ZEREP MATERIALS - CONSULTING

Formulation Solutions That Actually Work in Production

Materials & Chemical Industry consulting for manufacturers facing scale-up failures, supply chain disruptions, and quality issues that keep coming back. I bring together nearly 10 years of materials science R&D formulation expertise, systems theory methods, & hands-on experience from manufacturing plants across the country to solve the problems technical-only approaches miss.

  • Experienced Formulator with Products Scaled from Lab âž± Production across Materials Industries

  • On-Site and On-the-job Experience with Bench-scale, Pilot-scale, and Production-scale Operations

  • Uniquely trained in both Lean Six Sigma techniques and Systems Theory problem-solving methodology

  • Bilingual (English/Spanish)

You've Tried the "Right" Technical Solution. It Still Didn't Work.

🔬 Lab Success → Production Failure

Your formulation works perfectly at bench scale but struggles on the production line. Equipment behaves differently. Timing doesn't match. Results vary between shifts and operators.

🔄 Fix One Problem, Create Three More

The cost-optimization of materials creates quality issues. The supply chain alternative doesn't process the same. The solution that works for R&D doesn't work for production.

đź’¬ Communication Gaps Hide Root Causes

Engineering, Operations, R&D and Product Management all speak different languages—sometimes literally. Operators know things that aren't in reports. Nobody sees the whole system.

These aren't just chemistry problems. They're systems problems—and they need a different approach.

Real Manufacturing Experience

  • Polyurethane Foam pouring plants in over 5 states + Mexico

  • Steel Dynamics, Inc. steel mills

  • Multiple machining shops & fabrication facilities

  • Technical support for Metalworking plants and production sites (significant Automotive experience)

  • Container ports & logistics warehouses

Not site visits—hands-on experience understanding how plants actually operate.

Technical Depth

  • Formulation development (polyurethanes, coatings, specialty materials)

  • Pilot-scale operations & scale-up (up to 100L reactor size and 200kg batch sizes)

  • Analytical testing (FTIR, GC/MS, DSC, TGA, DMA, SEM/EDX)

  • DOE methodology & statistical optimization

Systems Perspective

  • Certified Warm Data Lab Host (International Bateson Institute)

  • Cross-functional facilitation

  • Root cause analysis

  • Process optimization from a LSS lens

Bilingual Capability Fluent Spanish—critical for communicating with operators and plant teams across facilities. Translation gaps often hide root causes.

Chemistry + Manufacturing Reality + Systems Thinking

Not Just Developing Formulations— Making Sure They Work in Production

  • Start with your production constraints (not just lab specs)

  • Design for robustness across real operating conditions

  • Account for equipment quirks and timing requirements

  • Bridge communication gaps between technical & operational teams

  • Provide on-site support during scale-up

  • Follow through to production (not just lab success)

The Difference:

Other consultants optimize in the lab and hope it scales.

I understand your manufacturing ecology—how equipment actually behaves, where variation enters your system, what your operators know that isn't documented—and design solutions that survive in that reality.

Result: Solutions that work in practice, not just on paper.

How I Can Help

Formulation Development & Scale-Up

New products, reformulations, or alternatives that work from lab through production. DOE optimization, analytical characterization, pilot-scale testing, and implementation support.

Best for:

  • New product launches

  • Supply chain alternatives

  • Cost reduction

  • Regulatory compliance

Root Cause Analysis & Troubleshooting

Systematic investigation for persistent quality issues, process upsets, or problems that keep coming back. Pattern recognition across industries + operatorfloor access = finding causes others miss.

Best for:

  • Quality issues with unclear causes

  • Unexplained performance changes

  • Inconsistent production runs

  • Failed scale-ups

Cross-Functional Facilitation

When the problem isn't purely technical—when R&D, production, procurement, and QA have competing requirements and can't align. Systems theory and Warm Data methodology generates shared understanding across silos.

Best for:

  • Complex challenges

  • Innovation initiatives

  • Organizational capability building

Every engagement is customized. We'll figure out what you actually need after we talk.

Who I Am

Laura Ann Perez

Materials scientist, systems thinker, and someone who feels more at home on manufacturing floors than most consultants.

  • 8 years across R&D roles developing everything from polyurethane foams to specialty coatings to metal powders for microelectronics.

  • Manufacturing facilities from Pennsylvania to Mexico—not just visiting, but working hands-on with production teams, understanding how plants actually operate as living systems.

  • Bilingual (English/Spanish)—oftentimes a critical tool for understanding what's really happening on plant floors.

  • Systems-trained (Warm Data, International Bateson Institute)—because complex problems need more than just technical solutions.

  • Background in shipping & logistics provides an intimate understanding of supply chain realities.

Education & Certifications:
B.S. Chemistry (FSU) • Certified Warm Data Lab Host • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

@zerepalaura

Why ZEREP?

It's Perez reversed—representing the methodology of reverse-engineering from your desired outcomes instead of forward-iterating from what's worked before.

What I care about: Solutions that actually work in your production environment with your real constraints. Not just technically correct on paper—functionally sustainable after the work is first complete.

@ZEREPMaterials

Let's Solve Your Materials Challenge

Whether you're facing scale-up failures, supply chain disruptions, persistent quality issues, or cross-functional alignment challenges—let's talk.

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