Think of it as a one-of-a-kind oil refinery.
An 11-story monument to Procter & Gamble's fat-free breakthrough built in 13 months, one-third faster than any comparable processing plant.
P&G reached full capacity to produce olestra out of its new $200 million plant inside its Ivorydale complex Jan. 28, making by the day a target date that it set two years ago, shortly after receiving FDA approval to sell olestra.
What the plant's capacity is, P&G won't say, citing competitive concerns. Whatever the volume, the product leaves the plant by tanker truck and railroad cars.
In a private dedication ceremony two weeks ago, P&G Chairman and CEO John Pepper praised construction of what is the most complex and largest manufacturing process project in the company's 161-year history.
''The story on olestra, in a way, is just beginning,'' he said. ''But we have reached the point where we can reflect objectively on how olestra represents P&G people at our best.''
Plant management cited cooperation over a mix of disciplines that usually don't work together - from engineering to product supply to marketing to construction management.
Construction was finished on budget and on time despite a distracting episode involving a sub-contractor's use of undocumented workers. The episode between immigration agents and P&G subcontractor Centin Corp. wound up in the arrest of 38 Mexican men and youths and a construction delay that P&G had to make up.
Construction teams worked 24 hours a day, taking only two days off between last September and Jan. 28.
Competition for about 100 engineering jobs in the plant was fierce, with supervisors sorting through more than 3,000 applications for the slots. Including managers, researchers and others, the plant employs 135.
''We interviewed 70 people for every single employee,'' said Gary Busch, the plant's product supply program director. ''There was a tremendous screening process.''
Once the plant came on line, it began making enough olestra for national consumption with about three-fourths starting from cottonseed oil and one-fourth from soybean oil.
Most of the potato chip makers prefer the taste using cottonseed oil while tortilla chip and cracker makers often opt to start with soybean oil.
Managers project the plant has enough capacity for 2 1/2 to 3 years out Adjacent acreage has already been earmarked for expansion.
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Infographic: The making of olestra
Mission: Get people to try one
Olestra chronology
