| Financial analysis: |  |
| Environmental impact analysis: | --- |
| Waste management/P2: | |
| Environmental cost listing/database: | --- |
| Cost estimation: | --- |
| Alternative product/process comparison: | --- |
| Financial analysis: | |
| Environmental impact analysis: | --- |
| Waste management/P2: | |
| Environmental cost listing/database: | --- |
| Cost estimation: | --- |
| Alternative product/process comparison: | --- |
| Cost control | --- |
| Resource control | --- |
| Estimating control | --- |
| Schedule control | --- |
| Scope control | --- |
| Risk control | --- |
These packages have been assembled for serving specific user needs. However, users can mix and match modules themselves as well. Areas that these modules cover include the following:
GenTrax is a waste management system for generating facilities. Gentrax monitors and tracks different parts of users' operations with an option for user-defined parameters. It includes profile and sample tracking, container labeling with optional bar-coding, and warning reports for violations. The billing system allows disposal costs to be charged back to departments responsible for generation. It includes a complete historical database of waste information. Reports include management, shipping, system listings, and cumulative shipping reports (by chemical, waste stream, etc.).
TSDTrax is designed for TSD facilities that conduct various waste processing operations and handling of inbound and outbound wastes. The system has specific portions assigned to management of on-site operations, inbound waste, and outbound wastes. In the on-site operations, material flows are managed through different process operations (including recycling), profiles are managed, manifest information can be electronically transferred, and all site waste is inventoried and monitored. An optional invoicing and accounts receivable module can prepare quotations, invoices, work-orders and include other accounting information.
HWTrax is designed for fixed-State and mobile facilities that deal primarily with household waste. Processes like drop-and-swap, recycling, and bulking for reuse can be tracked. The system includes a chemical database and allows user-defined parameters to add to the areas tracked by the system. Other products include PackTrax, SARATrax, UTrax, UtiliTrax, CompostTrax, and TraxMan. PackTrax is designed for brokers and environmental service companies dealing with lab packing and fieldwork. SARATrax is designed for managing SARA compliance requirements, including inventory, tracking, air emissions, and automatic report generation for Form R, Tier I, Tier II, emissions reports, and actual vs. permit limits reports. UTrax is designed for waste management in universities and research facilities. UtiliTrax is made for use in utilities to manage, track, and process RCRA waste and PCB equipment/materials. CompostTraxis a management system for private and municipal composters. TraxMan is an information management system for managing paperwork necessary for RCRA compliance. A special PCB module option is available for all standard Wixel programs used by generators.
All systems have features for report generation, container labels, and automatic manifests. The packages include relevant information databases, including information on chemicals, DOT container types, generating process codes, etc. Changing regulations are factored in through frequent enhancements and upgrades.
| Raw material acquisition | --- |
| Manufacturing stage | --- |
| Use/reuse/maintenance | |
| Recycle/waste management | |
Life-cycle stages covered vary by module. For example, SARATrax tracks individual processes in a production line, calculates mass balances, and tracks emissions. It covers the use and reuse of chemicals. However, the actual products (not by-products and wastes) of a manufacturing process are not tracked; hence this activity is not included as a stage that is covered. GenTrax and TSDTrax will cover recycling/waste management. These different stages cannot necessarily be linked to one another. For instance, users may not be able to link types and quantities of particular chemicals used with a particular quantity of solid waste produced. Gentrax, for instance, does not make this linkage. Thus, users cannot simulate changes in waste quantities and costs as a result of process changes or source reduction. These life-cycle stages are not necessarily covered in the case of each individual chemical, material, or product.
| Conventional | |
| Potentially hidden | |
| Contingent | --- |
| External | --- |
Where cost information is included, the objective is mostly to facilitate cost tracking or invoicing, rather than cost control and minimization. Gentraxdoes provide features like disposal cost comparison reports, interdepartmental billing, and others. However, only the costs related to waste disposal are covered. Cost codes in Gentrax include container disposal, consulting charges, miscellaneous charges, profile application, repacking, sample, special handling, and transportation costs. Additional cost codes could possibly be added to cover other cost types. Different types of cost information are covered indifferent modules. Some, like SARATrax and the PCB module, do not have any cost fields. CompostTrax allows users to track operational costs associated withc omposting. The optional invoicing module allows users to record costs associated with TSD, transportation, and labor (conventional and hidden costs). Estimates of contingent and external costs could be detailed in this module.
However, the costs of using particular chemicals before they become waste-costs associated with use/reuse (including costs of tracking, monitoring, and other compliance), capital (e.g., pollution prevention equipment) and labor, and other operational costs-are not covered. The costs that are entered cannot be collated to form a historical cost library. Thus, the life-cycle costs associated with using particular chemicals cannot be calculated using the system. If this linkage were made and full costs accounted for, pollution prevention and waste management projects would be encouraged because users would have better information about the full costs of using a particular process, material, or chemical.
The system is not designed for cost estimation.
| Net present value (NPV) | --- |
| Payback period | --- |
| Internal rate of return (IRR) | --- |
| Benefits cost ratio | --- |
| Other | --- |
Information not available. In CompostTrax, various financial reports are available for commercial operations. There is no information on whether any financial indicators are generated.
Pop-up boxes allow frequently used data to be reused by selecting it from a pop-up display list or table. The quotation/invoicing module can transfer cost information to company accounting systems. Gentrax includes an electronic mail system for communications. The system is menu-driven but has no mouse-support. No custom reports can be generated. Changes in field names (if any) cannot be made directly on screen.
Wixel offers an annual regulatory upgrade and hotline agreement (RUSH) at20% of the current price of the Wixel software purchased. This upgrade includes implementation support, hotline service, telephone training, and upgrades and documentation. Wixel provides users with slide-show demonstration disks and video tapes to review their products.
Besides facilitating compliance, Wixel systems also aim to manage and simplify operations in different areas of waste and environmental management. Various types of cost information can be recorded in different modules. However, cost minimization is not a critical objective. There is no feature for maintaining historical cost records, as related to quantities and types of materials managed. Also, all costs in the four cost categories are not recorded. For example, if a facility generates and treats wastes on site, the system cannot link the life-cycle stages to produce life-cycle costs of using particular materials or processes. The costs of monitoring, permitting, and other compliance are not tracked. Although disposal costs are tracked back to departments of origin, other potentially hidden costs associated with activities such as storage, maintenance, and safety are not recorded. Contingent and less-tangible costs are not estimated or included. The system is not designed for, and has no modules for, project management.
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