lean manufacturing Archives - Unitherm Insulation Systems

July 21, 2026 by UniAdmin

Heat Containment: Why Insulation Is Usually the First Step in Any Efficiency Program

The Department of Energy’s process heating sourcebook divides efficiency improvements into five categories. Of those five, heat containment stands out as the one most facilities can act on quickly, without major capital investment and without interrupting production.

Heat containment means reducing energy losses to the surrounding environment. Every surface that runs hotter than ambient temperature is a source of those losses. The hotter the surface and the larger the area, the more energy is leaving the system and adding to your fuel bill.

What the DOE Sourcebook Says About Insulation

The sourcebook is direct about what poor insulation costs: “Poor insulation might reduce a process heating system’s efficiency, thereby increasing the amount of energy needed to perform a given process heating task. In addition to an increased cost for energy, the system is exposed to higher stress, which can accelerate wear and subsequently lead to more frequent breakdowns. Other side effects can be reduced product quality and increased maintenance.”

That last point is important. Insulation isn’t just about energy savings. When equipment runs hotter than it needs to because heat isn’t being retained properly, the surrounding components experience greater thermal stress. Over time, that means shorter service life and more downtime.

Where Insulation Applies

Insulation opportunities in a process heating system typically include: furnace and oven walls, doors, and ceilings; pipes, valves, and flanges carrying hot fluids, gases, or steam; ductwork connecting heating equipment to downstream processes; heating barrels, nozzles, and dies on plastics processing equipment; and exhaust components that carry high-temperature gases away from the process.

Each of these surfaces loses heat at a rate determined by the temperature difference between the surface and the surrounding air, the surface area, and the effectiveness of any existing insulation.

Removable vs. Permanent Insulation

For some surfaces — furnace walls, fixed ductwork — permanent insulation makes sense. But for components that require regular maintenance access, permanent insulation creates a practical problem: every time someone needs to access the valve, flange, or connection, they have to remove and replace insulation that wasn’t designed to come off.

Removable and reusable insulation covers solve that problem. They’re designed to go on and come off quickly, without damaging the insulation or the equipment underneath. This makes them practical for valves, flanges, fittings, and other components where access is part of the normal maintenance routine.

UniTherm’s insulation blankets and jackets are built specifically for this use case. UniVest® covers for plastics processing equipment, IsoCovers for pipes and valves, and custom insulation blankets for other industrial components — all removable, reusable, and engineered for high-temperature environments. Browse the full line at unitherm.com.

A Simple Place to Start

If you haven’t done a surface temperature audit recently, that’s a good first step. Walk the system with an infrared thermometer. Note which surfaces are running significantly above ambient temperature. Prioritize the largest, hottest surfaces — those represent the biggest ongoing losses. Then ask whether those surfaces are accessible for maintenance. If they are, removable insulation is worth a look.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

May 21, 2015 by UniAdmin

Proactive Maintenance : Insulation

The mindset of “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” is a thing of the past. It is a mentality that even the best of us have been guilty of from time to time. While it may sound like a good idea, it can be damaging to a company in the long run. Staying the course down a single path can lead to a business owner getting blindsided by future problems. Just because something is working at the moment, doesn’t mean that future problems won’t arise. The new trend is to start protecting your investments and wellbeing by stopping the problem before it ever begins with proactive maintenance.

Preventative Maintenance: Insulation

Stop The Problem Before It Happens = Greater Savings

Whether you’re trying to make the most of an ever-dwindling staff and budget, or looking for even more ways to trim operations and maintenance costs, preventative maintenance on equipment and facilities can help save time and money in the long run.

The key point to preventative maintenance is stopping the issue before it ever begins. While there are some expenses related to running a good proactive maintenance program, it costs less to properly maintain equipment and facilities than it does to repair the damage from a premature breakdown or early deterioration of property.

Proactive maintenance of equipment and facilities is very similar to regular vehicle maintenance. The key to keeping your vehicle running well today and down the road is routine proactive maintenance. Many times significant and expensive repairs can be avoided if the vehicle is properly and regularly maintained.

Increases Life Cycle of Applications

Regular equipment Untitled-2 maintenance leads to an improvement in the overall safety and reliability of the system. Planning and management of asset maintenance improve the life cycle of the assets and keeps them performing at peak productivity levels. As a result, costly unplanned downtime is minimized; workforce productivity increases; and asset lifecycle and return on asset (ROA) are improved.

Increases Performance

Regular improvements to the process for better machine efficiency and product quality increases maintenance productivity by detecting and identifying potential equipment problems before they grow. This reduces the frequency, severity, and cost of repairs while enabling your team to avoid unnecessary and unproductive tasks.

Provides a Safe Work Environment

More efficient and frequently maintained work environments (including equipment and personnel) lead to a safer work atmosphere. When machines break down and errors occur, accidents are more likely to happen.

Where Does Insulation Fit In?

Insulation is built upon the idea of proactive maintenance practices. Insulation does all of the benefits listed above plus more. Once installed, your insulation needs no further maintenance. So you can feel good, knowing you are doing your bit for the planet while creating a more efficient and more collaborative work environment, to reduce costs and support your organization’s work processes.

What’s Next?

You can head over to our online shopping cart and check out all of our possible solutions for your facility. For as little as $16, you could be protecting yourself, your employees, and your business for the future.

For more information about our products and UniTherm, check out our website and social platforms:

April 22, 2015 by UniAdmin

Earth Day 2015: Insulation Facts Infographic

earthday-infographic

April 7, 2015 by UniAdmin

Dangers of Heat Illness

HEAT ILLNESS CAN BE DEADLY. When employees are exposed to hot temperatures, maintaining a safe work environment can be more challenging than you think. As summertime temperatures continue to rise, it becomes increasingly important for employers to focus on providing workplace conditions that are safe from the excessive heat.

Heat Fatalities 2008-2014

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), thousands of workers become sick and even die as a result of exposure to heat each year. In the United States, an average of 400 deaths per year are directly related to heat, and an estimated 1,800 die from illnesses made worse by heat.

Many industries face challenges when it comes to providing a cool working environment, particularly in heat-susceptible areas such as industrial plants, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. When surface temperatures on pipe and equipment routinely exceed 140° F (60° C), measures should be taken to improve the working environment. Without adequate cooling or precautions, workers are put in danger while equipment and manufactured products are at an increased risk of failure, which can impact worker safety and productivity, and certainly, a company’s bottom-line.

So how can you protect your employees from heat exposure while also ensuring that the work is accomplished on time?

According to OSHA, “The best way to prevent heat-related illness is to make the work environment cooler”. However, the dilemma now becomes how to efficiently and economically cool large, open areas where high ambient outdoor temperatures and heat-generating machinery are factors.

OSHA Touch Safe, Ambient Air temperature

The radiating heat of a running barrel affects the ambient temperature.

Fortunately, the use of industrial insulation on process equipment and piping not only saves money and energy, but also reduces the potential for heat- related illnesses. As insulation is added to systems, the surface temperature of these systems is dramatically reduced. This provides a cooler work environment that yields higher productivity, as workers do not require as many breaks and are less concerned with the potential for burns from hot surfaces. Furthermore, insulation helps reduce the amount of work your machine has to do by decreasing the amount of energy used without sacrificing quality or performance. Learn more about the energy saving benefits of insulation.

The use of UniTherm’s UniVest® and ISOCOVERS Insulation Systems product lines provide easy and efficient ways to save energy and money while creating a cooler and safer work environment. Additionally, these product lines can be purchased online because they now are available in standard “off-the-shelf” sizes, which drastically reduces the time and costs often associated with custom insulation jobs. For all of our heat prevention products, view our online shopping cart here.

For additional tips on how to keep your facility cooler and your workforce happy and motivated, click here for more information about preventing heat-related illness.

Share your stories about dangers of heat illness and let us know how you are preparing for the coming summer months on our social media pages:

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January 21, 2015 by UniAdmin

4 Common Misconceptions About Industrial Insulation

We come across many people who have the wrong idea about industrial insulation and think what we offer is not right for them. We ask them a few questions, and usually they are left wondering why they haven’t insulated their equipment sooner. We throw them a UniVest and they rush out the door to install it (cause it’s really that simple).

So we don’t have to go through the same spiel every time, we’ve compiled the most common misconceptions people have when it comes to industrial insulation.

1. Insulation is for my home, not my machines

This is the most common one we come across and it’s pretty obvious why. The first thing people think about when you say insulation is their home and what’s inside their walls. That’s a perfect analogy because UniVests work the same way. Properly insulating your home saves you hundreds of dollars a year on home heating and cooling costs. It protects outside temperatures from affecting the temperatures you want inside. The easier it is for your home to maintain its temperature, the less you spend at the end of the month. UniVests are no different, except we deal with higher inside temperatures. Take a second and think, if you save hundreds by properly insulating your home, imagine how much could be saved when insulating your machine. We’ll give you a hint…its much greater!

2. No Budget for Insulation

We all have budgets. Yeah, and we know they can be small and hard to deal with. Trust us, Windows 98 is getting really old at the office. Making new purchases on things that you are already operating without can seem like a luxury purchase. Little known fact is that with proper insulation, a company can see ROI (Return on Investment) in under 12 months. In the right conditions, a single set of UniVests or ISOCOVERS can last 5+ years after installed. That’s 5+ years of return. In 12 months or less, most companies make back the purchase price of a UniVest from energy savings alone.

3. My machines are working fine now without insulation

We’re sure they do, but wouldn’t you like for them to work better? Insulation minimizes the downtime of the machines they are on and relieves stresses from a hard working machine. This even increases the lifespan of the equipment. Wouldn’t we all like to work a little easier? Your machines would too.

4. Who Needs Protection Anyway

The biggest thing that people don’t realize is that insulation also improves workplace safety. As seen in a few of our videos on Youtube, a heated barrel with a UniVest on it can be touched and worked around without any special protective gear. More Safety = Less downtime and less liability. Insulation can also decrease surrounding ambient air temperature. Decreasing work fatigue due to high temperature and more comfortable work areas.

Here’s typically the point where some people are kicking themselves for not already having insulation installed. If you didn’t make it this far, we completely understand. Our insulation systems are much more than the sum of their parts and offer a lot more usability than most people realize. If you’ve finally come to the conclusion that insulation could benefit you, take a look around our online shopping cart at www.shop.unitherm.com. For some help finding the product, measuring, or just want some more insulation entertainment like this blog, visit our youtube page: www.Youtube.com/UniThermInsulations

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.

March 20, 2012 by Kendal White

Less is More and Lean is Better: Managing Inventory in Manufacturing

The concept of lean manufacturing is simple. Much like a diet for your facility, the goal is to reduce your waste (like you would your waist) for healthier operations. It’s not about starving your business because, let’s face it, you can’t run a marathon or outlast competitors without proper sustenance. Lean strategies are about taking in only what you need and making the most of it—kind of like politely pushing away a plate of food when you’re full rather than stockpiling calories for a later date.

Now I know by March many of our weight loss resolutions have run their short-lived and often unfulfilled courses, but it’s always a good time of year to take on a new style of inventory management.

How manufacturers manage inventory
Many manufacturers produce products in large runs, even when the demand for that product is low. Products are stored or kept in inventory until they are eventually sold, which often leads the manufacturer to overspend on storage. When production runs are too large, manufacturers run the risk of filling inventory with products that might become outdated and remain unsold.

Why lean strategies are more efficient
A crucial component of lean manufacturing involves controlling inventory by reducing excess production. This means implementing a system for monitoring inventory and producing products in smaller runs rather than keeping excess inventory in storage.

Wait, it takes time and money to modify the way you manage inventory and thin out the production line. But just like dropping a few pounds, the payoff doesn’t occur overnight. Soon enough, the savings from storage costs and unnecessary waste will find their way to the bottom line. It’s well worth the change—just ask Toyota, Boeing, Caterpillar, and Xerox.

Not only will lean strategies lower your overhead costs, but they will also challenge your employees to think critically to improve existing procedures. No reason to keep things the way they are just because—hopefully your facility is always on the look out for more efficient ways to operate. Plus, you won’t have to feel that little pang of guilt as you throw away perfectly good products because of bad timing.

February 28, 2012 by Kendal White

Why Induction Heat is Super Efficient

Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! It’s not up in the sky, it’s…unbelievably efficient induction heat technology!

Ok, maybe I sound a little fanatical, but if you’ve never seen induction heaters in action, I seriously recommended you watch some induction heating demos. These videos will blow your mind. You’ll see metal wires melt, aluminum cans explode, and ice cubes set ablaze—before they even have a chance to melt!

What is induction heat?
Induction is a heating method, but unlike conduction or convection heating methods, it doesn’t require a transfer medium. The inductor itself can be a simple-looking strip of coiled metal (precisely designed to optimize the magnetic field and alternating currents), and the magic is, the inductor never touches what it’s heating, and it never gets too hot to handle with bare hands. I won’t get into the physics of it all, but if you’re interested in how induction heating works, see inductionatmostpheres.com. Basically, induction heat uses radio frequencies, and that’s how it can work sans transfer medium—heat is “induced” by the circulating electrical currents.

The shift toward lean manufacturing and the emphasis on better quality control have led to the rebirth of induction technology and the development of precisely controlled, solid-state induction power supplies.

How can induction heat benefit manufacturers?
For most industrial applications, induction heating offers significant advantages over traditional heating methods—the fast, accurate, and consistent heat transfer reduces energy consumption and creates a safer working environment.

Companies like Ford, John Deere, GM, Cat, Volkswagen, and BMW have already implemented induction heat into their manufacturing processes. Most manufacturers that switch over to induction technology report a decrease in their utility bills. Why is this? Because induction is a highly efficient means of heating that requires less energy to do the same job as, say, a heater band, which is constantly losing energy and reheating.

In fact, uninsulated heater bands are only 30-70% efficient and have a limited lifespan because they must stay hot to operate. Induction heaters, on the other hand, are typically 95% efficient and don’t emit excess energy. Even better, insulated induction heaters can reduce ambient energy loss by 98%.

How can you use induction heat to make your manufacturing process more efficient? If you haven’t already, start thinking about this innovative heating method, and stay tuned for the latest in energy efficient technology.

October 19, 2011 by Kendal White

Machine Safety: There is a Return on Your Investment

According to OSHA six million workers suffer non-fatal injuries every year in the US – costing businesses over $125 billion. Despite this number, some safety professionals and risk managers still struggle to justify investments in safety programs, training, and assets.

Calculating the ROI (return on investment) for safety is possible, and Liberty Mutual and the American Society of Safety Engineers calculate that on average the ROI for for safety programs is between $3 – $5 for every $1 spent. For most safety personnel the question is not so much is there a true ROI – but how to calculate it. Rockwell Automation’s Proving the Value of Safety whitepaper by Lyle Masimore details the steps to follow to create a safety investment analysis for your organization. [Read more…]

September 27, 2011 by Kendal White

What is Lean Manufacturing? [infographic]

According to Wikipedia “Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, ‘Lean,’ is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, ‘value’ is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for.”

Over the past several months we’ve researched trends and movements surrounding lean manufacturing and put some of what we found together in today’s infographic.