Not sure if this argument was put to rest or not. Having worked for a company like Rock-Ten and for an engineering firm, I can tell you what kiind of engineers Rock Ten would send to "check out" a P2O solution from JBI.
First of all, they would not be interested in having a JBI machine on their site unless it was a proven quantity, ie. unless it ran 24/7 with some kind of predictable result. Merely "working" is not good enough. They could not allow something to happen on-site that would interfere with their daily operations, was not predictable, or had repairs or modifications going on all the time. Companies do not focus on technologies that are their core competency. RKT has a way of working now that at least asllows them to concentrate on their core business. If they let JBI build a plant, they would have to take into account the changed logistics on-site, and the change to their business operations (they no longer have to dispose of as much waste), etc. Unless they were sure it worked, it is just a variable that would have consequences.
Companies like RKT have engineers with a focus on operations and business. They tend to outsource the pure engineering work (design, detailed design, drawings, CAD) that kind of stuff. Assuming that they were anticipating having a fully-proven JBI unit on-site, they would need to discuss with JBI:
- logistics on the site (this is more complicated than you would think). One project I worked on involved trucks vs rail. Believe it or not, a deciding factgor was the amount of dust that trucks kick up on the site. So there is mode and increased traffic to worry about.
- services required by the unit. Interfaces.
- Permitting. This is a biggie. This arrangement allows JBI to piggyback on RKT's permits. In that way, it is a good deal for jBI. When I worked in Industrial Gases, we had our plants on customer site in much the same way. It worked great. They were on customer property and totally unseen by the puiblic.
- Facilities, security, that kind of thing.
They would not have laot of guys that cold verify that it "worked" because they don't usually do that kind of thing.
In looking at the PR regarding this deal, a couple of things do not seem right. You don't sign a "license" or give "exclusive rights" to something that no one wants. The plastic that is. RKT is paying to dispose of it? It seems to be making more of it than what it is. I understand that RKT pays nothing and gets 20% of the revenue or something?
Also, JBI says that it is going to deploy swiftly and that it is goign to be "plug and play"? Plug and play is a computer term that does not apply to process industries. It means you just plug it in and it works right away. Well, if you build a process plant, you have to have some kind of Commissioning/ Startup phase to make sure it is safe. It can be standardized, but you have to do it. I am not sure what government body regulates that. I know that individual vessels have to be certified through TSSA, etc, but the process? i don't know. It is definitely not "plug and play". Now "modular"... that is important.
