Guar Plant Going Up
The skyline of the city’s north side is changing with the addition of a large building that, when complete, will make one of the most unique businesses in Brownfield one of the most unique businesses in the world.
Steel framing was going skyward this week at Guar Resources, LLC (GR), formerly and West Texas Guar, as part of the local company’s $3.3 million plant expansion at the once-troubled company’s location at the intersection of Railroad Ave., Felt and 5th Streets. Demolition began in July on the site to make room for two new buildings that will house an 85-foot tall processing plant. Cranes and hydraulic lifts were busy this week placing the steel for that tall building. The foundation was partially laid last month and will be finished out around the new machine once it is set in place.
The new plant will be entirely new and designed from the ground-up for the sole purpose of processing guar beans into splits and the final product of powder. Alex Muraviyov, General Manager, told the Brownfield News that it will be the most advanced guar plant in the world.
“The plants we have now was pieced together from other equipment that wasn’t intended for guar,” he said. “Our new plant will be designed only for this specific purpose.” The new construction won’t replace the current plant entirely, but will be used in tandem with the existing facility.
The new plant is currently being constructed in its entirety in India, where Muraviyov has traveled several times to oversee its progress. Once completed, it will be inspected and tested a final time by the local plant managers, before it is torn down and packaged for shipment to Brownfield.
It will soon be reassembled by locally hired contractors under the direction of the Indian manufacturers. More than 70 percent of the world’s guar is grown in India, so that’s where the most knowledge of the process and experience with its production is.
“They will make sure everything goes together properly and then we will run the new plant non-stop for 72 hours to test every facet,” said Muraviyov, a native of Russia with extensive experience in plant management. “This will be a world-class manufacturing facility.”
He hopes the new plants will be fully operational by March. Guar Resources remains the only fully integrated guar processor in the United States. GR’s main processing facilities currently operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Currently, about 25 full time employees work at the plant, but the planned expansion could add 8-10 more.
Guar, a drought tolerant legume, is grown extensively in the Southwestern United States. Guar products are used in a variety of industries including food processing, cosmetics and oil and gas production.
Article Courtesy of Brownfield News
