History

The Genesis and History of PROCESS

Occasionally we get asked – “So how in the world did anyone come up with the idea of forming an engineering company that provides nothing but chemical engineering services?”  Well years ago, before PROCESS existed, the founding Partner of PROCESS was visiting a chemical facility to perform some work.  The technical contact at the facility one day asked the Partner to walk out behind the engineering building to look at something.  It was a brand-new chemical process that had been recently commissioned and started up.  It was the most beautiful thing the Partner had ever seen.  A multi-story unit, the sun glistening off of the shiny new silver insulation and with brightly painted process equipment, and utility pipes, all clearly labeled, as well as everything being ergonomically perfect.  “Wow!” said the Partner.  “Yes”, the plant engineer said, “but it only produces 50% of what it is supposed to”.  In other words, the detail engineering was spot-on; the construction well-completed;  BUT – the process was doomed from the start because the chemical process engineering, the very first phase of the project, done by a well-known full-service engineering company (name withheld), was wrong.

So, in early 1996, the Partner along with two other very like-minded individuals (all of whom, by the way, are today still integral to the operation of the company), started PROCESS out of their homes.  The mission?  To provide only chemical process engineering services – not as a side-line, not as just a small piece of the overall engineering business, and certainly not as an “in” for capturing the much more lucrative detail engineering phase of a project, but as the absolute sole focus of the company.  Since then, with the addition over the years of many more of these “like-minded individuals”, thus it remains true today.  The best chemical process engineering available anywhere, done correctly each time, every time, and at a fair price. Thanks to our capabilities and ever growing client base’s recognition of such, we have grown to become the world’s largest independent chemical process design company.

A Philosophy Based on Experience

Our experience has taught us that if the design of the plant’s process is less than optimal, or downright incorrect, then the client will be faced with years of effort and expenditures trying to recover from such problems. We believe in getting the process designed right the first time and know that we can do so better than most companies for two main reasons:

1. We specialize in process engineering only…. no civil, mechanical, or electrical. Your process is our focus. It’s what we do and all we do.
2. We hire only highly-qualified individuals that enjoy process engineering and have a proven track record of accomplishments. It is a requirement that all of our engineers have significant operations support experience so they understand, first hand, the real-world issues that operators, technicians, maintenance personnel, and management face. We believe this experience is vitally important to providing the best possible results.

Our Goal

Our everyday short-term goal is to get the job done on time, under budget, and meet or exceed your expectations. Our long-term goal is to become the best chemical process engineering service provider in the world. We think we are well on our way…

Business Growth Strategy

We have multiple offices in the U.S. with future expansions in different geographical areas planned. Our strategy is simple – work hard, pay attention to the details, and control growth based on our ability to make such growth transparent to our customers. We will not sacrifice our service quality for the sake of growth.

Working with PROCESS

You will find all of our staff to be very customer-focused and very responsive. We realize that the way to earn and keep a customer’s loyalty is by being very forthright, trustworthy, and providing affordable engineering services that create solutions that work every time. If your requirements are beyond our capability or available resources then we will tell you.

Employment with PROCESS

Can you imagine a place where your skills as a chemical engineer are fully utilized? Where you are continually challenged by working on entirely different processes on a routine basis? Where work hours are flexible and you control your salary by how much you work? A place without the bureaucracy and distractive trappings of a large corporation. You can even bring your bird dog to work if you like – we don’t care, just perform exceptional work, and keep your client happy. Such a place does exist …. Process Engineering Associates, LLC.

Employment at PROCESS offers the advantage of being part of an aggressive, growing process engineering company. Our company structure, philosophies, and performance-based (hourly) pay affords each individual the highest degree of professional freedom practical in our field of endeavor. Employees are encouraged through financial incentives and potential ownership positions to develop their own business prospects and ultimately their own entrepreneurial service areas.

One of our goals at PROCESS is to provide a challenging and rewarding career experience for our employees over the long term, not just a job. Unlike many engineering companies, PROCESS does not hire engineers by the batch to gear up for one large specific short-term project and then have a layoff after the project is complete. We would rather pass up opportunities than manage the company in this way. Instead, we selectively hire based on what we perceive as the sustainable long-term needs of our client base. This long-term approach to growth provides a stable and enjoyable environment in which to practice the trade we love – process engineering.