WM Calcium Carbide — Iguatama CO₂
A CO₂ recovery plant fed by raw gas from an existing calcium carbide operation, requiring redesign and additional equipment after startup.
- Location
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Industry
- Industrial gas
- Project type
- CO₂ recovery plant
- Role
- Project Controls → acting Construction Manager
- Lifecycle phase
- Post-startup redesign → construction → commissioning readiness
- Career stage
- White Martins / Praxair — Project Controls
Taking direct construction leadership on a post-startup redesign
Context
The original project recovered raw gas from an existing carbide operation. After startup, product quality did not consistently meet the required specification, so the plant needed redesign, additional equipment and a revised production strategy.
The execution problem
When engineering and procurement for the modification were complete, workload constraints meant no dedicated Construction Manager was available for the field phase.
Approach
I mobilized to site and assumed construction-management responsibility directly: Job Safety Analysis reviews, contractor and resource planning, activity sequencing, constraint resolution, progress coordination and continuous alignment with commissioning needs.
Outcome
Construction completed ahead of the required milestone. The value was not the headline: the time gained was transferred to the commissioning team, creating additional opportunity to review automation and the startup plan before restart.
Finishing construction early creates the most value when the time gained is transferred effectively to commissioning and startup.