chemical. The productlou of newer fiber intermedin-rylonitrile, terephthalic acid, and hydrocyanic acid-is being paced with predicted future requirements and b a d on readily available materials. Bslcs of their fiber derivatives will eventually incnwrse the demands for and step up production of the older iutermedistea such aa ethylene glycol and vinyl chloride. The eventual resulta oflarger production of such versatile raw materials ahodd be a lowering of costa and a more grneral availability ofinteraeting c b e m i d s for plastics, aurfm coatings, and other p d n c t a far d i d d from textiles, a benefit to all industry. R m m for nrier lduob 81. 1862
ACCBPTBD
.I*
8. iasa
Choice of Plant Sites C. 0. HOYER The ChsmsVond Cop., D-tu,,
ELECTION of a location of any new plant-regardlw
S
of the nature of ita operation or ita end produCeinvolvea correlation and evaluation of many important interrelated factors that affect, in varying degrees, the ultimate decision. These factors are basic and are recognized generally in a search for a aynthetic textil&ih plant site. First,it ie important to define accurately the functions of the plant. Then, it is necasary t o have a good idea of the item comprieing capital costs and, finally, t o make a detailed study and summary analysea of the region and the community. Other than theae basic factom, there is no 6xed formula that will suggest a scientiiic approach to the problem of plant site location. Recent studies reveal that all factors involved are ueually too numerous and complex to evolve standard or stereotypal me&ds. Rehtiorahipa for diEexent industries are 80 wide in scope that generalizations are quite improbable. However, cloaer attention to the factare of plant site location has beem increasing since the late twenties, with the trend from individually managed and owned enterprim to large integrated and dispersed busin-. With increasing competition, it behooves manage
Septemher 1952
Ab.
ment to determine and analyze thoroughly all oost faoton, m plant sits location. In the paat decade some general basic information and methods of approaching the solution have emerged, and there has been more' and more thought given to bringing some order and logic to the otherwise abnormal situation. One of the chief factom regarding plant site location is the proximity of a company to ita raw materials. This is of vital importance because of the relationship of the costa of raw m a t e rials to the cost of 6niabd fiber. Consequently, hi& freight c&s may become uneconomical because of the distances from necessary materials. Another factor is labor--unskilled, technical, and profsional-the availability and cost, the quality and diveraity. In the manufaL%ureof synthetic fiher, a relatively new field, workere must be trained in new techniques in plant operation. Recent surveys have diaclcnsd that the skilled labor market potential has dropped, and demands for highly trained personnel has placed modem industry in a close. competitive race. Highly trained technicians must be employed to carry on the nemwwy research for this type of industry. A thorough observation
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2133
SYNTHETIC FIBER Table I.
Reasons for Locating New Establishments in New England"
Personal Market advantages Production relationships Material availability h4anagement relationships Labor considerations Available plant Water supply Waste disposal Transportation facilities Total reasons citedb Number of companies
All Firms 37 28 19 11 8 6 5 2 1
New Firms 29 7 1 2 1 2
..
.. .. ..
1 118
42 42
106
Branch Plants 2 11 18 6 6 2 4 2 1 1 53 44
-
Plant Relocations 6 10
..
3 1 2 1
.. ..
.. 23 20
a Reasons cited b y executives of 106 firms which set up new establishments in New England from August 1945 to June 1948. b Some executives offered more than one principal reason for establishment in New England.
value of ten shows extreme importance of the factor and a value of one shows least importance. The rating K is assigned to indicate how well a particular community satisfies a particular factor; a score of ten is perfect while a score of one is poor. W times R when totaled gives a measure of the desirability of one region or community over another. It is apparent that an attempt was made to fix relative magnitude in quantitative terms. Unfortunately, the mere assignments of weights presses opinion to the limit and to a large degree the final answer is controlled heavily by experience and judgment of the person making the study. Nevertheless, in the final analysis, such an approach does have the attribute ofnt least moving in a direction to minimize opinion alone.
Those that do the factors carry the s apply to a chemical plant would not necessarily be the same ae those that apply to a eynthetic fiber plant. For example, different factors are involved for a phosphate or other plant depending on natural resources. Other factors govern the location of a plastic and resin-producing plant or of a metal fabrication plant. The location of the basic raw materials for a chemical plant would be more important for the operation requiring ethylene than would be the case for a plant manufacturing pharmaceuticals. A chemical plant producing a myriad of products would have a different location than a plant producing one or two products. I n locating a chemical plant in some states, for example, all the attributes of available raw material may be present but the need for cooling water imposes a very severe problem and might submerge raw material availability as a major factor, either as a raw material factor or investment factor. A phosphate plant should be placed on top of the phosphate rock itself. A metals fabrication plant might be located where the most skills could be obtained. A plant set up to produce synthetic fiber is largely concerned with its source of raw material and its market.
Table 111. Weighing Plant Location Factors
Factor
We#ht,
Rating, R CornCommunity munity
I
Labor 2.5 3.3 Fuels 1.0 Power 1.0 Living conditions 0.5 Transportation 0.5 Climate 0.6 Supplies Aggregatc score, sum RW
I1
Product, R W ComCommunity munity
I
I1
17.5 9.9 3.0 4.0 4.0 2.0 3.6
22.5 3.3
44.0
1.0
3.0 2.0 1.5 3.6 36.9
Table 11. Reasons for Selecting Specific Communities in New England" Suitable building Labor supply Personal Suitable site Transportation consideratia Production relationships Market advantages Material availability Management relationships Community action Tax considerations Machinery availability Water supply Waste dispqsal Capital availability Development commission action Total reasons citedb Number of companies
All Firms 62 50 27 12 11
New Firms 19 14 23 4 3 2 2 5
8 6 6
3 3 3 2 2 1
1
..
1 1
1 2
.. ..
..
..
..
..
..
1 82 44
.. ..
198
106
..
Relocations 16 9 3 4 3
3
'i
1
Branch Plants 27 27 1 4 5 6 3
76 42
2 1
1 1
I
1
1
.. 1
.. 4T 20
a Reasons cited b y executives of 106 firms which set up new establishments in New England from August 1945 to June 1948: b Most executives offered more than one principal reason for establishment in the selected community.
COST FACTORS
Whether or not the individual concerned believes that selection has been based on personal informational background, in the end, cost factors related to the operation will dominate in the final conclusion. Since nothing is absolute about the problem or about the means for obtaining the answer, managements of firms may often believe that the selection has been made for personal reasons. However, in simplest terms, the cost factors involved are raw materials, transportation of raw materials, investment, manufacture, including essentially all costs of doing business, and finally, transportation of the finished goods to market. The governing factors are not the same for all plants nor do September 1952
The method of getting to the answer can be straightforward. Data are accumulated and the pertinent desired information is set up in table form. The form of the report should be concise for review and analysis by the president and board of directors, and also representatives from research, operations, sales, and engineering. The data presented will show a pattern from which a choice of regions can be made, and subsequently, similar information with perhaps different factors dominant will highlight the most desirable community. Final decisions on a location must be a reconciliation between the favorable and unfavorable aspects of all the alternative locations and must include the economic tangible factors aa well as the intangibles. Because it is difficult for a large group to arrive at a decision, the president usually makes the recommendation to the board of directors from concise comparative data and charts that can be easily analyzed. The list of all factors that can be involved is long; it may include land, population, housing, local government, sanitation services, transportation, power, water, and fuel. TANGIBLE ECONOMIC FACTORS
While all these are important in the final analyses, they need not enter into the initial phase of the work of selecting a site. Out of the number of items to be considered some can be selected as tangibles. These are solely economic and important to the process. Regional and community factors include transportation costs
on raw materials and finished goods, taxes, insurance, atti-
tude of the state and local governments, fuel and energy charges, derentralization, availability of water and waste disposal facilities, access to transportation, proximity of water route, and con-
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
2135
struction costs. Building site factors are the investment costs, size of the plot, terrain and physical characteristics pertinent to design and foundation, and water transportation. factors to be set Out for review The specific major to aid in the selection of a region a t least for diversified chemical operations or synthetic fiber plants are costs of steam, power, water, labor, transportation on raw materials and finished goods, and all taxes, exclusive of federal income taxes. These may be used in showing the difference in over-all costs before and after federal income taxes for the regions that have been suggested as possible locations.
Table IV,
tant. The trend of labor conditions will be analyzed. 1~l genera], there is a tendency for labor rates t o equalize. A definition of how dependable and productive the dominant trait of labor be and hovvavailable mustbe made; here th6* selectors must lean on experience and judgment. During the survey of both regions and communities, the surveyors will have learned about the labor supply, its types, and whether or not the workers are responsible, stable, and permanent citizens of the community. This information ~ i l include l the proportion of ownership of homes, this detail indicating the stake
Location Study Summary .~
Area.
I
I1 I11 IV V VI
VI1
VI11
Xax. diff. a Per 100
Total 8teama Power" matera Labora Freighta Taxes" 2.15 0.79 0.75 5.03 3.31 1.16 3.70 0.72 0.73 5.03 3.1Q 1.97 3.77 0.49 0.73 5.03 3.32 2.26 3.52 0.87 0.75 5.83 3.78 1.68 4.42 0.89 0.75 4.27 3.11 3.06 4.64 0.79 0.73 4.27 3.27 3.06 3.94 0.89 0.73 4.70 3.58 3.07 0.79 0.73 4.64 4.38 3.34 3.61 2.49 0.40 0.02 1.56 0.67 2.45 pounds of produot.
Total5 13,l9 15.34 15.60 16.43 16.50 16.76 16.91 17.49 4.30
An outline form for the compilation of such data is shown in Table IV. From these figures a full review of the situation can be presented. A confcrence with the president, managers, research people, representatives of operations, sales, and enginerring is in order at this time. I t is possible a t this stage to reduce likely regions to one or two arcas O r Communities that Seem to fit the economic equation. It also is very important to consider the personal desires of those who will be involved in the operation-in other words, employees a t all levels. At the close of such a meeting, several qualified individuals should be assigned t o obtain similar tangible economic information for specific communities within the region. All site obeervations and field surveys should into play to subqtantiate as firmly as possible all the information gathered. After the information is accumulated, the new, more sperific and broader data on the specific Community are compiled in a summary as was done for the regional data. This information is carefully reviewed, weighed, alld judged before intangible factors that pertain t o community conditions, schools, churches, hospitals, and roads come into play. Investment costs a t this point take on a specific identity. Investment costs can vary in different parts of the country. The South lends itself to outdoor or semi-outdoor construction. There will be a reflection of the amount of constructionunder way, whether it is private or government. Productivity of construetion workers will be indicated. Travel time can be a factor; for instance, on a $ ~ ~ , O O O , O O O job, this alone can amount to $100,000 on which a return must be earned for many years. ToPOgraPhY is a factor in investment and it can rule out sites with poor terrain, although they are otherwise advantageously located. Cooling water is a factor for heat exchange and the manner in which this is accomplished may cause considerable variation in manufacturing costs. Industry is becoming increasingly aware of the problem of effluent in its public relations concepts. There is a definite trend and a good one to avoid stream and air pollution. Therefore, the effluent problem must receive a thorough and careful review as expenditure for thiq type of facility can be expensive. LABOR SUPPLY
W-ith all the foregoing information a t hand as well as the table summary of economic factors for communities involving the search for possible and desirable sites, the president now has sufficient information upon which to make a recommendation. This recommendation will not be based on economic factors alone, but will include a conclusion arrived a t after full review of all the intangibles. The report m d l review all matters relating to labor. Since auccess of plants depends on people, the labor factor is impor-
2136
Total Differenoe ~-
Dollars/year before federal inc. taxes 0 215,000 241,000 324,000 331,000 357,000 372,000 430,000
1 1 1
Dolladyear after federal ino. taxes
Pes 100 Ib. produced
Diti. in Steam
?iff. in Taxes
0 400,000 448,000 603,000 615,000 665,000 691,000 800,000
0 2.15 2.41 3.24 3.31 3.57 3.72 4.30
0 1.55 1.62 1.37 2.27 2.49 1.79 2.49
0 0.81 1.10 0.52 1.90 1.90 1.91 2.45
Watt.1
Transpor tation None Possible Possible Possible None Possible None NonP
individuals have in the future of business in the community and perhaps being a criteria of their willingness to extend best efforts. Recreation facilities can be a f a c p r in inducing happiness and satisfaction in the work which will show up in production. The available skills and the labor organizational back@ound in the mea must be On the other hand, the availability of skills may not prove tu be as important an item as once thought. Training programa have been developed to the point where workers can be trained within a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost to take oveT new jobs. In some cases it is believed feasible to train new workers rather than to try to adapt skilled workers to new habits and ideas. Wage rates are relatively easy to obtain from Or local industry, state commissions? chambers Of development services. If technical and prof~ssionalPersonnel are needed in any great number, their interest should not he overlooked TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
The factor of transportation is considered next. corrlplete information from reliable sources should be used in computing statistics relative t o transportation costs. Transportation costs mount up quickly whether or not a firm is transporting raw materials or finished goods; the cost of moving from one place to another is 8 real cost, being inextricably fixed to the unit Cost Once the plant is built, this cost cannot ever be eliminated, except by negotiation, and these negotiations depend initial11 On the strategic location Of the plant* Possible water transportation should not be overlooked IXL this connection. The free enterprise system is built on competition. A little rivalry worlis to influence the cost of transportation services. In manufacturing operations where transportation is a heavy dominate, one will find that water-borne freight may be an answer. The selectors will also find, however, that desirable sites on water routes are not plentiful. If water transportation is an asset, the capital cost of shore installations and the operations then should be recognized in the cost summaries OTHER FACTORS
Power and Fuel. Two other factors, whose weight can varj the power and fuel costs. I n this with the type industry, particular category, firm figures can be developed and the long
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMYSTRY
Vol. 44, No. 9
S Y N T H LTI C range trend can be judged. The manufacturing capacity of the proposed new plant should have been developed well enough to establish within a reasonable range what the amounts of these particular materials and services must be, and hence the costs. Taxes. Taxes are another important factor and, as things now stand, a very important factor in present-day business cost structures. City and state government influence, in general, should be ascertained as to its effect on the enterprise. There is the influence extended by the state’s laws covering minimum wages and masimum hours, workmen’s compensation, the state’s incorporation laws, welfare facility requirements, and also the general influence that will be exerted by the state tax structure. In many states the length of time that effort can be expended without a break is outlined. The lunch hour is specific. While the state laws may govern, such items may not have too great a bearing on the ultimate decision in plant location. Nevertheless, they should receive proper consideration. The same is true of state tax structures. As a matter of fact, calculations of the effect of taxes might well be carried out very early, when consideration is given to the possible need for a new plant site. By so doing, even the number of regions to be reviewed can be reduced. It is well to recognize the tax bill as a total t a x bill rather than picking up isolated items from which the total is made. The total tax burden includes fees for establishing business in a state, state corporate taxes, sales tax use tax, assessment on property, machinery, and inventory, and any other fees or licenses required for the privilege of doing business within a state. It is well to evaluate the intangible factor of the attitude of the state and local legislative and administrative personnel. All these matters play a key role in the comparison of state tax burdens. Dispersal. For the first time in modern history, the need of maintaining industrial production under conditions of ossible direct military action must be faced. Dispersal is anotter factor which is receiving increasing thought. The trend generally is to get away from the metropolitan areas where labor and plant facilities are now concentrated and to relocate in areas not so heavily developed industrially. The final analysis indicates that it may be possible to narrow the over-all problem of selecting a plant site into figures which will ermit logical evaluation and produce a reasonable decision. Whik the factors are many and varied, they can be reduced within limits of mental digestion. And by stepwise evaluation, any organization should be able to select a plant site to meet its needs and ensure long and profitable operation. CHOICE OF CHEMSTRAND’S ACRILAN PLANT LOCATION
FIB E R
process, cooling, disposal; adequze labor market; reasonable distanco between raw materials and markets for finished goods: a favorable tax structure and community conditions; acceptable sites free from possible flooding and areas without high development costs. And, in the case of nylon, an adequate source of natural gas was necessary. After several months of analytical surveys throughout a wide section of the coiintry, potential choices for the Acrilan plant were narrowed to two sites. Both of these were in the same state and both were close to basic requirements. Chemstrand, however, finally selected one of them, a 700-acre tract on the banks of Wheeler Lake, formed by the Tennessee River, a t Decatur, Ala. Availability of electrical power, water for processing, good transportation routes by water, rail, and highway, and labor to operate the produotion facilities were principal reasons for selecting Decatur as the site for the Chemstrand administrative headquarters, its large reRearch development center, and Acrilau production facilities. Chemstrand indicated that this location provided an economical balance between Chemstrand’s source of basic raw materials and the primary markets for the finished fibers. It also was economically possible and physically feasible t o acknowledge the Government’s program for dispereal of new industry away from congcsted metropolitan arem. Meanwhile, Chemstrand has bcen licensed by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., to produce and market nylon filament yarn, a significant development that has had a considerable broadening effect on the character of this company. Chemstrand, in a similar search for the nylon plant site location, selected a 2000acre tract along the Escambia River north of Pensacola, Fla. The site selected for nylon satisfied broadly the premises set down, A balance was struck between proximity to raw materials, natural gm, and distance to markets. The economic value of being close to the raw materials and natural gas became the dominant factor. This, coupled with the desire to operate a fully integrated plant, from raw materials to finkhed fibers, tipped the scale to Pensacola, rather than have a chemical operation close to the basic raw materials in one place, and a finished goods operation in another place, which might have been Decatur.
The Chemstrand Corp. was confronted with all these oonsiderations during their search for plant locations. Two pliints and other facilities now are under construction. One to manufacture Acrilan, acrylic textile fibers, and the other to produce nylon filament yarn. The factors that were used as a basis to arrive at the conclusion of where to locate the plant were rail, highway, and water transportation; adequate water supply for
REOEIVED for review Maroh 3, 1952.
FRANK TESL, Celanese Corp. of America: Mr. Bouvet, you mentioned the fact that if anything less than 20 or 15% of another fiber .was added to a fabric, the effect was nil,and that most of the fibers which were added in such small amounts were added for other reasons, either for selling or making them sound good. Is that actually the case? Is it not true that often the addition of as little as 10 to 15% has increased certain performance properties? RENE B O W E T : This is another very involved problem and depends on what fabric you deal with. In a blend of viscose and cotton, you will find 50% viscose will be required be-
fore its influence is evident. In a blend of cotton and nylon (and speaking now of cotton, I want you to bear in mind that it, is a short fiber), if you use SO% cotton and 20% nylon for the purpose of increasing the tensile strength of your yarn, you will fail miserably. What you will do, however, is increase the abrasion resistance but you will not get better tensile strength. We have some particular cases, for instance, in which we are blending wool and nylon under the worsted system, and in that case we handle 4-inch length staples, from 4 to 6 inches. We do find the addition of 15 or 20% nylon t o a blend in which the other
September 1952
LITERATURE CITED
(1) Aries, R. S., “ Plant Location in the Process Industry a8 Determined by Economic conditions,’’ New York, Am. Soo. Mech. Eng., Feb. 10, 1950. (2) Ellis, G. H., Monthly Rev. Fed. Reserve Bank of Boston, 31 (April 1949).
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
AOCEPTED June 2, ID52
2137
