Process and Chemical Process Industries is a large grouping of industrial production type entities and facilities.

PETROCHEMICAL  CHEMICAL PROCESS  REFINERIES  OIL & GAS  PLASTICS  POLYMERS  PULP & PAPER  PACKAGING  HERBICIDES  PHARMACEUTICALS  BIOPROCESSING

Cogent has experience in designing, engineering, constructing, commissioning, operating and maintaining, extensive process and chemical manufacturing facilities.

Chemical and process facilities are typically hazardous environments and may be classified as Process Safety Managed under OSHA. Due to the hazardous nature of these facilities it can be difficult for designers, engineers and constructors to meet schedule and cost requirements of a given project. Experience shows that expertise in the chemical and process industries is essential in knowing the true nature of process  and safety need to keep a given project on schedule and within budget.

Additionally, the complex arrangement of equipment, systems and process units requires careful coordination between the various engineering disciplines involved. Having dealt with many coordination related and Building Information Modeled (BIM) projects gives Cogent the edge in understanding the true nature of a construction delay claim related to a chemical processing facility.

HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURING

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS  AUTOMOTIVE  TRUCKS  RAILCARS  AIRCRAFT  SHIPPING  METALS  METAL  IRON STEEL PROCESSING  FORMING STAMPING  MACHINERY  MACHINE TOOLS  FORGING GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR  INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES  FOOD AND BEVAGE  MILITARY LAW ENFORCEMENT  FASTENING  JOINING  WELDING  EXTRUSTION  INJECTION MOULDING

Included in Cogent’s experience, under the categories of operation and maintenance, Cogent knows detailed information around such matters as permitting, environmental compliance, environmental reporting, staffing, budgeting, labor and workforce management including union facilities, safety management, process safety management (PSM), operational discipline, operational excellence, predictive and preventative maintenance etc. It is this well-rounded expertise that gives Cogent a full understanding of facilities in the process and heavy industry related fields. As an example, knowledge around maintenance issues in these types of facilities are paramount during the DESIGN and ENGINEERING of these types of facilities so as to mitigate and avoid designing these maintenance issues into the project.

CONSUMER PRODUCTS ENGINEERING,  MANUFACTURING AND LIABILITY

Resources at Cogent have been involved in manufacturing and evaluation of consumer goods for almost 3 decades. Our experience ranges from direct and indirect manufacture and evaluation of instrumentation, electronics, automotive, household products, construction products, building materials, insulation, apparel, roofing, tools, power tools, safety, personal protective equipment, plastic products, polymers, intermediates, packaging, refrigeration equipment, raw materials, pharmaceuticals, battery products, paint, ink, oils and solvents, bio products, agricultural products, chemicals, physical therapy devices, lawn and garden products, paper products, fiber and textiles and the like.

Cogent can assist in matters relating to the manufacturer and/or production of these and related items and can also assist in matters regarding the failure of these products in use. It is well-known that the defective products because thousands of injuries each year in the United States. Product Liability Law in the US is the set of rules regarding responsibility for dangerous and/or defective products.

Generally, product liability refers to a producer and/or manufacturer or seller being liable for delivering a defective product(s) to a consumer. It is lesser known, that responsibility for a product defect that causes injury may include all sellers of the product. The general description around product liability requires that any given product meet ordinary expectations of the product’s consumer. When a product has unexpected characteristics leading to a defect or other dangers, the product may not meet the ordinary expectations of the consumer.

In general there is no federal product liability law. Liability claims are generally based on state law and brought about under theories of negligence and breach of warranty etc. There are also commercial statutes in each state based on the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) describing warranty rules that affect products.

Cogent has the engineering and forensics expertise to analyze and develop an expert opinion regarding product liability reaching all the way back through manufacturing, distribution use in the like.