The first phase of the project to expand and reorganise the laboratory at Altair Chemical’s Saline di Volterra (PI) site has been completed. A new phase is now beginning, focused on refurbishing and upgrading the existing laboratory.
Over the past few months, new spaces have been created and new solutions introduced, already bringing tangible improvements to the organisation of analytical activities.
A new office has been created for laboratory analysts, separating data processing activities from hands-on laboratory work, together with new staff facilities. A new demineralised water distribution network has also been brought into operation, supplying water directly to the points of use and replacing the previous IBC-based system, thereby reducing handling and transfer operations.
In terms of automation, the introduction of a Metrohm automatic titrator and the in-house development of a method for testing intermediates and finished products, including ferric chloride, have improved the traceability and reliability of analytical data while reducing the most critical manual operations.
The transfer of laboratory equipment to the new operational area, created from the former garage, has also been completed, with four new fume hoods installed.
This milestone marks the start of the second phase of the project, dedicated to refurbishing the existing laboratory. This phase will also include the installation of a fifth fume hood and a comprehensive reorganisation of the available space.
Once the project is completed, the laboratory will comprise four dedicated analytical rooms, each designed for specific types of products and reagents. This layout is intended to provide greater separation between different analytical activities, reduce potential sources of chemical risk, and make laboratory work even safer and more efficient.
The project began around a year and a half ago and is supported by a total investment of more than €700,000. It continues with a clear objective: to provide our people, as well as our quality control and research and development activities, with an increasingly modern, functional and safe laboratory.
