Kendal White, Author at Unitherm Insulation Systems

February 11, 2014 by Kendal White

Different isn’t always better…but better is always different

Every business always has the same goal: to become world-class through everyday changes by meeting the needs of demanding customers who will become more demanding, all in a constantly evolving marketplace.

This can be a particularly challenging dilemma for those entrepreneurs who create businesses around high quality goods or specialized information. One way to work around this challenge is to present those goods or information as customized thereby enhancing the customer’s experience. Organizations realize they can often add value for their customers by tailoring or customizing their products to meet the special needs of individual buyers.

However, there is a limitation.

Pure customization requires starting from scratch every time you receive a new customer request. This can be time consuming and ultimately drives up the total cost of the finished product or service. Even though you want to be flexible to meet client needs, being overly customized has some serious down sides.

And this is where the incorporation of some type of standardization comes to the rescue.

At a time when we are constantly being told to value the new and the different, it may come as a shock to learn that the standard, the shared and the common can be a driving force of change. Indeed, many of the innovations that have transformed the world, including railroads, modern manufacturing and interchangeable parts, money, agriculture, containerized shipping, numbers, the Internet, even language, only succeed because of standardization.

Advantages of standardization

Manufactures:

Rationalize different varieties of products.
Decrease the volume of products in the store and also the manufacturer cost.
Improve the management and design.
Speed up the management of orders.
Facilitate the exportation and marketing of products.
Simplify purchasing management.

Consumer:

Establish quality and safety level to the service and products.
Inform to the characteristic of the products.
Make easier the comparison between the different offers

Public service:

Simplify the production of legal text.
Establish quality, environmental and safety policies.
Help to the economical development.
Facilitate the business.

One of the best-known examples of standardized mass production was the ‘Model T’ car produced in 1908 by Henry Ford. An unchanging design, standardized parts and (from 1914) a moving assembly line all helped reduce costs dramatically, from $850 in 1910 to $360 in 1916. Hence, the term Fordize: “to standardize a product and manufacture it by mass means at a price so low that the common man can afford to buy it.”

A modern day example of the power of standardization is the GSM™ mobile communication technology and its successors (3G, 4G…), truly global phenomena, in which ETSI has played a leading role. Although GSM was originally envisaged as a solution just for Europe, these technologies have been deployed worldwide. As a result, travelerstoday can communicate and use familiar services in every corner of the world – all thanks to standardization.

Without standardization these innovations may not have happened or may have not reached as many people as they have.

Standardization is not a bad thing, but like anything else when it is not used properly or with the right intent it can cause people to fear it. Don’t be afraid of standards. Use them to help you toward your creative goal. You don’t need to reinvent your process each time you have a new customer. Figure out the best systems for working with a client and use them over and over again. If you create strong standards, you actually have a better platform to generate customizable projects. If you save time and energy on the basic things, you can get your creative on where it will make the most impact.

November 15, 2013 by Kendal White

Sustainability Today for A Greener Tomorrow

Today, ‘green’ has become a fashion statement of sorts. Everyday, we’re constantly reminded to “go green” — use less energy, shrink our carbon footprint, save the Earth, etc. Over the last few years, the word “green” has gained a definition that goes way beyond color. Today, “green” has established itself in our vocabulary as an adjective, noun and verb, not to mention a movement.

The term “going green” can mean different things to different companies. To some, green means recyclable. To others, green means free of potentially harmful chemicals. But in reality, many green-leaning businesses, families, and governments are still fiddling while the planet burns. Why? Because implementing sustainability is brutally difficult.

Going Green and Being Sustainable – related phrases, but different meanings. However, the words “green” and “sustainable” are often used interchangeably, and sustainable has a more precise meaning that is often obscured, distorted, and diluted by the commercialization and marketing of the green “movement”.

• “Going green” means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

• Sustainability, on the other hand, is often defined as managing the triple bottom line – a process by which companies manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. These three impacts are sometimes referred to as profits, people and planet.

Generally, sustainable products and activities are subject to a higher standard of performance because of “future” factors. For example, a car can be considered “green” simply because it manages to deliver 40 miles per gallon of gasoline. But it’s not sustainable for us to be extracting fossil fuels from the earth and burning them at current rates.

Sustainability values form the basis of the strategic management, process the costs and benefits of the firm’s operations, and are measured against the survival needs of the planets stakeholders. Sustainability is the core value because it supports a strategic vision of firms in the long term by integrating economic profits with the responsibility to protect the environment; as there is no economy, unless there is a planet.

Just like the term “green,” “sustainability” encompasses a broad range of activities and issues. While both terms are associated with environmentalism and living in ways that are less harmful to the planet, green doesn’t always mean sustainable, and what’s “green” isn’t always that good.

So what does this mean for business operations? It means they must define their green/sustainability goals, implement these changes and then measure their success. An understanding of what makes companies survive will help sustainability managers embed their programs more effectively. If they are not concerned with whether or not their company can stay in business, all the good green and community work could disappear at the whim of the market.

October 10, 2013 by Kendal White

All Aboard the Simplicity Train- Final Destination, Further Money Gain!

Energy efficiency, in theory, is one of the simplest ways to save money. As energy costs continue to rise, industrial industries in particular, need effective ways to reduce the amount of energy they consume. America’s manufacturing sector is the largest in the world and reducing energy waste at industrial facilities can provide huge benefits for companies by boosting industrial competitiveness while creating and retaining jobs through cost-effective energy efficiency improvements

According to the U.S. Energy Administration, estimates show that the industrial sector consumes more energy every year than any other U.S. entity. Yet, reaping savings in the industrial sector is more like a scavenger hunt thanks to the myth that energy efficiency improvements are easily attainable. Energy efficiency in this area is always more work, and it requires a good amount of experimentation.

So what makes the industrial sector so much different? Here are a few factors to consider:

Industrial environments are extremely complex and consistently changing, making predictions far more difficult to ascertain due to various factors such as weather, product variation and constantly changing schedules.
Efficiency is a relatively low priority for many industrial companies. Industrial customers are very risk-averse and will not make changes to existing processes if they could jeopardize the flow of operations.

It may seem that big problems require big solutions…

When it comes to guaranteed money savings and economical, efficient operation of a vast array of facilities, using thermal insulation is like “solid gold.” With rising energy costs and the unwanted environmental emissions accompanying lost energy, the time has definitely come for facility owners, operators and energy managers to fully take advantage of this valuable money saving, energy conserving, and emissions reducing tool.

So it all comes down to money. This makes it critical to find solutions that are easy to install and support; and offer you the most value for your money.

A major culprit across all industries is heat waste, the byproduct of inefficient technology. The more heat you lose the higher the cost, so identifying key areas for insulation can go a long way towards increasing efficiency. Equipment valves, flanges, expansion joints, and other irregular surfaces are common culprits of heat leakage. Routine system maintenance on industrial processes often involves removing insulation on pipe valves and fittings. If it is not replaced, the energy loss can be substantial.

To circumvent these issues, many industrial professionals have turn to removable/reusable insulation jackets to maximize heat retention and increase performance. The efficiency and proficiency of utilizing a removable/reusable insulation jacket, translates into improved facility and personnel protection, enhanced operational efficiency, and less energy consumption- easily making this product a no brainer for companies.

In a nutshell….

Companies need to work smarter, not just harder, in order to be successful. A company’s success should be measured by how wisely it uses energy, water, and other resources; how well it maintains a high quality of life for its people; and how smart it is in building prosperity on a sustainable foundation. Companies must become smarter about how they use existing capacity and resources in order to be productive and profitable. If not, they will be overshadowed and outpaced by other companies that are laying the foundation to prepare for future growth.

September 24, 2013 by Kendal White

I want to say one word to you. Just one word: Plastics!

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.

Benjamin: Yes, sir.

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?

Benjamin: Yes, I am.

Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?

Mr. McGuire: There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

When Walter Brooke, as Mr. McGuire, spoke those words to Dustin Hoffman in his legendary role as Benjamin Braddock in the classic film The Graduate, audiences would not have known just how enduring the future of plastics would be. Since 1976, plastics have been the most used material in the United States and will most likely continue to be used in many years to follow.

However, plastics have a bad rap for the ways that they negatively impact the environment; it is inexpensive to make and easy to discard. Plastic morphed from an engineering triumph into a global plague. A 2000 survey conducted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), discovered that fewer than half of Americans had a positive opinion of the miracle material; and 25 percent “strongly believed” that plastic’s environmental negatives outweighed its benefits.

Plastics are ubiquitous; they are an intrinsic part of our modern world. Plastics are incredibly useful, and despite their reputation, can be an energy efficient alternative to their glass and aluminum counterparts. Plastics are not only energy efficient, but saves the United States dollars by the second. In a recently conducted test, researchers found out that by using plastic over other materials such as glass and metal, the United States economy could save over $336 trillion. Plastics certainly have made a home in our world’s economy as the “useful innovation of the millennium.”

However, plastic requires more than just an image makeover if it’s going to make a positive contribution to a more energy efficient, less disposable world. The solution may be for plastic to keep doing what it does best—evolving, in essence, to become a better substitute for its current form; to focus not solely on what new plastics will be used for, but where they will go when they’re thrown away, and then engineer them to break down accordingly.

September 11, 2013 by Kendal White

Attention Texas: Lean And Mean, But Green?

Lately, the topic of banning plastic bags has become hotly debated subject that is sweeping the country. Eco-crusaders across the globe have had great success in attacking the widespread use of plastic bags and feel that the banning of bags is a simple and environmentally responsible approach.

Over the past several years, more than two-dozen U.S. cities have implemented bag bans, most of them prohibiting plastic bags and imposing a fee on paper. The majority of these cities reside in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and now Texas; which, includes the cities of Austin, Brownsville, and South Padre Island.

For the last five months, the Dallas City Council members have been deliberating over the decision to adopt or deny the ban on plastic bags. Yet, the ban on plastic bags in Dallas is unlikely to come before the City Council for months due to a lack of direction and plan of execution. The majority of City Counsel members know a solution to this problem must be sought out, but feel that the entire banning of bags isn’t the correct approach. It will be some time before the counsel reaches a solution to this rising problem.

The fact that policymakers are banning bags and creating fees without considering the real impact it could have on the economy and environment is frightening. Rather than bans and fees that take away jobs and increase costs to consumers, policy makers should be more inclined to take advantage of the great economic and environmental opportunities associated with the responsibilities of recycling these bags, thus creating more economical growth and sustainability, while preserving environmental obligations.

September 10, 2013 by Kendal White

The Minimalist Guide to The Green Scene

Going green seems to be the latest trend, but it is a trend with a variety of benefits for business owners. Applying green processes to the workplace creates an effective environment for employees, minimizes unnecessary waste and recognizes the role that businesses play in leading the way for social change. For those businesses that are considering going green, a variety of reasons exist to take the plunge.

Many businesses have adopted principles that are based on budget, available technology and consumer demand. It’s a common misconception that the primary motivation behind why businesses make green transformations, is moral obligation, as opposed to fiscal reasons. Businesses today are facing mounting pressures from their constituents to reduce their environmental impacts. Yet, the questions that remain are, “How can a business go green?” and “What does that even mean in terms of your business?”

Reducing the overall environmental impact of your business is what it means to go green. This general approach includes compliance issues that protect both you and the environment. By combining those initiatives with energy efficiency measures that conserve the earth’s resources, you make your business more efficient, and reduce overall costs.

However, over the years, “going green” has become less of an option and more of a necessity. It is a change many companies will be forced to face sooner than later, yet they need a reliable way to do it. Although immense transformation isn’t immediately necessary, a business must at least make baby steps towards the direction of sustainability if it intends to remain competitive.

UniTherm is one company that has made significant inroads by investing in the design and production of new energy-efficient insulation products. UniVest or (UniTherm insulation systems) blankets and jackets are insulation systems that trap heat inside manufacturing equipment, hoses and pipes, exhaust systems, or any industrial equipment up to 1200°; thus, reducing the amount of energy needed to keep equipment running safely and effectively at high temperatures. UniVest not only helps companies save more money by conserving energy, but also is universal and practical by design- fits a variety of industrial applications. The money spent installing UniVest can be easily recouped within a year’s time and reduce the operating costs that the company passes along to its customers. In the end, everybody wins when they use this product!

Overall, the more efficient use of energy is a vital step towards companies going green. Not only is cutting down the amount of energy businesses consume important, but creating products which help the mass market use less energy is also essential. Going green is important for the future of the economy and our civilization. Companies going green can provide necessary leadership in the green movement, work wonders environmentally, significantly improve their bottom lines, and show they are excellent corporate citizens.

June 4, 2013 by Kendal White

Plastics & The Human Body (Infographic)

Plastic Cast: heat-moldable plastic is shaped around a patient’s limb using rivets.
Plastic Foam: polyurethane foam could stabilize trauma patients. Foam expands inside the body to prevent blood loss, and conform to the shape of injured tissue.
3-D Body Part Printing: 3-D printed implants are being created from living cells and polyester plastic; example is an ear.
3-D Printed Plastic Splint: a 3-D printed tracheal splint was implanted into a baby made from polycaprolactone, a medical plastic.
Artificial Cornea: these silicone corneas treat eye injuries or chronic inflammations. They can restore vision and are similar to a natural cornea.
Hearing Aids: a new implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve: microphone, microcomputer, stimulator, and an electrode carrier.
Spinal Implants: a cervical interbody fusion system made of machined polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rods has been approved by the U.S. FDA.
Absorbable Heart Stent: blood flow to the heart can be restored with a plastic heart stent, which can later dissolve into the body.
Vaccination patches: a skin patch containing plastic “micro needles” could possibly deliver vaccinations painlessly, replacing injections.
Plastic Heart: plastic tubes mimic heart valves to let blood in and out of plastic ventricles in an artificial heart.
Artificial Blood Vessels: these are made by coating a biodegradable, plastic mesh tube with human or animal muscle cells.
Plastic Knee Replacements: a new ceramic and plastic knee implant is to last 20 to 30 years longer than traditional knee replacements.
Hip Replacements: metal-on-metal hip replacements are declining due to new technologies and materials: ceramic polyethylene (a medial-grade plastic).
Self-healing Prosthetics: this plastic skin recognizes injury and is self healing. It has the sensitivity and flexibility of human skin and can restore its electrical and mechanical properties.
Prosthesis: plastic orthopedic devices align, correct, and support deformities, and can improve the function of movable body parts.
Plastics in Medical Implants: ethylene vinyl acetate, Proniva self-reinforced polyphenylene (SRP), Veriva polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), Zeniva (PEEK)
Bacteria-Resistant Plastics: these nonstick plastics can help ward off disease and contamination.
Polycarbonate Medical Devices: transparent medical tools are being manufactured from polycarbonate.

May 21, 2013 by Kendal White

The Future of Energy Efficient Vehicles + (Infographic)

Flying cars were expected to be the future by 2000; despite erroneous expectations, cars have become radically advanced within recent years. Cutting-edge technology has prompted the birth of the car of the future due to anxieties of energy efficiency and rising pollution.

By 2025, all new U.S. vehicles must be equipped with a 55mpg+ fuel range. To contend with new fuel regulations, each year a car must be 5% more fuel-efficient. The price at the pump is expected to increase 25% by 2025; presently, the average vehicle gulps an annual average of $1700. Future hybrid & electric vehicles may cost $2400 more, but consumers will save $8200 in additional expenses.

Plug-in vehicles (PEV) or electric vehicles (EV) are gaining in popularity, but critics cite inflated prices, shortage of fueling stations, and limp technology advancements as probable disappointments. Despite the EV knockers, the Tesla Model S recently earned Car of the year for 2012 by Automobile Magazine and received Motor Trend’s Car of the Year honors in 2013. Cadillac, BMW, Audi, and Honda are soon to follow in the EV trend in 2014.

Alternative fuels are the clean fuels of the future: liquid petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol, biodiesel, and natural gas. LPG and natural gas are undoubtedly promising; these domestic fossil fuels yield less toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases. Biodiesel, unlike its petroleum counterpart, originates from vegetable oils and animal fats. Corn and other domestic crops create ethanol. The government promotes these unorthodox fuels with alluring tax incentives to qualifying consumers.

House Bill 2453 may leave an unpleasant taste in some consumer’s mouths after it is passed. This tax, to be blunt, fines individuals to drive an electric vehicle. This gas tax would be aimed at 2015 or later vehicles, with 55 miles/gallon or more. A little background information: 60% of state projects are funded by taxes on gasoline. Thus, states are collecting less tax money because of existing and future electric and hybrid vehicles. Point blank, the fee would be 1.56 cents per mile.

These destined energy efficient vehicles could conceivably constitute 65% of the market in 2025. Consumer demand, credits, and government incentives will determine the car dealership of the future.

May 14, 2013 by Kendal White

Manufacturing – Made in America (Infographic)

Generally, the mass population views manufacturing as beating hammers, arduous physical labor, and ancient assembly lines: employees don’t have to ponder their actions, due to their robotic movements. Manufacturing has come light years since its birth in America. Gone are the days of little pay, few benefits, and the distress of job outsourcing.

U.S. manufacturing, ‘made in the USA,’ is making its resurgence. Factory employment has increased for the first time in more than a decade: 500,000 jobs created in three years. The perception is manufacturing in the United States is slowly vanishing, and it may have appeared that outsourcing would be the demise of the American worker. Nevertheless, 30% of the country’s productivity progress is due to manufacturing.

Countless companies are reestablishing their manufacturing presence in America: Sleek Audio, Peerless Industries, The Coleman Company, NCR, Walmart, and Apple. Companies are parting with their Chinese industrial divisions to move back to America; production in the U.S. will attain cost efficiencies, increase local control of the manufacturing process, and curtail lead times. Mounting shipping and manufacturing costs have companies concerned about their future in China.

According to experts, the cost advantage associated with China is steadily declining. American companies have won substantial allowances from Unions in the past 10 years; meanwhile, China’s middle class is demanding increased pay. The United States has access to cheap energy, and its factories are profiting from the shale boom. Planes and ships are transporting goods and materials thousands of miles outside of the U.S., and this translates to steep fuel prices.

Despite the sheer size of U.S. manufacturing, 10^th largest economy in the world, China has the upper hand on future transportation. China’s high-speed light rail system stretches from Beijing to Guangzhou to Shenzhen, and it will continue to challenge airmail rates. The expansion of a high-speed rail system in America trails China by eons, yet China’s infrastructure lacks that of the United States’. China’s sprawling cities possess millions of consumers, and this is its epicenter; its wealth is exceptionally concentrated. The United States has a retail foundation stretching to secluded areas of the country due to the middle-class population base throughout the country.

An advanced breed of manufacturing is spreading in America: specialized manufacturing. Specialized training and computer skills are in high demand because of progressive technologies and an increase in machine quantity. Mastery of these machines is a necessity, and countless manufacturing positions are now demanding a 2-year technical degree, soon to be a 4-year degree.

Manufacturing in America is evolving and making its comeback. The U.S. has solidified its place as the largest manufacturer of goods.

May 6, 2013 by Kendal White

Marketing in 2013 – Get Social

Social media has taken center stage in 2013. Hundreds of millions of daily users log onto social media to check out the latest trends, idolize celebrities, chat with friends, and well, not do their work. Long gone are the days of bland billboards and consumer disconnect.

Companies today interact with fans on a daily basis, and earn life-long loyalty through their interaction. Social media engagement and Internet marketing is key to additional growth and revenue.

The more “traditional” marketing trends include Facebook and Twitter. Twitter has more than 500 million uses, and Facebook has a staggering 1 billion. Let’s take a moment to focus on Twitter: basically shortened Facebook updates, continuously.

Twitter’s continuous, stunted updates can be personalized into videos. Vsnap records customized 60-second videos for individuals on Twitter; Vine app records 6-second video clips. A branded Twitter account can become more human with interactions, as well as including the initials of the person tweeting at the end of each company tweet. Each time I stumble across a boring tweet, I skip over it. Companies that tweet humor grab attention, and gain brand awareness. No one likes reading robotic tweets.

Take the time to interact with your followers: reply to compliments, questions, and those dreaded complaints.

Instagram and Pinterest are visual social media outlets featuring pictures and infographics. Instagram now permits followers to tag companies in photos; followers view and intermingle with images and other fans that provide images. Creative hashtags (for those of you, this is #) and encouraging followers to submit personal photographs add to the personable persona of the company. Get users engaged.

There are trends in 2013 for marketing: shades of green, monthly emails of Instagrammer’s photos, and a new style to email campaigns.

The color of the year is emerald green, and psychologically, this earthy color denotes renewal and harmony in a chaotic, unsettling world. Use green in images, or contemplate swapping your current template out for a green one.

Instagram and Tumblr capitalize on photographs, and companies are now compiling their favorite user images into a monthly email. Photograph products and team members to give followers a visual landscape of the company’s life.

Marketing blunders often include using only one media format to spread your message. Try using two different formats minimum to reach a broad audience. Social media users absorb information differently, and this can add multiple facets to your company. Each social forum has its own vibe, and remain cautious of the types of information you blast. Certain descriptions and headlines might snag attention on particular networks. Select media outlets where you are marketing to your target audience. Ultimately, customers desire to do business with companies and brands they identify.

UniTherm Insulation Systems currently engages its audience across multiple media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and blogging.

Twitter: @UniTherm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unitherm-Insulation-Systems

Instagram: unitherm

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/unitherm/