It is believed that the project will eventually employ 500 former weapons builders in the daily production of parts for dialysis machines and, eventually, in the construction of complete dialysis systems. DOE has committed money for facility renovations and infrastructure costs. In order for the Renal Technology Project and all NCI projects to be viable, however, NCI needs more access to the cities. Two issues critical to the success of such projects remain. First, NCI needs to make frequent visits to the sites with enough individuals to effectively carry out NCI project development work and monitor activities.
Industry also needs to make numerous visits.
The Russians are concerned that too many individuals are visiting the sites and that the visits are too frequent. Minatom's limitations on the number of people and the number of visits to a site can be debilitating. The second issue is the long lead-time required for visits to be approved. Industrial partners not only need access to the production lines, they need timely access. Should something break or require immediate attention, companies cannot afford to wait for days to gain access to the plant.