As you are already aware, Hothouse Design has been contracted to produce a location of industry study for the multi-national chemical company Quattichem.  The information provided within the brief has identified an initial short-list of 52 countries.  These countries have been listed by Quattichem as those which they feel may provide for the right sort of corporate investment, given their other plants and holdings around the world.  Since the initial list was submitted the project manager has received a further three areas to be added to the list, these being Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

The dry raw materials for the two processes involved are to be sourced from Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa and Switzerland.  The final location must have easy access for bulk transport of these raw materials to the plant and for the end product (which will be in bulk powder form) from the plant.  The other major raw material will be heavy crude oil, which can be sourced anywhere globally but must be available in relatively large quantities (approximately 6000 barrels a day).  Other locational factors:

availability of water
good transport links
remote location
60000-hectare site

The location must be remote from any centres of population.  There must be a relatively flat area of land in excess of 60000 hectares which must not contain a habitat for any protected species of flora or fauna.  Quattichem were explicit about this point at our initial meeting as they wish to try and develop an eco-friendly site, a strategy that they intend to use as part of the advertising campaigns for their product.  There will be a requirement for a large quantity of natural water which will be used in the cooling processes.  Approximately 20000 hectares of the site will be set aside to allow this water to cool back to the natural ambient temperature, before it is returned to the locality. 

The cooling process could be used for the generation of electricity; this could provide an opportunity to create a working partnership with the government of the chosen location, to provide them with cheap electricity for the first 20 years of operation – Quattichem will need some form of incentive for the government concerned as the processes involved could be perceived as being dangerous.  After the construction stage there would be few long term employment prospects as the plant will be almost fully automated.  These are the estimated employment requirements:

The construction of the site will require only 12 professionals.  The other workforce, (see the estimates above) could be provided from the communities in the region.  This again would provide a good incentive for the country that is selected to host this facility.  One factor which must be of prime importance is the selection of a region that is free from earth movements, earthquakes and any volcanic activity. 

During the most recent meeting with the company, we had the distinct impression that a country in either America or the West Indies could be the favoured option of Quattichem’s managing director, and with this in mind, it may be worth investigating this area first.  Here are the details of all the short-listed countries in that region with a population of under 3.5 million people:

Take these details and investigate the possible locations that could provide a solution for Quattichem.  For each location we need to evaluate the physical Geography of the location, existing transportation links and the potential for new transportation links, proximity of population centres, climate, political structures and stability, as well as the other requirements mentioned above.  Please identify in these reports your estimated costs for providing the necessary infrastructure to this location (not including the cost of building the plant).  Please identify any potential problems with selecting this location, even if they have not been identified in any of the notes within this document or from the briefing meeting.  This will probably be the most critical factor in your report.

Please note that some of our competitors have also been contracted to produce reports on the suitable locations for this manufacturing plant.  The long-term benefits of selecting the most appropriate site and winning future contracts for the development of this site could well generate Hothouse Design a future income in excess of 23 million US dollars.  Needless to say, confidentiality is of the utmost importance while you are working on this report.