Alabama businesses can send employees to attend the upcoming Green Enterprise Development series – Level  1  (April 6) & Level 2 training modules (April 13 – May 18) with training fees waived but will need to pay a $25 consumables fee per attendee per day.  Employees can attend all nine days of training or select individual green enterprise modules to attend.

The waived training charge for all Alabama employed workers is part of the Alabama E3 Initiative.  To meet the requirement to receive the special pricing, Alabama employed workers attending must bring additional documentation to the training site. Required documentation list is provided during the on-line registration process – go to www.uahcmer.com/atn/sustainable-solutions/ for details and registration.

Alabama Technology Network is offering the training series utilizing UAHuntsville –ATN staff and their on-campus training facility located in UAHuntsville’s  Shelby Center for Technology.  After completion of Level I and Level 2, Level 3 can be achieved by taking the accreditation exam for the SME Green Manufacturing Specialist Certificate.  Check out www.uahcmer.com for more courses & registration details, or call 256.824.LEAN (5326), or email Rana Clark  (ranaclarkuahedu)  .

Green Generalist [Level 1] – Friday, April 6

8 hour course on how to apply sustainable, environmentally friendly practices in the workplace.  Focuses on education & awareness and includes interactive “live” simulations.

Green Specialist [Level 2] –various Fridays, beginning April 13 – May 18

8 hour courses covering Water Conservation; Pollution, Solid Waste Mgt, Energy Mgt, Environmental Waste Stream Mapping, Green Chemistry,  and Sustainability in Practice. 

Alabama E3 — Economy, Energy, and Environment Initiative is a coordinated federal & local technical assistance project that assists communities work with their manufacturing base to adapt and thrive in a new business era focused on energy sustainability – the first of its kind in Alabama. For more information about Alabama E3 and its federal, state, and local partners and the Alabama Technology Network: www.atn.org.

Training funded by a U.S. Department of Labor State Energy Sector Partnership Grant through ADECA – Office of Workforce Development.

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

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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

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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
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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