FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: SunShot Incubator Program – Soft Cost Reduction

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000607

Response Due Date: 3/5/2012 5:00:00 PM ET

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000607&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy: A Joint Research Funding Opportunity Announcement USDA, DOE

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000598

Response Due Date: 2/24/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000598&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: 2012 X-Stack: Programming Challenges, Runtime Systems, and Tools

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000619

Response Due Date: 2/6/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000619&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) – FY 2012 Phase I (Release 2)

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000628

Response Due Date: 1/31/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000628&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Materials Solicitation with focus on Structural Materials, Blanket First Walls, and Divertor Plasma Facing Components

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000603

Pre-App Due (req.): 11/14/2011

Response Due Date: 12/16/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000603&agency=DOE

________________________________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: RFI: Total Costs of Ownership of Future Light-Duty Vehicles

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000592

Response Due Date: 12/16/2011 11:59:00 AM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000592&agency=DOE

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Support Of Advanced Fossil Resource Utilization Research By Historically Black Colleges And Universities And Other Minority Institutions (HBCUs/OMIs)

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000599

Response Due Date: 12/1/2011 8:00:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000599&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000583

LOI Due Date: 9/30/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Response Due Date: 11/3/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000583&agency=DOE
________________________________________________________________________________
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing: Scientific Computation Application Partnerships in Earth System Science

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000588

Response Due Date: 12/5/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000588&agency=DOE

_________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Scientific Discovery Through Advanced Computing: Nuclear Physics

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000581

Pre-App Due Date: 10/30/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Response Due Date: 1/5/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000581&agency=DOE

_________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing: High Energy Physics

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000580

Response Due Date: 1/9/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000580&agency=DOE

__________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing: Scientific Computation Application Partnership in Materials and Chemical Sciences

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000593

Pre-App Due Date: 12/09/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Response Due Date: 3/12/2012 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000593&agency=DOE

Company Information:

HFI is a privately held corporation that was originally established in 1954 as the House of Foam, a producer of urethane foam and foam latex products.  Over the years, the company evolved from the House of Foam to HFI, a leading supplier of automotive interior products.  With over 1,700 employees across five North American locations, HFI is a manufacturing driven supplier from concept to production and is ISO 9001 Certified.  HFI is committed to delivering quality products and profitable partnerships within their target markets that will position the company as a valued supplier.  The Arab, AL facility is a Tier 2 supplier of headrests and armrests for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama that produces the Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles.

Situation:

HFI has a foam-in-place headrest mixed-model production area, along with warehouse inventory, office space, and shipping and receiving areas.  The company was projecting a growth in demand that needed to be met without adding shifts or capital-intensive molding equipment.

ATN Assistance:

HFI utilized the assistance of the Alabama Technology Network center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (ATN-UAH) to work with a team of HFI personnel to identify and implement improvements that result in throughput and energy savings increases.  The ATN assistance was delivered as part of the Alabama E3 (Economy, Energy, Environment) program and was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The ATN-UAH team began by scoping and scheduling a kaizen event for the foam-in-place production area.  A cross-functional team of HFI personnel was trained in the principles of lean enterprise and practical energy.  The team then observed the current operation and identified opportunities for improvement.  Throughout the course of the event, ideas were tested and changes were made that improved flow and reduced the labor required per part so the increased demand could be absorbed with existing resources.

In conjunction with the productivity improvement, ATN-UAH identified other energy saving opportunities.  Lighting upgrades to more energy-efficient fixtures along with repairs were quantified, as well as verifying the savings for upgrading the air compressor.  Additionally, the savings for converting some production tools from air-driven to electric was also calculated.

Results:

The ATN-UAH team successfully facilitated the improvement event resulting in productivity gains from 5-10%, improved work flow layout in the FIP area and reduced material handling time. Also, the event identified potential recurring energy savings by upgrading lighting, utilizing alternative tooling and upgrading the air compressor.

Customer Feedback:

“ATN-UAH helped us open our capacity for increased demand.  Given a goal, the team applied lean principles and made the improvements necessary to achieve it.”
– Nick Williams, General Manager

Energy Assessments Available at NO CHARGE to AL MFGS

Already 30 AL Manufacturing companies have benefited from the assessments – with an average of $102, 873 of identified energy savings per company.  Collectively the identifed  energy savings for these 30 companies is $3,086,182.

There is a limited number  of Energy Assessments available at no charge – to take advantage of this opportunity – please email your company’s interest asap to Anthony Holden  (holdenauahedu)  , UAH-ATN.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Office of Science Early Career Research Program

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000572

Response Due Date: 11/29/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000572&agency=DOE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Title: Administration of a National Clean Energy Business

Reference Number: DE-FOA-0000570

Response Due Date: 8/22/2011 11:59:00 PM ES

Use the following link to view this opportunity:

https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect?doc=DE-FOA-0000572&agency=DOE

Company Information:

Syncro Corporation is a privately-held manufacturing and systems integration company with corporate headquarters located in Arab, Alabama.  Syncro has expanded its EMS capabilities into various markets including medical, industrial, utilities, transportation, technology, and military markets. Syncro Corporation offers more than 70 years of experience in product research and development, management, and post manufacturing support.

Situation:

Syncro has a brake controller production area, along with warehouse inventory, office space, and shipping and receiving areas.  The production area was experiencing a growth in inventory and excessive material handling.  There was also a desire to reduce the energy consumption throughout the facility.

ATN Assistance:

Syncro utilized the assistance of the Alabama Technology Network center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (ATN-UAH) to work with a team of Syncro personnel to identify and implement improvements that result in throughput and energy savings increases.  The ATN assistance was delivered as part of the Alabama E3 (Economy, Energy, Environment) program and the project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The ATN-UAH team began by scoping and scheduling a kaizen event for the brake controller production area.  A cross-functional team of Syncro personnel was trained in the principles of lean enterprise and practical energy.  The team then observed the current operation and identified opportunities for improvement.  Throughout the course of the event, ideas were tested and changes were made that improved flow and reduced the labor required per part.  Furthermore, the production operations were rearranged and standardized to use less floor space, less work-in-process inventory and generate more throughput.

In conjunction with the productivity improvement, ATN-UAH identified other energy saving opportunities.  Lighting upgrades to more energy-efficient fixtures along with repairs were quantified, as well as locating and quantifying energy lost through air leaks throughout the facility.

Results:

The ATN-UAH team successfully facilitated the improvement event, resulting in labor savings of 22%, floor space reduction of 44% and part travel distance reduction of 69% in the brake controller area.  Furthermore, potential recurring energy savings of $15,000/year by upgrading lighting and repairing air leaks were identified.

Customer Feedback:

“The results were amazing!  We’ve conducted several events in this area and we’re still seeing improvements.”
- Ken Vest, Plant Manager

Company Information:

ZF Lemförder, the Car Chassis Technology division of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, develops and produces chassis components, rubber-metal and plastic components, chassis systems, and gearshift systems for vehicles of all well-known automobile manufacturers.  ZF Lemförder has, worldwide, more than 9,300 employees.  The Tuscaloosa, AL facility employs 230 people and assembles axle systems.

Situation:

The current Tuscaloosa ZF facility, consisting of 150,000 square feet, has a front axle line and a rear axle line, along with warehouse inventory, office space, and shipping and receiving areas.  The company was projecting a contract in the next year that would involve adding another front and rear axle line, a paint booth, and potentially more warehouse space.  ZF’s desire was to maximize existing space and limit the need for expansion. 
 
ATN Assistance:

ZF Lemforder’s Tuscaloosa location utilized the assistance of the Alabama Technology Network center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH-ATN ) to consult with the company’s maintenance manager and engineers to identify improvement opportunities and evaluate the existing expansion alternatives.  The ATN assistance was delivered as part of the Alabama E3 (Economy, Energy, Environment) program.

The UAH-ATN team began by getting an overview of ZF’s potential expansion needs and reviewing various draft alternatives that had been developed by the company.  Next, the UAH-ATN team identified shop floor square footage savings within the existing facility.  These savings included removing a block of offices and better utilizing other existing office space, along with narrowing the warehouse racks to mirror the layout at the company’s off-site warehouse. 

In addition to energy savings from avoided expansion, UAH-ATN researched additional energy saving opportunities.  The future expansion included the addition of a paint line featuring an oven system.  UAH-ATN consulted with a paint expert to assess the possibility of using an infrared oven, which would require less floorspace, consume less energy, and could be located outside the walls of the facility. Research was also performed to evaluate the use of solar panels (which was deemed to not be economical feasible at this time) or a cool roof system.

Results:

The UAH-ATN team identified several opportunities to maximize existing space and save energy relative to the upcoming expansion for ZF Lemforder.  Among the opportunities presented were:

• ·         Energy savings within the existing operation
  • o   Replace existing 325W Metal Halide light fixtures with equivalent-output 3xT5 fluorescent fixtures (360,000 kWh saved annually; a cost of $0.10/kWh in the area would result in an annual electricity savings of $36,000/yr)
  • o   Fixing existing air leaks (36,000 kWh saved annually = $3600/yr)
  • o   Installation of cool roof system ($1.50/sq. ft. installation cost, results in $0.50/sq/ft. in electricity savings annually = $75,000/yr)

• ·         Square footage savings of 35,500 sq. ft. identified, which would be considered expansion avoidance.
  • o   Removing block of office space in the plant and relocating to better-utilized existing office space
  • o   Narrowing warehouse racks and reducing inventory to reduce necessary warehouse footprint
  • o   Location of paint oven to exterior of the facility
  • o   Due to quality specifications, the facility is heated and cooled.  Typical HVAC cost is $2/sq.ft.
    • §  $70,000 in annual HVAC cost avoided

Headquartered in Pelham, Alabama, Vulcan manufactures and distributes a wide array of threaded products to customers throughout North America.  In addition to their 325,000 square foot facility and 200 employees at headquarters, Vulcan maintains warehouse and sales representatives nationwide in order to be responsive to customers’ urgent needs.  Vulcan is ISO 9001:2008 certified. 

Situation:

Vulcan has recently begun pursuing continuous improvement and energy improvement efforts at the manufacturing facility in Pelham.  After training key champions in continuous improvement concepts, a pilot area- the drawing operation- was chosen to host the initial implementation project.  The drawing process had been flagged by management due to a desire to increase throughput in that operation.

ATN Assistance:

Vulcan utilized the assistance of the Alabama Technology Network center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH-ATN) to facilitate a team-based E3 (Economic, Energy, and Environment) assessment and kaizen improvement event on one of their drawing lines. A cross-functional team of Vulcan employees consisting of operators, supervisors, maintenance, and IT specialists was assembled to attack the problem.  

UAH-ATN began by training the team in a 4 hour Lean Concepts course with simulation.  This allowed the team to learn to see non-value-added activities and develop camaraderie. Next, the team divided into sub-teams and observed the process as it was currently operating.  An assessment of energy savings in the areas of lighting, compressed air, and motors also was conducted by UAH-ATN as part of the activity. The team collected data on the current process (including blasting, drawing, sawing, and straightening operations, and energy use) and noted non-value-added activities. Key problems observed included a lack of workplace organization, frequent delays due to waiting for material, and a lack of standardized procedures for all processes as well as energy wastes. Based on the observational data and the opportunities for improvement that were identified, countermeasures were developed.

The kaizen team worked 5 days on implementing several ideas to improve drawing throughput.  Tool boards were fabricated to store tools at the point of use.  A die removal station was created at the line to reduce internal travel time during changeover. The equipment was cleaned and visual indicators were installed on the sawing operation to prevent the need for manual measuring during adjustments. A staging and communication system was developed between the blasting and drawing processes to ensure the availability of material.  Once all improvements were finalized and tested, standardized procedures with visual pictures were developed for all related processes- blasting, material handling, drawing, sawing, straightening, and changeover of the drawing bench. 

Results:

Based on the implemented improvements during the kaizen event, Vulcan has experienced the following results in the drawing operation:

• An increase from 16 draws/hour to 25 draws/hour (56% improvement)
• This allows for an additional 11,809,978 lbs to be drawn annually
• This is equivalent to an additional 112 days of capacity for the drawing operation

 Additionally, the E3 assessment conducted by UAH-ATN  during the kaizen event offered Vulcan potential energy savings as follows:

• §  $88,147 annual savings by replacing existing light fixtures with energy efficient lights- average simple payback of 1 year
• §  $68,584 annual savings by fixing 44 identified compressed air leaks
• §  $44,019 in annual savings by replacing all standard efficiency motors with high efficiency motors
• §  $2,289 annual savings by replacing all v-belts with cogged belts