Site Selection for Silica Powder - Essay Example

Introduction Location of a firm means the selection of site where the proposed firm would be established. While establishing the firm, an appropriate decision has to be made. Site selection has a significant impact on firm profitability. The project planners should put into consideration the objective of the firm, that’s maximizing its profits by maximizing sales and minimizing operational costs. A good site would lead to success while a bad site would lead to failure of the business enterprise. A lot of factors may be put into consideration, but the most influential factors include: - Availability of raw materials, labour, water and power, transport, land, environmental factors, political influence, effect on local community and market among others. (Catherine 2003) Site selection. Factors to consider Silicon, in form of sand and clay is used to make concrete and brick. These products are bulky and hence the firm should be located near their market to avoid the costs involved in transportation of the finished products. Silicon in form of silicate is used in making enamel, pottery and glass. These commodities are fragile and hence the firm should be near the market to avoid breakage of these commodities once transported for long distances to the market (Douglas and Julia 2006) Availability of raw materials is an important factor in deciding the location of a firm. Raw materials are the input to any production process and hence very vital, silicon, is not found free in nature, but occurs chiefly as oxide and as silicate. These silicate and oxide are mined underground in form of blocks. These blocks are heavy and bulky. The production site should be near source of the raw materials to minimize the cost of transporting them to far distance. (Douglas and Julia 2006) In some cases, the raw materials get depleted from a region where the plant is located. There is need for raw materials from outside. Similarly it is oblivious that the firm requires being located near the market for its products, but there is need to search for market all over. Good transport network must be put in place to cater for this . Silicon production requires large quantities of raw materials from different sources. The silicon bearing rock may be depleted and hence need for raw materials from far regions. (Catherine 2003) Silicon products have various uses it’s also used as raw material to other products by firms located far a way from production site. It’s used in making solar cells rectifier and other solid state device which are used extensively in the electronic and space age industries. A good transport network is required to facilitate a smooth flow of raw materials into the production site as well as finished goods to various markets. Poorly developed transport facilities will increase the cost of transporting bulky raw materials and the same will cause delays in receiving raw materials and distributing the finished products to the market. The firm will require being in contact with other business associates like suppliers and customers as well as being updated on market situations. This calls for a location with good communication network. (Douglas and Julia 2006) Since silicon is mined underground, a lot of labour is required. The human resource required is in three categories that is skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour. The extraction of oxides and silicates require abundant skilled and semi skilled labour. Since it’s not found free in nature and occurs as oxides and silicates, skilled labour is required in the purification process. Silicon is commercially prepared by heating silica and carbon in an electric furnace using carbon electrode. This process requires experts and hence skilled labour is demanded. The plant should be located in an area where there are facilities or utilities that would attract such personalities. The location selected should be well served with public facilities and auxiliary services to offer recreational facilities for the workers. Service industry should be well developed. Some services should be available like banking and insurance to cater for the welfare of the employees’ .Due to labour requirements, the location of the firm should be near a highly populated region. . (Catherine 2003) Mineral and stone cutters who constitute the largest part of labour are usually affected by silicon dust resulting to developing a session long disease known as silicosis.To avoid this, the part of labour involved should not to be long exposed to siliceous dust. This calls for need of abundant labour force but also an appropriate one. . (Catherine 2003) Silicon mining has a long lasting and negative effective on environment. This includes land dereliction, pollution, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and landslides. Upon depletion of mineral, the land is abandoned and left in a state that no vegetation can grow. It leads to stagnant pools of water where soil and rocks was scooped out. This leads to scenic pollution with mine slag scatted almost everywhere.. The effects of dereliction include waste of agriculture land, water of industrial use and ugliness resulting to loss of aesthetic value and health and accident hazard s. Such pools becomes breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other water borne diseases. These factors necessitate the location of any mining firms to be located away from residential areas. (Gerald 2005) Use of explosion in mines to loosen the rocks for mining make the ground loose and susceptible to land slides. During mining extensive area of vegetation may be cleared to pave way for the exploitation of silicon minerals leading to loss of plant life with devastation of the plant life, the habitant of various animals are also destroyed this leads to loss of bio diversity. Clearing of vegetation results desertification, which in tern leads to aridity. This reduces food supply affecting the entire community. Such firms should be located in arid areas. (Gerald Justine 2005) During mining process toxic gasses are emitted from the mine leading to air pollution. Miners are exposed to siliceous dust whereby when breathed in large quantities afterwards, develops a serious lung disease known as silicosis. This also affects the surrounding communities. When it rains, rainwater washes some of the toxic wastes into the rivers and lakes causing water pollution endangering aquatic life. Areas close to mines experience noise pollution that emanates from the heavy machinery used for blasting. At times explosives are used for blasting the rocks. Noise pollution affects the hearing ability and at times causes deafness. All these affects human life and hence these firms should be located away from residential areas. (Barry and George 2005) Mining leads to interference with the soil structure making it lose and vulnerable to agents of erosion, that is water and wind. Toxic gases and water pumped out of mines interfere with the soil chemical composition making it unsuitable for agriculture. Heavy equipment and explosion used during mining cause tremor that may trigger off mass wasting. Mining do interfere with the layers of earth crust making them susceptible to mass wasting which may at time burry settlements leading to destruction of property and loss of human life. This destroys the nature of the land. (Barry and George 2005) Silicon is prepared commercially by heating silica and carbon in an electric furnace using carbon electrode. In the process, carbon dioxide gas is given off. Carbon dioxide depletes the ozone layer. Depleted ozone layer allows the short infrared rays from the sun penetrate to the atmosphere, these rays cause skin cancer. Elementary silicon transmits more than 95% of all wavelength of infrared, from 1.3 to 6.y micro-m. Infrared rays causes skin cancer Carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere forming a kind of a blanket that prevents heat loss from the atmosphere. This results to global warming. Increased temperatures have resulted to melting of glacier on mountaintops and arctic region that has resulted to rising sea level and consequently submergence of costal lands. Beautiful coastal landforms have been submerged and weather Patten distorted. (Barry and George 2005) Due to the above-mentioned harmful effects associated with silicon mining and manufacturing, site selection for manufacturing of silicon must be affected politically. The government, in an effort to safeguard the interest of its citizens can dictate the location where such firm would be located, obliviously in remote areas away from settled areas. (Barry and George 2005) References Barry S. and George M. (2005) Factors to consider for establishment of manufacturing plant. Greenwood Press: London. Catherine Campbell (2003) Silicon Powder Manufacturing: Oxford University Press: London. Douglas A and Julia W. (2006) Uses of Silicon Powder Greenwood Press: London. Gerald Justine (2005) Environmental problems Due To Industrialization: Prentice Hall New York. Read More