On-site consulting — eyes on the floor when the problem won't sit still

When rejection rates spike or bath chemistry drifts, every day of continued production is money burnt. Remote diagnosis works for clear-cut cases; for everything else, we visit your plant, watch a production cycle, pull bath samples, and diagnose the issue with your team in front of us. Most on-site engagements resolve in 2–4 days — the faster turnaround is itself part of the value.

What the service covers

What an on-site visit actually looks like

A typical 3-day diagnostic visit follows a deliberate sequence. The order matters — bath chemistry observations only make sense against parameter sheets, defect patterns only make sense against the alloys being run, and recommendations only stick if operators were part of the diagnosis.

Day 1 — Site walk, parameter capture, defect collection

Morning is a plant walk-through with the production supervisor: rack design, line layout, racking density (typically 70–110 dm² per rack), tank dimensions, rectifier ratings (DC current and voltage at rated load), chiller capacity (TR), and DI/RO water source. By lunch, the bath parameter sheets for the last 30 days are pulled and reviewed — concentrations, temperatures, current densities, dwell times, sealing pH. Afternoon is defect sample collection: rejected parts photographed, marked with bath and rack details, sectioned where useful.

Day 2 — Bath sampling, live production observation, operator interviews

Bath samples are pulled fresh from each tank (typically 6–10 tanks across a full anodize line including pre-treatment, anodize, dye, seal, and rinses) and titrated on-site. Standard titrations cover free sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄ as g/L), dissolved aluminium (Al³⁺ in g/L), and free caustic where applicable; conductivity and pH are logged. We then observe a full production cycle live — from racking through final inspection — noting any operator deviations from the parameter sheet. Operator interviews focus on what they do differently when a defect appears, which often reveals undocumented "tribal knowledge" that's working around a real process issue.

Day 3 — Corrective action, validation run, written summary

Mornings of Day 3 are for hypothesis-driven fixes: adjust bath chemistry, change racking position, modify current density profile, or re-sequence rinses based on what Days 1–2 surfaced. A validation batch runs through the corrected process and is QC'd before we leave the floor. The visit closes with a 5–10 page written summary covering findings, corrective actions applied, monitoring KPIs the operator team should track, and follow-up actions for the next 2–4 weeks of remote support.

Standard bath chemistry checks we perform on-site

Titrations are run with portable equipment we bring to site — no dependence on plant lab capacity:

• Anodize bath: free H₂SO₄ (target 180–220 g/L for Type II decorative; 180–200 g/L for hard anodize), dissolved Al³⁺ (decant trigger at 15–20 g/L), chloride contamination (<50 ppm), bath temperature uniformity (±1°C across the tank).
• Etch/caustic bath: free NaOH (typically 40–60 g/L), dissolved Al³⁺ (precipitation trigger at 100–120 g/L), additive concentration where dosing system is in use.
• Desmut/nitric bath: free HNO₃ (typically 300–400 g/L), iron and zinc contamination levels for smut indicator behaviour.
• Sealing bath: pH (5.5–6.0 for nickel acetate cold seal; 95–98°C for hot DI seal), nickel concentration (1.5–2.5 g/L), tannin or anti-bloom additive levels.
• Pre-anodize rinse cascade: conductivity (target <200 μS/cm at the last rinse before anodize), drag-out ratios per tank.

Results from a same-day titration round are reviewed with the lab supervisor before any corrective action is applied to the production bath.

Common defect signatures and the data we collect for each

Most production-floor calls fall into one of these categories. The data captured during the visit is what determines whether the diagnosis converges on a fix:

• Streaking and non-uniform coating: rack design photos, current density mapping across the rack, bath circulation pattern, alloy lot certificates, intermetallic distribution (where SEM/EDX from a sectioned sample is available).
• Burns and edge breakdown: current ramp profile, contact point integrity, edge geometry of the part, bath temperature at the affected zone, current density at the affected area (usually exceeds 2.5 A/dm² when burns appear on a Type II line).
• Soft anodic layer / hardness shortfall: bath temperature log for the affected batch (Type II films soften above 24°C electrolyte), free H₂SO₄ concentration, dwell time, post-anodize rinse temperature (hot rinse before seal can compromise hardness).
• Colour non-uniformity in dyed parts: seal bath pH and temperature, dye bath agitation, dye concentration vs target, dye supplier batch traceability, anodic film thickness consistency.
• Adhesion or peel failure: pre-treatment effectiveness (etch weight loss check, desmut bath chemistry), alloy substrate cleanliness, time-between-stages (anodize-to-seal hold time).
• Seal failure / efflorescence: seal bath pH and temperature drift, seal tank cleanliness, anti-bloom additive concentration, dye-to-seal transition time.

The diagnostic toolkit fits in a pelican case: portable titration kit, calibrated thermometers (±0.1°C), conductivity meter, pH meter, sample collection vials with chain-of-custody labels, USB microscope for field surface inspection at 60–200×, and a tablet pre-loaded with parameter sheet templates and the previous 30 days of plant-supplied production data.

How we approach it

1. Triage call — 30-minute call to understand the issue, recent production data, and whether an on-site visit is actually needed.
2. Scope & schedule — clear objectives for the visit (what success looks like), duration (typically 2–4 days), and logistics.
3. On-site engagement — production observation, bath sampling, operator interviews, equipment checks.
4. Fix & verify — corrective action implemented with your team, first good batches run and QC'd before we leave.
5. Written summary — what we found, what we fixed, what to watch. Typically a 5–10 page document you can file.

What you get at handover

• Root-cause diagnosis for the reported issue
• Corrective action implemented and verified on-line
• Trained operators on the specific fix and its monitoring
• Written visit summary with findings, fixes, and recommendations
• Bath chemistry report if analysis was performed
• 2-week post-visit remote support window

Frequently asked questions

How fast can you visit?

For urgent production issues, same-week is usually possible in South and West India; 5–10 days for North and East. Non-urgent visits are scheduled 2–4 weeks out.

What's the minimum engagement?

Two days on-site is our minimum. One-day visits rarely give us time to observe a full production cycle, sample baths, and verify a fix. For very simple issues we'll usually suggest remote consulting instead.

Do you charge travel on top?

Travel (flights + local hotel) is billed at actuals against your approval, no markup. Local transport during the visit is included in the day rate. Charges are confirmed in writing before the visit.

Is this different from your optimisation audit?

Yes. An audit is structured, comprehensive, and covers the whole plant — typically 3–5 days and a written report. On-site consulting is focused on a specific issue — typically 2–4 days and a targeted fix. If you don't know which you need, we'll tell you on the triage call.