Kendal White, Author at Unitherm Insulation Systems

April 25, 2013 by Kendal White

Earth Day 2013 & 5 Native Wonders

Earth Day is an environmental movement celebrated each year on April 22. Earth day was founded in 1970, when hippies and the Beatles ruled the land. At the time, the environment was not a chief concern, and pollution was an accepted piece of economic growth. Environmental efforts began to take popularity after a New York Times bestseller capitalized on our endangered environmental state. Earth Day met the concerns in a society growing in environmental and public health anxieties.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency was birthed after the first Earth Day, as well as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. Throughout the years, Earth Day has tackled challenging environmental issues. Despite these challenges, Earth Day 2013 was bursting with countries eager to do their part.

Here is our list of noteworthy, unfamiliar Earth Day countries:

Copenhagen, Denmark: Carbon emissions are a serious problem, and this city spelled ‘CO2’ via satellite navigation devices.
Tokyo, Japan: 100,000 people gathered in Yoyogi Park for a two-day music and art festival to commemorate Earth Day.
Pakistan: An initiative to plant 50,000 trees is being led to combat deforestation.
Philippines: The Solar Revolution Pavilion is a solar-powered building constructed with plastic bottles. 1,600 plastic vegetable crates were used to build this 200 square, 6-meter high structure.
Indonesia: A parade to honor Earth Day was held; environmental issues include dwindling marine life and deforestation.
Taipei, Taiwan: Canon Marketing (Taiwan) Co. sponsored “Plant for the Planet: The Bill Tree Campaign” where participants plant trees. The company promotes “kyosei” – working and living together for the good of the community.
Seoul, South Korea: Gangnam Style was revamped for an Earth Day flash mob. Seoul also hosted an Earth Day exhibition and a walkathon.

Most of us take for granted the beautiful creation of Earth and we would like to give you five stunning places protected by Earth-lovers in the United States.

San Francisco Bay, CA: The San Francisco Bay Association or Save the Bay, paved the way for the Conservation and Development Commission. Windsurfers, birders, and boaters enjoy this clean bay today.
Storm King Mountain, NY: The Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference was formed in the 1960s to combat a hydroelectric power facility. The court ruling established conservation groups could challenge developments threatening the environment.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, TX: Lady Bird Johnson co-founded the Wildflower Center in 1982, which today runs a seed bank and aids in green community concepts. Native Texas plants provide a beautiful backdrop to its landscape.
Pelican Island, Florida: President Theodore Roosevelt declared Pelican Island a Federal Bird Reservation in 1903. Pelican Island is a nesting site for egrets, herons, spoonbills, and an array of tropical birds.
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah and Colorado: Thousands of dinosaur fossils were discovered here in 1915. In the 1950s the Bureau of Reclamation attempted to build a dam here, which would flood the Yampa and Green River canyons. Congress blocked the dam in 1956, and today white-water rafters flock to this mecca.

UniTherm International is a manufacturer of green-friendly insulation blankets for all applications, specializing in the plastics and oil and gas industries. UniTherm strives for energy efficiency with all of our new and existing innovations.

April 23, 2013 by Kendal White

Renewable Energy And The Crusade Towards Innovation

Renewable energy is continually replenished and non-polluting: geothermal, sun, water, and wind. The popularity of renewable energy is growing due to high oil prices, change, government legislation, and mounting government support paired with incentives. Greenhouse gases are detrimental to the Earth’s atmosphere; these gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere, thus trapping heat in the atmosphere. These rising temperatures may trigger climate change. Greenhouse gases in North America are primarily from energy consumption due to economic growth

Solar power technologies utilize the sun’s energy to provide electricity. Solar power supplies less than 1% of U.S energy requirements; nevertheless, solar technologies are quickly advancing. Solar technologies used for harnessing solar energy include photovoltaic cells, passive solar designs, and flat-plate collectors. The applications used to adapt solar power into electricity are costly, yet, the substantial potential of solar energy remains.

Hydropower is the most conventional renewable energy source, and uses flowing water to produce electricity. Major dam sites in the United States include the Tennessee Valley, the Colorado River, and the Northwest. Hydropower is suitable for supplying large electricity requirements and is the least expensive renewable energy source.

Wind energy applies wind turbines to generate electricity; this sector of renewable energy is the fastest growing. Ideal placement for turbines is in an area of strong winds: Alaska, the Appalachians, and the western United States.

Geothermal energy utilizes natural sources of heat trapped beneath the Earth. Underground hot water or steam is the conventional form of generating power. Geothermal technologies embrace geothermal heat pumps, direct-use systems, and reservoirs.

Innovative technologies continuously attempt to improve the employment of renewable energy.

Livestock methane gas emission is a severe threat to the global climate. In British Columbia, the Cowpower Program encourages residents to pay a slight percentage on their utility bill. This premium will help pay for an anaerobic digester- bacteria is converted into organic material, creating energy.

Groundbreaking transportation could ease the reliance on fossil fuels for energy. The invention of a speed vacuum train could be reality in the near future. A speed-vac train is based upon the idea of removing the air from a sealed tub, and pressing a train through. Conventional trains use a great deal of energy; the vacuum theory would be matched with magnetic levitation devices, allowing trains to reach 4,000 mph.

The latest in solar technology has spawned the idea of a device to trap light, which progresses the proficiency of organic solar shells by 175%. This “black hole for light” could possibly allow for an economical, marketable solar shell.

July 3, 2012 by Kendal White

[Infographic] Where Would We Be Without Plastics?

There’s no denying that plastics are integrated into pretty much every part of our daily lives. Here at UniTherm, the plastics industry makes up a huge part of our business – so we thought it only fitting to do a little digging into the most significant advances in plastics.

Click to View Full Size

1862—At the Great International Exhibition in London, Alexander Parkes demonstrates an organic material derived from cellulose that when heated, molded, and cooled can retain an entirely new shape.

1868—Celluloid is used as a substitute for ivory in billiard balls.

1872—The Hyatt brothers patent the first plastics injection molding machine.

1880—Cellulose nitrate replaces horn in hair combs.

1890—Thermoforming is developed and used to make babies rattles and teething rings from cellulose nitrate.

1892—British chemists develop viscose silk (rayon).

1900—Swiss chemist develops cellophane.

1910—Stockings made of rayon are manufactured in Germany.

1915—At the British Industries Fair, Queen Mary admires casein products and orders several pieces of jewelry made from it.

1916—Rolls Royce begins to use phenol formaldehyde in its car interiors.

1926 – Eckert & Ziegler patent first commercial modern plastics injection molding machine.

1930—3M invents Scotch tape, the first transparent sticky tape.

1935—Wallace H. Carothers develops nylon at DuPont.

1937—Italian and German engineers produce the first twin-screw extruder machine.

1938 – First toothbrush with nylon tufts is manufactured.

1940—PVC is produced in the UK.

1942—Dr. Harry Coover at Eastman Kodak discovers Super Glue.

1945—Sqezy plastic bottles begin to replace glass bottles for shampoos and soaps.

1948—Swiss engineer invents Velcro.

1949—Tupperware made from low-density polyethylene launched in the US.

1949—Joseph Strivers develops Lycra at DuPont.

1950s—The polyethylene bag is introduced.

1956—The first commercially successful car with an entire glass-reinforced-plastic body goes on sale in the UK.

1957—The Wham-O Toy Company creates the Hula Hoop.

1958—Lego produces pegged blocks from cellulose acetate.

1959—At the American International Toy Fair, Mattel unveils the Barbie Doll.

1960s—Water-based acrylic paints are introduced.

1969—Neil Armstrong plants a nylon flag on the moon.

1973—PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles are introduced.

1976—Plastics become the most used type of material in the world.

1979—The first commercial mobile phones introduced.

1979—The first PVC-U double-glazed windows installed.

1982—The first artificial heart made mainly of polyurethane is implanted in a human.

1983—The slim Swatch watch is made with 51 plastic components.

1988—Triangular recycling symbols are introduced.

1991—Dyson launches popular vacuum cleaner in Japan.

1994—A smart car is made with colored polycarbonate panels that are lightweight and flexible.

2001—Apple develops the iPod.

2009—Boeing nicknames a 747 “Boeing’s Plastic Dream” because 50% of the plane is made from plastic material.

July 2, 2012 by Kendal White

A Solution to Skilled Labor Shortage? Become a Company That Teaches

Manufacturing is no-doubt facing a crisis of shortage of skilled, experienced workers. Jobs are out there, ready to be filled, but qualified employees aren’t applying.

Manufacturers can look at the issue as a problem that falls on the shoulders of high schools, trade schools, universities and the educational system in the US in general — or they can take a proactive stance and become the teachers of tomorrow’s skilled workforce.

One manufacturing company just north of Dallas, Texas is doing just that. UniTherm International is a manufacturer of finished industrial and commercial insulation products. During a time when most small businesses have pulled back, aimed to simply stay afloat, or worse have been forced to close their doors, UniTherm sees the current economic conditions as an opportunity to grow and leave its competitors behind.

One challenge this manufacturing company faces as demand continues to increase is finding experienced and skilled industrial sewing machinists. Like any other challenge UniTherm has faced during this period of aggressive growth, they have met it head on with a unique solution that benefits an entire community.

The month of July will kick off a series of free, hands-on industrial sewing classes. Anyone is welcome to join, and spots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Throughout these free classes students will learn the basics of operating an industrial sewing machine and reading work orders and product drawings.

Some students will finish the classes with a job offer, but all will have the hands-on experience and skills many manufacturers are looking for, but struggling to find, in potential employees.

Interested in attending or learning more about the sessions? Contact UniTherm International at info@unitherm.com or 800.657.9542.

June 6, 2012 by Kendal White

Budgeting For Energy Efficiency Projects

Companies always look to make the best decisions when selecting capital projects to work into the budget; simple metrics like Return on Investment and Internal Rate of Return tend to dictate how the budget for these projects is written each year. In an effort to increase the bottom line, investments are often times funneled toward projects and purchases that directly affect sales rather than decreasing operating costs, but sales growth is never guaranteed.
In other cases, capital projects are indefinitely suspended, forcing companies to make due with what they have until either more funding becomes available or sales increase. [Read more…]

June 1, 2012 by Kendal White

Manufacturing Matters: June 1, 2012 Weekly Wrap Up

Mainbiz, a business news source, offered tips for finding ways to save energy at virtually any business. Simple things like space heaters and soda machines add up to hefty energy costs. Where can you save energy costs in your business?

Image via Flickr - Walmart Corporate

The Sacramento Bee reports that California may be missing out on ‘green’ manufacturing jobs. While California is a leader in encouraging renewable energy, almost all green technology products are manufactured outside of the state. As a state facing double-digit unemployment, luring manufacturing back to California could help fuel the state’s economy and offer jobs to the thousands of unemployed workers.

According to The Daily Camera, Boulder is considering commercial energy-efficiency requirements as voluntary incentives have not produced the energy reduction the city hoped to achieve. The program would start with expanding current inventive programs, followed by a mandatory energy rating and reporting. Read more

Have a Reshoring Story to Tell? IMTS and ReshoreNow.org are offering the chance to tell your reshoring story and will showcase selected stories as part of the Manufacturing Technology Drives Reshoring program. (thanks @ajsweatt for sharing this link)

Market Watch reports that the Obama administration launches $26 million multi-agency competition to strengthen advanced manufacturing clusters across the nation. “The Jobs Accelerator Challenge is one way the federal government is helping to support the manufacturing industry, a vital source of middle-class jobs,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “The innovative products developed as a result of this federal grant program will help our economy maintain its global competitive advantage, while also creating jobs at home.” Read more (thanks @mfrsnews for sharing this link)

May 31, 2012 by Kendal White

Up-skilling in the Manufacturing Sector

$29.75 an hour. That’s $61,880 a year. Not too shabby.

Manufacturing is one of the remaining sectors that provide high-paying jobs to workers without college degrees. For high school grads, earning potential in manufacturing exceeds earning potential in construction, logistics, and hospitality, other sectors that generally don’t require post-secondary education. Workers in manufacturing can get in on the ground level and work their way up to management positions, garnering raises and benefits along the way.

Is this all about to change?
According to the April Job Report by the US Department of Commerce, the education level in the manufacturing workforce is rising steadily: in 2011, 53% of all manufacturing workers had at least some college education, up 10% from 1994.

image from the US Dept. of Commerce

What does this mean for manufacturing?
Because the manufacturing sector has begun building a labor force of higher-educated and higher-skilled workers, factory work isn’t what it once was. Today’s high-tech manufacturing industries take advantage of innovative engineering and state-of-the-art machinery—no longer the dark image of 17^th century industrial life portrayed by Dickens.

A skilled and educated work force will keep US manufacturers competitive in a global economy and will spur technological advancement. In fact, House candidate Dan Kildee claims that any disinvestment in education is bad manufacturing and industrial policy: “Its just bad policy to not educate the kid who might have the next billion dollar idea. We have to create productive produces in this country.”

Hopefully the up-skilling trend won’t bar the middle class workers it once sustained. Rising education levels may encourage students and current members of the workforce to pursue degrees or certificates in manufacturing-related fields. Grants and scholarships in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education abound, and many manufacturers support employees (via time off or funding or both) as they continue their education.

May 24, 2012 by Kendal White

How to Buffer your Supply Chain from the Blow of Natural Disasters

Tsunamis in Japan. Flooding in Thailand. Before 2011, many of us went about our business, unaware of how intricately connected we are in international supply chains. But then, distant shocks caused ripple effects that rocked the entire world.

Such disasters expose the shortcoming of lean manufacturing—although efficient under regular operating conditions, scarcely stocked inventory leads to a greater dependence on a decentralized network and just-in-time delivery.

For the consumer, it’s easy to forget that our goods must travel a complex path as they come into existence and arrive at our local retailer. They, regrettably, don’t appear out of thin air, ready to be purchased the moment we feel the urge to buy them. It’s hard to imagine iPods out of reach because of a far-off shortage of lithium-ion batteries, but that’s the reality of this elaborately entangled ecosystem.

Multinational manufacturers, on the other hand, have a greater appreciation for frailty of the supply chain. Global giants like Honda, Apple, and Intel will tell you—in a split second, Mother Nature can shake even the most carefully crafted supply chain, putting any company’s operational prowess to the test. After the twin tragedies in Asia, economists don’t expect many industries to “return to normal” until 2013.

Still, safeguarding your supply chain and setting up emergency management protocols will lessen the blow if (or when) a natural disaster strikes. Even if you’re not a global giant—catastrophes can hit close to home, knocking out your niche. Just last year, a record number of disastrous tornadoes streaked across the American South.

image from flickr, courtesy of Wesley Fryer

So what can you do about it? It’s a difficult situation because in some respects there’s nothing you can do—weather will rage when it wants to. But here are some tips that will help you prepare ahead of time:

Run best- and worst-case scenarios to test how your organization would handle emergency situations.
Establish a crisis team that is responsible for making and communicating decisions throughout the supply chain.
Diversify suppliers and transportation, which will allow for flexibly in times of disaster recovery.
Maintain detailed processes and procedures and keep them up-to-date with the latest plans.
Review suppliers’ disaster plans on a regular basis and align their plans with your operations.
Monitor threats and trends in your country or region.
Back-up all of your trade-related documents in electronic format and store records offsite.

You can’t control the whims of the Mother Nature, but you can set up supply chain strategies to handle shortages and market fluctuations. Many multinational manufacturers took a hit in 2011—how likely would their recovery have been without tactical and predetermined emergency management protocols? For proof that such protocols make post-disaster situations passable, look at the iPods and Accords all around us today.

May 22, 2012 by Kendal White

Promoting STEM Education in America

image from teach.com

It’s a tough truth. In math and science, American students rank far below their international peers. So as the world accelerates towards technologically advanced everything, will American innovation fall behind?

We created the Colt revolver. The vacuum cleaner. The hearing aid. The light switch. The jukebox. The oil well. The metal detector, the microwave oven, the AC motor, the sewing machine. We developed Morse Code and cable TV. We implanted the first artificial heart. We built the first computer and set up the Internet. We flew the first airplane and landed on the moon.

So what happened? Probably a combination of things. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), “During the economic turbulence of the 1970s and 1980s, it became clear that industry and academia had become estranged from each other. Manufacturing-related scientific research at the universities wasn’t making it out into the real world quickly enough, if at all.”

Furthermore, NSF explains that to succeed in today’s hi-tech society, “students need to develop their capabilities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

Some call it the STEM Crisis or the Skills Shortage. America simply isn’t producing enough STEM graduates, and so our tech firms are pushing to expand visa programs and hire more foreign workers to fill the gap. Meanwhile, other countries like China and India have gained a competitive edge in qualified labor. In electronics alone, Asia is responsible for 90% of the world’s research and development.

What are we doing about it? Since the 1980s, various public and private entities have worked to bridge the gap between STEM supply and demand in America. The shortage of STEM grads means we lack qualified researchers and practioners as well as qualified educators to stimulate growth in STEM fields. Thus our problem is two-fold.

One approach involves offering incentives like scholarships, loan-forgiveness, and higher pay aim to attract more teachers to STEM fields. According to Time Magazine, Math For America provides $100,000 fellowships for math teachers and Partners in Science gives science teachers the opportunity to undertake actual scientific work at national laboratories during the summer.

Another approach involves exposing students to STEM subjects early on and amping up primary and secondary education to better prepare students for these rigorous careers. Scholarships, hiring bonuses, and other attractive incentives target students as well. Many STEM programs are working to retain entering STEM majors (60% of whom will switch to non-STEM majors after taking intro courses), and they are pushing for greater enrollment of women and non-Asian minorities, who currently hold a disproportionately low share of STEM degrees.

The US Department of Labor projects that 2 million STEM-related jobs will be created by 2014. Post-recession job growth is great news, but that projection gives us less than 2 years to prepare 2 million workers for STEM careers. It seems the gauntlet has been thrown. Can we rise to the challenge?

To keep up with news on the economy, employment, education, and other industry updates, subscribe to our blog.

May 18, 2012 by Kendal White

Manufacturing Matters: 5/18 Weekly Wrap Up

DuPont announces prestigious packaging awards that recognize leaders in innovation, sustainability, and cost/waste reduction. Top honors went to FreshCase Packaging for its new vacuum seal that keeps meat looking and staying fresh longer than conventional packaging.

Packaging award winners, image from dupont.com

MITnews recaps “The Future of Manufacturing and the US” conference, which emphasized the importance of innovation from the manufacturing sector. MITnews highlights the fact that the US added 50,000 manufacturing jobs in January alone, and big manufacturers like Ford continue to move overseas plants back home.

Plastics News announces the DME Plastics University Scholarship Program, which will offer $1,000 awards to students enrolled in plastics manufacturing-related programs. This incentive is one of many intended to boost the number of skilled workers in the plastics industry.

The Brookings Institute discusses how location impacts manufacturing plants and the industry as a whole. In the report, “Locating American Manufacturing: Trends in the Geography of Production,” Brookings examines the advantages of clustering.

US manufacturers, image from brookings.edu

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