Many facility owners and managers are aware of these potential costs but aren’t sure how to go about detecting them. A good first step is to find a local gas leak detection firm that can help you locate leaks. Generally, these firms will also be able to advise you on ways to reduce fugitive emissions and prevent future leaks.

One of the most reliable ways to detect leaks is to have an expert use a FLIR Systems ThermaCAM GasFindIR video imaging camera to scan your facility for leaks. These cameras work by using infrared technology to detect areas with high concentrations of gas leaks, pinpointing problem areas and allowing you to address gas leaks at their source.

Because of the precision of this method, the images collected can also help you assess the risks your workers were exposed to because of the leak and your compliance with federal regulations.

Monitoring gas emissions is an important part of your responsibility to your employees and the environment. Don’t get caught with a leaky plant or facility and always carefully monitor your emissions.

Car washes have been around for years. They are a quick, cheap and convenient way to clean your car or truck.

Car washes work by wetting down the vehicle and applying  lots of soap. Cloth spinners then wash the vehicle, the vehicle is rinsed and blowers dry the car as it exits. Most car washes will have a staging area at the end of the wash where people will detail and wipe the car down. This all happens in about a minute and a half – maybe less. The car wash business is a big business. We know this is true because they are all over the place.

What most people do not think about is the water. Car washes use a ton of water. How does the water stay hot; and why don’t they ever run out of hot water? The answer is because car washes use  a gas tankless water heater. The system consists of a high-powered gas burner that heats the water very quickly as it runs through a heat exchanger. Unlike a traditional water heater, like the one you would typically find in a home, as long as the water supply is endless; you have endless hot water. This is a must-have for the car wash business.

Another thing most people never stop to think about is the floor. How do car washes keep the floor from freezing with all of that water, especially in the winter? The answer is that they have floor heat boilers. These boilers not only melt ice and snow off of the bottom of the vehicles, they keep the water from freezing on the ground as it drains and they add heat to the car wash drive-thru to keep ice from forming on the car. This is must-have number two.

So the next time you go to the car wash, remember how important the things that you can’t see, that are vital to the success of a clean car.

Daimler Trucks exclusively produces Class-8 on-highway truck models at this plant but it will also be bringing 100 new jobs to its Components and Logistics plant in neighboring Gastonia.

The increased production of these freight trucks is good news for the local economy—which will receive over 1,200 new jobs because of the company’s expansion. It’s also good news for the national economy which continues to benefit from the national transport of commodities via freight trucks.

Customers of Hudson-based ROI Energy have saved an estimated $1.2 million this year alone with lighting retrofits.  Though future energy rates cannot be determined, ROI Energy’s clients can anticipate a savings of $12 million over the next ten years.

ROI Energy’s customers reduced carbon emissions in excess of 7,800 tons annually, which is equal to 1,422 cars taken off the road or 880,000 gallons of gasoline saved.

“The ability to reduce lighting energy costs by 50% in today’s economy while increasing light levels are the biggest benefits. Lucrative rebate incentive dollars paid directly to business and building owners along with the ability to deduct their entire energy reduction project the first year, are icing on the cake,” notes Bob Taussig, President of ROI Energy.  “Presenting a turn-key energy savings package with an excellent return on investment to top management makes my job extremely rewarding.”

The “green” movement and taking steps to create sustainability is an important consideration for corporations and their customers.  ROI Energy reports their lighting retrofit installations are up over 300% due to Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison lighting rebate incentives. First Energy provided millions of dollars directly to businesses who agreed to have lighting retrofit projects performed in 2011, in their effort to reduce energy use.

“Without exception, our customers with warehouses and manufacturing facilities were thrilled with the increase in light levels realized from their new, high bay T5 and T8 fixtures, at the same time reducing their energy costs by over 50% year after year, helping them to remain competitive,” comments Taussig.

ROI Energy Solutions, Inc. of Hudson specializes in providing turnkey lighting retrofit projects for Ohio area factories, warehouses and distribution centers.  Their specialty is retrofitting (converting) industrial, 400 watt metal halide high bay lighting to energy efficient T-5 and T-8 high bay fixtures, typically providing twice the light using half the energy. More importantly, projects are installed without disrupting their customer’s production.

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In fact, there are many manufacturing jobs available right now, and although they often require some specific training, it is available and easy to pay off. Manufacturing in the United States is different than it was forty years ago—rather than making basic commodities, the industry here is mainly high tech and high-paying. Working in technology and aerospace manufacturing can pay between $15 and $20/hour for even the lowest paying jobs in assembly. For an unemployed American, those wages and the fact that the market is open (rather than saturated like most sectors) is opportunity amidst a slumped economy.

These are good jobs, in a growing industry. Job-seekers shouldn’t be scared away by antiquated ideas of factories as dirty, hazardous slums. In fact, the manufacturing industry in America is highly automated and standardized to create a safe, efficient and positive work environment that most people can adapt to very easily. There is room for advancement for individuals and the companies they work for—manufacturing is in high demand with the increasing need for new tech products and constant demand for military equipment.

So if you’re unemployed or know someone who is (or even if you’re just looking for a change in industry) look into manufacturing and industrial jobs in your community—in November of last year over 225,000 manufacturing jobs went unfilled.

While there are a wide variety of pavement markers—they can be painted on the road, recessed into the road, or adhered to the surface of the pavement—the most durable are those which are recessed into the road after a groove has been cut into the pavement for the marker to be placed into.

These types of recessed road markers are most often the reflectors described above. They are made of a heavy duty plastic or aluminum frame holding a reflector or, in more modern versions, a solar panel and led lights. These led road markers collect solar energy during the day and emit a consistent glow all night or during inclement weather when the sun is blocked.

While the markers mounted directly on the pavement require a soft-rubber setting that allows the hard-cast elements to sink-in when driven over, recessed markers are far more durable because they are protected from traffic by a surrounding of pavement. The installation of these markers is slightly more involved because the pavement must be cut first. This is typically done using a diamond saw blade. These blades are strong and durable enough to cut through hard pavement types and have been used since 1978 for the installation of recessed pavement markers. Diamond saw blades can also be used to score and space raised markers, though this process requires a unique raised pavement marker blade.

The NREL’s big breakthrough last month was that they found a way to produce the first solar cell that is able to produce more electrons than it gathers form the sun—making solar energy production go farther.

Equally innovative and even more exciting for solar energy products manufacturers is the lab’s development of a process for creating solar cells that will reduce the energy cost of producing the cells by up to 50%–which means less cost to the manufacturer of the cells in terms of their own electric bill, and perhaps more accessible alternative energy for all of us once those savings translate into a cheaper form of solar cell and more affordable production of solar energy products.

And not only are these cells cheaper to produce—they run more efficiently to, a product of the more efficient production process, which removes impurities in the silicone as the heat forms the cells.

These types of breakthroughs in the US are continued good news to a manufacturing economy that has found new ways to compete with international competitors in Asia and the euro zone. Although America has always been a heavy importer of parts (even on the products it manufactures in the country) there has been a recent trend toward more US production of parts as well as increased manufacturing overall in the U.S.

The dark numbers reported in Monday’s purchasing manager’s indexes (PMIs), an index of economic indicators in the manufacturing and commodity industry, showed serious declines in the euro zone, indicating that it will be all but impossible for European countries to avoid recession in the coming months. Some economic forecasters say that the euro zone is already in a recession and that the current state will last until the second quarter of 2012, if not longer.

The bad news was not just limited to Europe, with Asia’s PMIs also slowing and showing no potential of growth in the near future. Chinese manufacturing markets toed the line between steady numbers and deflation of output as 2011 closed, but the Chinese market ended consistently with recent months. Other Asian countries, such as South Korea, did not fair so well—that country’s manufacturing shrunk to it’s lowest in the last few years.

Although the rest of the world seems to be lowering its manufacturing output as we head into 2012, United States PMIs are optimistic, showing slight upturns consistently through that last few months. Even though the US market has been volatile, American manufacturing has shown itself to be the most stable amongst international competitors, a good sign of recovery for the American economy in a time of global economic turmoil. With holiday sales of consumer goods up since previous years, the U.S. has shown other signs of a strong and recovering economy as we head into 2012.

After the plastics are picked up from the recycling bin, they are separated from the other products, which go through similar processes. Plastic is inspected to make sure it is the right type and all non-processable materials have been removed.

After inspection, plastic is sent for further processing where it is chopped into small pieces and then washed using biodegradable soap products and water. These pellets are similar to traditional plastic pellets in that they can be melted down and used in a variety of plastic manufacturing projects.

The plastic pellets are sorted by type and color and are distributed for the production of new products. Because the new products will be made out of the recycled plastic pellets, it is likely that they will also be recyclable, unless the plastic is compromised by having secondary types of plastic added to it.

If the new products are recyclable, they will go back through the same process again at the end of their life. Although this cannot completely eliminate the need for new plastic, it significantly reduces the quantity of demand for plastic.

The manufacturing process used in recycling plastics is not entirely free of waste and not every element of it can be considered “environmentally friendly” because the recycling process uses high levels of electricity and water. That being said, the manufacturing process for new plastic is arguably worse, so continuing to improve the recycling process is the most sustainable bet for future plastics products manufacturing.

Find a company that specializes in energy efficient lighting retrofits. While your own team could do this project, it’s likely that they cannot do it as efficiently or as effectively as a professional energy efficiency retrofit team.

A private consulting firm can offer you thousands of dollars in tax rebates when they certify that your project was done to certain standards. Your own maintenance team cannot qualify you for these tax benefits, so doing this type of job in house has huge disadvantages in terms of tax incentives lost.

A good team of retrofit professionals can maximize the benefits of retrofit efficiency by applying industry experience from other projects to yours, giving you a better end result than you might achieve on your own. Each manufacturing space requires a unique retrofit, and you’re more likely to get a tailored result from industry experts.

If you assign your own maintenance staff to complete a lighting retrofit project, it can take a year or longer—because your maintenance staff has other important things to do in order to keep your production running smoothly and efficiently. Putting an efficiency retrofit on their plate to complete during spare time will distract from their primary work and will take a longer amount of time because of the variety of work they are completing on a daily basis.