Universal Pultrusions, LLC
The Ultimate in Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Door Systems
Strong as Steel and Corrosion Defiant
100 Tillco Dr., POBox 1289, Marshall, AR 72650
voice: 870-448-4406 ~ fax: 870-448-5120
info@unipulllc.com

ODE TO CLIPBOARDS
The catch-phrase in our office, in terms of "How's business going?" relates to whether our clipboards full.

As most folks in manufacturing know, specs for each 'custom order' may be assigned to a clipboard which accompanies the product being produced from the phone call, fax or email which initiates the purchase order, across the CAD screen where raw data is converted to precise shop drawings, back to the order-placer for final approval, and then to our production manager, to start wending its way through our line.

First, each clipboard in turn joins its fellows, tucked into a slot on a wirerack in our breakroom, waiting patiently (but not very long) to be plucked from the swarm and assigned.

Depending on what the order calls for, a custom die may have to be installed into one of our machines, a special set of reinforcement materials may have to be gathered from our inventory, a special batch of resins may have to be mixed and then our manufacturing process may begin.

Exiting our pultrusion line as a single component of a finished product, even our door panels (which are pultruded as a contiguous slab) must each be custom prepped to a specific length, capped and chemically welded to create a 'blank' door. Thus the clipboard moves on to the 'assembly' portion of our line.

This is where each blank is prepped for hardware -- routed for hinges, drilled for locksets and prepped for various security electronics, with all information about how to configure each assembly passing from worker to worker via a clipboard.

Finally, each clipboard accompanies its unique product as it is sanded, primed, receives a high-gloss polyurethane industrial finish, and is crated to ship. Then, like the swallows return to Capistrano, the clipboard comes back to our business office where its paperwork is released to our files and it begins wending its way through our production line again.

Noteworthy here is the intention inherent to our expansion plan that we shall ultimately incorporate some sort of digital production-tracking technology. Still, at the moment our world revolves around clipboards: keeping them full and cycling around amounts to keeping our production line running and keeping all of us employed.

Thus the 'current status' of our clipboards has become somewhat of a barometer about how things are going with our business, and the good news is that this week we had to buy more clipboards because we had more orders than we had clipboards to fill <grin>.

And we've told you all that in order to say that during this holiday season and all thru the coming new year, we hope your orders overfloweth your clipboards <smile> and that the whole of your life bodes equally well.   MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS...

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Bill Fox, Business Consultant for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, will be the featured speaker at UniPul's January '09 product knowledge seminar.

"I’ll be talking about the services we offer, such as consulting, research assistance and training seminars," Fox, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from West Virginia University, explained.  

As a business consultant, Fox works with clients on various types of business issues such as financing options, business planning, marketing, and financial management.

"I’ll also discuss how we can help with the development of loan proposals and I’ll talk briefly about the SBA and some of the programs they offer start-ups and established businesses and discuss how the ASBDTC helps to facilitate economic development in our state," he elaborated.

Before joining the ASBTDC, Fox was a former small business owner, having developed and operated a retail gift concept and a catering company.  He also has lending experience as a banker/loan officer with Bank of America and has worked in higher education as director of a student enterprise program at the University of Pennsylvania, as coordinator for a disability services program at Broward (FL) Community College and as a job developer for Florida Atlantic University.

The ASBTDC is part of a national network of more than 1,000 small business development center offices that together constitute the largest small business assistance program in the United States. Fox is with The University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business Small Business Technology Development Center which, as one of six regional ASBTDC offices in Arkansas, provides service to businesses in Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Washington counties.

All services, which include consulting, research and training, are routinely available at low or no cost and the 'get acquainted' program at UniPul is free of charge. 

According to surveys of engineers, technical buyers & other industrial professionals conducted during 2006-07 by GlobalSpec, 31% of decision-makers were routinely using the Internet to research purchasing options. Today, according to this same source, that number has risen to more than 80%.

Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.

UniPul FACTORY TOUR, L/R: Bill Fox with the Arkansas Small Business Development Center of the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, Linda Kay Fritz, Contracting Officer with the National Park Service, Heather Horton, business manager of Progressive Solutions, a Mississippi-based professional vegetation management firm, Don Ott representing the Business Retention & Expansion division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Patti Jackson, operations supervisor of Progressive Solutions, and Keith Jensen, president and technical director of Universal Pultrusions LLC, examine a pultruded doorframe which has been chemically welded.

Demystifying Government Purchasing

The best thing a business can do if they wish to have the federal government as a customer, according to Linda Kay Fritz, Contracting Officer with the National Park Service, is to connect the procedural dots that result in a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) contract.

An independent agency of the United States government, GSA was established in 1949 to help manage and support the daily functioning of government. The first job of the newly formed agency was a complete renovation of the White House. The structure had fallen into such a state of disrepair by 1949 that one inspector of the time said the building was standing “purely from habit.”

Today GSA has become a far-reaching ‘purchase enabling’ entity akin to a virtual shopping mall where government contracting officers like Fritz may purchase everything from paperclips to aerospace technologies in order to equip and accommodate U.S. government facilities and personnel.

During the program held at Universal Pultrusions LLC (UniPul) in Marshall, Arkansas, Fritz explained that the idea behind the GSA program is to minimize federal expenditures by negotiating price guarantees with private sector manufacturers and service providers, thus better serving the taxpayer who ultimately foots the bill.

Fritz said that the GSA program makes it tremendously easier for purchasing agents to find the right supplies at the best price, especially when disaster and recovery needs must be met. She noted that there are 62 categories of commercial products and services that may be covered by a GSA contract. Known as schedules, these categories cover everything from industrial products such as heavy duty doors, vehicles, computers and office products to professional services such as weed eradication.

To be an approved supplier under a GSA schedule, the manufacturer or service provider must go through an arduous application process and ongoing reporting, however GSA schedules are the favored purchasing mechanism for most federal buyers and large contractors can have GSA sales exceeding $100 million annually.

Currently, GSA employs about 12,000 federal workers and has an annual operating budget of roughly $16 billion, approximately 1% of which is appropriated from taxpayer dollars. GSA oversees $66 billion of procurement annually and contributes to the management of about $500 billion in U.S. Federal property including 8,300 leased or owned buildings a 210,000 vehicle motor pool.

Attending the October 30th program, hosted by Keith Jensen, president and technical director of UniPul, a Marshall, Arkansas-based manufacturer of pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) industrial products, were Bill Fox with the Arkansas Small Business Development Center of the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, Don Ott representing the Business Retention & Expansion division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Heather Horton and Patti Jackson, respectively the business manager and operations supervisor of Progressive Solutions, a Mississippi-based professional vegetation management firm, and Joe Dillard, Regional Representative of Congressman Marion Berry. ~~~

WEFTEC.08, held October 18-22, 2008 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, boasted 21,950 attendees and 1,111 companies using 290,000 net square feet of exhibit space, making the Water Environment Federation’s 81st Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference the largest event in its 81-year history.

This premier gathering of water environment professionals offered the most dynamic educational and training experience in WEFTEC’s history with 31 workshops, 115 technical sessions, and 10 facility tours that addressed the timeliest issues in water, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, energy, green initiatives, science, research and legislative issues.

Below: Kevin Jensen (facing camera) mans the UniPul exhibit booth at WEFTEC.08

FRP Pedestrian Bridges
From CompositesWorld

The Transportation Structures Council of the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) has developed and published a guide to encourage and enable engineers to specify fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials in the design of pedestrian bridges.

"The approval of this first FRP specification for pedestrian bridges opens up the use of FRP to new infrastructure applications," said Dr. Eric Johansen, president of E.T. Techtonics Inc. and a member of ACMA, who was instrumental in drafting the initial document.

FRP materials provide the bridge system with a strength-to-weight ratio greater than steel, offering significant design and erection advantages such as prefabrication of lightweight yet highly durable components for assembly on site and the elimination of many ongoing maintenance concerns posed by traditional construction materials.

"The lightweight, maintenance-free nature of FRP and its ease and speed of installation could save the U.S. millions of dollars a year," said Johansen. "It's important, too, because it now opens the door for the approval of other FRP specifications in critical infrastructure applications." ~~~
 

Does anybody really know what time it is? CLICK HERE

“Demystifying Government Purchasing”

As always, there is no cost to attend this program, however space is limited and so we respectfully urge your RSVP. We had a pleasantly full house last time around and are expecting the same to prove true this time. The program begins promptly at 9am, however UniPul offices open at 8am with coffee and donuts served. After Kay’s presentation, Keith Jensen, UniPul president and technical director, will guide a tour of our factory and respond to questions about the pultrusion manufacturing process.

Oceans of Biomass

Regarding the current biofuel battle over the use of cropland to produce fuel rather than food, everything from animal manure to crop residue has come under the research microscope as a potential means of supplanting global dependency on fossil fuels and Radulovich says he has the solution: Seaweed.

Saying that oceanic resources offer “a wonder that humanity has barely begun to unfold” he asserts that Earth's oceans which cover more than 70 percent of the global surface, are ideal for large-scale seaweed cultivation which could readily produce enough biofuel and biomass to eliminate world dependency on petro-chemical fuel consumption.

“The key point, of course, is to develop large-scale seaweed cultivation techniques,” Radulovich says. “If we want to get amounts of energy similar to fossil fuel consumption, we have plenty of room in the world’s oceans.”

Algae to Biofuel
According to Global Green Solutions, a Vancouver BC based 'ecotechnology' company specializing in renewable energy applications, algae is proving itself to be an incredibly cost-effective and eco-friendly biofuel source. The Vertigro technology (pictured at right) developed by Global uses 'high density vertical bioreactors' to mass produce rapidly growing algae which are converted to vegetable oil and refined for biodiesel fuel.

These continuous, closed loop bioreactor systems can be built on land not generally suited for agricultural, residential or commercial development and water usage, compared to traditional biofuel crops, is minimal yet produces a 'virtually unlimited yield of biomass algal oil for biofuel feedstock'.

Algae is not only a sustainable, renewable energy source, it absorbs huge amounts of carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas or the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gases. In addition, algae harvests provide highly nutritional ingredients for food, have significant pharmaceutical properties and are useful in the manufacture of many beauty products.

New Generation of Fuel Cells
Gore-Tex, a patented fabric manufactured from a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene 'micro-fiber' which has revolutionized the outdoor clothing industry, could do the same for motorists by enabling increased production of radically less expensive hydrogen fuel-cells.

Pictured at right: A much cheaper fuel cell could be on its way thanks a new cathode built by Australian researchers.

Fuel cell technology, long used to power the International Space Station, is coveted as an energy source by the whole transportation industry. A de facto alternative to combustion-based energy production, conventional fuel cells require a goodly amount of platinum in the manufacturing process. Yet platinum is extremely costly and, based on the present annual world production of platinum, only 3-million vehicles (one-twentieth of the present annual global production of vehicles) could be equipped with this carbon-neutral technology each year, worldwide.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) to electricity and water (H2O). The traditional fuel cell has a cathode requiring roughly $4000 worth of platinum nanoparticles which is the major cost of manufacturing a fuel cell. Now, however, a team of Monash University scientists led by Dr Bjorn Winther-Jensen, have developed fuel cell technology which couples highly conductive plastic polymers with Gore-Tex fabric in a way that eliminates the need for platinum. 

"The discovery was probably the most important development in fuel cell technology in the last 20 years,” said Professor Doug MacFarlane from the Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science, predicting that the new fuel cell design will lead to many new economic and environmental benefits. ~~~

MARKET TRENDS
“Higher petroleum costs, increased production of biofuels, emerging interest in green products produced from renewable resources and dramatic advances in technology have created a more favorable business environment for developing alternative … industrial applications.” ~ Pete Nelson www.agbioworks.org and Hillary Spain www.biodimensions.net

UniPul to exhibit at WEFTEC.08
October 19-22 will find UniPul on exhibit at the Water Environment Federation's Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, held this year at McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, IL.

The largest annual water quality exhibition in the world, the conference and exhibition offer the best water quality education and training available today and draws industry professionals from around the globe.

The expansive show floor provides unparalleled access to the most cutting-edge technologies in the field, serves as a forum for domestic and international business opportunities and promotes invaluable peer-to-peer networking between its more than 20,000 attendees. Visit us at Booth #12014 Hall C-1. Click here to see our exhibit listing.

NOTE: If you'd like a complimentary guest pass to attend the WEFTEC.08 exhibition on Wednesday, October 22, email christine@unipulllc.com

New UniPul Catalog Debuts
UniPul's new product knowledge catalog is now available for download in PDF format. Updating and amending information on product specifications and ordering published in previous catalogs, the new edition includes a special section on the NOMENCLATURE of FRP FENESTRATION. Click here for more info.

UniPul Corrosion Defiant Doors chosen for New York Museum
The FASNY Museum of Firefighting is now sporting a matched pair of bright red pultruded doors, custom crafted for their use by the UniPul team. For more about this, click here.

Production Manager Sought
At our sister company, Metalogic Inc., based in Flippin, Arkansas, we seek a production manager for our stainless steel fabricating operations. Duties include scheduling, coordinating, directing and supervising factory operations to produce optimum conditions of productivity, efficiency, cost effectiveness, safety and ease of operations. Minimum skill set includes five years of production management and hands-on fabrication experience in a manufacturing environment similar to that of Metalogic; competency to organize, direct, budget, control and manage a manufacturing facility and supervise a production crew, including: Production Control Foreman, Shipping & Receiving Employees, Machine Shop Employees, Assembly, Welding & Buffing Employees, Maintenance Supervisor, Shift Supervisors. For details, download PDF

Ziploc Omelets
Whether you're cooking for one or a dozen, this recipe makes omleteering (and clean-up) easy and fun. For groups, write each person's name in permanent magic marker on a one-quart Ziploc bag, prepare a variety of ingredients (grated cheeses, diced ham, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, salsa, etc.) and have everyone make an omelet to suite their own taste. Then...

1. Crack eggs (not more than 2) into the quart size Ziploc bag, seal the zipper and shake. 

2. Add your choice of ingredients, seal and shake again to mix well. 

3. Open the zipper just a little, gently squeeze the bag to get all the air out and zip closed again. 

4. Place the bag(s) into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. A large pot can cook 6-8 omelets at a time. 

5. Cut the bags open and roll the omelet out onto a plate.

Serve hot with fresh fruit, coffee cake, biscuits, pancakes or whatever tickles your fancy. Pre-prepare bags the night before and plop into boiling water to cook while you shower! If you are concerned about reports that link plastics (such as Bisphenol-A) used in food containers to health concerns, according to this report (by an independent source), your fears are generally grounded but do NOT apply to name-branded Ziploc bags. ~~~

The U.S. Embassy in Conakry (Guinea, Africa) will soon be sporting four new FRP doors, manufactured in the Ozark Mountains.

The nation of Guinea is on the western coast of Africa. >>>

"This is our first international transaction," said Margaret Ratchford, sales & customer service director of Universal Pultrusions LLC (UniPul), the Marshall, Arkansas-based manufacturing company which shipped the finished doors on August 26. "We are all very excited about it."

<<< Conakry, the capital city of Guinea, is situated on Tumbo Island connected to the mainland by a 300-meter pier.

This benchmark sale is, it is hoped by all who work for UniPul, foretelling of greater things to come as the company's reputation for producing what is perhaps the toughest, most durable and best looking heavy-duty personnel door in the marketplace travels across the USA and around the world.

"Our company has been in business since 1986," Ratchford continued. "I worked here when things got started, left for a while when I began raising my family, and came back in 2006," she said. "Our doors have always been unique to the industry and the word is spreading about the quality of our product. We are seeing a steady increase in orders."

At right: John Coppersmith, who runs the spray booth at UniPul and oversees shipping, loads the crated doors into the FedEx truck. More photos: click here.

"Thanks so very much for making sure this order went through," wrote Boubacar Kanneh, Embassy Procurement Supervisor, in an email to Ratchford. "I am very grateful for all of your assistance. Hope to do more business with your Company in the future. Best regards." ~~~
 

Ozark Olives...??? The vine pictured at right is a 'volunteer' to our landscaping and we haven't a clue what it might be. Can you solve our mystery? Give us a call... 870-448-4406. Click the image for a larger photo with a life-size image of the leaves and fruit >>>>

Unipul to exhibit at WERTEC.08 WEFTEC®, the Water Environment Federation's Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, is the largest conference of its kind in North America, offering water quality professionals from around the world the best water quality education and training available today. Recognized as the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world, the expansive show floor provides unparalleled access to the most cutting-edge technologies in the field, serves as a forum for domestic and international business opportunities, and promotes invaluable peer-to-peer networking between its more than 20,000 attendees. Visit us at Booth #12014 Hall C-1.

Water & Wastewater topic of business meeting, pictured l/r: Susan Poe, Wastewater Trainer/Technician with the Arkansas Rural Water Association, Keith Jensen, President & Technical Director of Universal Pultrusions LLC (UniPul), Gene Henderson, V.P. of the SPG Water Association, Veronica Salmons representing Alliance Water Resources of Colombia, Missouri, James Busby, Mayor of the City of Marshall and Vice Chair Ozark Mountains Regional Public Water Authority, Dale Jensen of Flippin, Margaret Ratchford, Sales & Customer Service Director of UniPul, Jimmy Blair and Anthony Mathis, both with the City of Marshall Water Department, Joe Dillard Regional Representative to U.S. Congressional Representative Marion Berry, T.P. Hubbard, President of the South Mountain Water Association, Johnny Hinchey, Searcy County Judge and Director of the Ozark Mountains Regional Public Water Authority, Ray Barnes, City of Leslie Water Superintendent, Hughy Ragland, Superintendent of the Morningstar Water Association, and Kevin Elliot, Superintendent City of Marshall Water Department. Also attending but not pictured, Kevin Jensen of Metalogic, Inc., Christine Beems, Communications Director of UniPul, and Shawna Weiss, a 9th grader from the nearby City of Clinton, Arkansas.

The amount of 'disposable' plastic produced in the United States has nearly doubled in the past two decades. This includes plastic bags, toothbrushes, cigarette lighters, beverage bottles and their caps, toys, and fast food wrappers. And sadly, way too much of it is ending up in ocean waters. There it is tumbled and swirled by waves and currents, breaking down into tiny bits and dust-sized particles, turning the seawater into a viscous soup.

Algalita researchers say there are five major gyres  around the world where this particulate sludge accumulates, but that these appear invisible to nautical passersby, aerial photographers and even satellite imagery because most of the plastic bits are translucent. Eighty percent of the plastic comes not from ships but from land, where tossed consumer goods eventually travel from backyards and street gutters to creeks and streams to rivers and on into the ocean.

Above: Ray Barnes, City of Leslie Water Superintendent, and Hughy Ragland, Superintendent of the Morningstar Water Association, seated beneath the graphic wall mural in the company offices which illustrates expansion plans of the UniPul manufacturing facility.

Subsequent to Poe’s presentation, Keith Jensen, President & Technical Director of the manufacturing facility, led the group on a factory tour illustrating his company’s role as a service provider to the water and wastewater industry.

Jensen explained that the simple door can be a real headache in an industrial setting where subjection to chronic wetness and caustic cleaning compounds in a chemically saturated environment can cause huge maintenance problems and repetitive retrofitting costs. His company’s goal, as he explained it, is to manufacture doors that are problem-free and last the lifetime of the facility in which they are installed.

Also during the program, Jensen’s plan for expanding his factory’s production facilities to accommodate the steady growth in demand for pultruded products was announced. Plans call for an approximate 28% increase in manufacturing floor space and the addition of approx 2000 sq.ft. of administrative offices.

Emphasizing that it is impossible for people to utilize a resource they don’t know exists, Joe Dillard, Regional Representative to U.S. Congressional Representative Marion Berry, said that the overall program addressed a significant need by introducing more decision-makers to the high-quality consulting, training, planning and development resources available to them at no cost through the ARWA, to help them solve difficult water and wastewater problems.

For more information on the services available from ARWA, visit www.ArkansasRuralWater.org or phone 501-676-2255.

For more info about Universal Pultrusions, phone 870-448-4406.

Descendents of the family that established "Body By Fisher" are getting back into the vehicular body building business. Gregory Fisher, CEO and chairman of Fisher Coachworks LLC, a company formed earlier this year to become a manufacturer of electric-drive buses outfitted with ultra-light (polymer) body-parts, is the grandson of Alfred J. Fisher, one of the original Fisher brothers who on July 22, 1908, formed the Fisher Body Company. Fisher has not yet determined a location for their manufacturing facility, though they still have roots in Michigan and reportedly are also considering Tennessee and California.

According to Environment & Energy News, buildings in the United States account for more than 40% of our nation's energy use. Thus by going 'carbon neutral' and applying specific strategies to new construction and rehab projects, that 40% could be cut to 8%.

This 80% reduction in energy consumption will add roughly $1 to $2 per square foot of new construction costs, however this investment will pay itself back redundantly over the years. Strategies to accomplish such savings start with the site plan layout, look at where the building should be optimally located, its shape and geographic orientation. Even with existing structures, much can be accomplished with landscaping, shading and applied colors to enhance natural ventilation, lighting, heating and cooling systems systems, passive solar and other operations such as new roofing systems that produce electricity.

The biggest challenge it seems is getting people to believe that an 80% reduction in energy consumption is possible without sacrificing overall quality or modern convenience. Yet according the the experts all the technology to actualize these measurable savings is on the shelf right now and ready to deliver benefits.

NANOBOTICS

Remember nanobots from Star Trek? Introduced to mere mortals by the Borg – the ‘killer bees’ of the universe whose hive mentality (‘resistance is futile’) drove their swarms to ‘assimilate’ every living being they encountered. "Seven of Nine" (pictured at right), according to the TV script, was fully human before she was assimilated into the Borg robotic collective by an injection of nanobots.

No longer the exclusive property of science fiction, nanorobotics is steadily becoming a beneficial and useful fact. Nanorobots, nanobots, nanoids or nanites as they are variously called, are engineered with ‘wheels’ and ‘gears’ and ‘switches’ the size of molecules.

For the most part still a hypothetical concept, progress toward actualizing useful nanobots is amazing. One example: a tiny chemical "brain" which could one day act as a remote control for swarms of nano-machines has been developed and was able to control eight microscopic machines simultaneously in a test.

To put these itty-bitty contraptions in scale, consider that a human hair is roughly 84,000 nanometers wide. Now consider that a new nano-sized sensor with a ‘switch’ approximately 1.5 nanometers wide is capable to count specific molecules in a chemical sample.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), on the other hand, are distinct from and yet intricately related to nanobot technology. These molecular, straw-shaped structures – which look like cylinders of rolled-up chicken wire, are also only a few nanometers wide but are several millimeters long and are rapidly becoming an industry staple, especially in the enhancement of polymers.

Said to have the strength equivalent of diamonds, unique electrical properties and other novel attributes, CNTs are useful in electronics, optics, arcology and architecture. Used as fibers to strengthen polymer composites, the Easton EC70 DH featherweight handlebar created with nanotube technology for mountain bikes has, for example, won awards for its incredible strength.

An envisioned use is to produce high-tensile CNT cables that could tether a synchronously orbiting ‘space platform’ to earth and enable access with a ‘space elevator’.

More down to earth, in 2007 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers infused paper with aligned carbon nanotubes and created a new type of battery, engineered to function as both a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor. The ‘paper battery’ can provide long, steady power output comparable to a conventional battery, as well as a supercapacitor’s quick burst of high energy.

Though commercial application is currently cost-prohibitive, it is conceivable that a ‘paper battery’ the size of a sheet of newspaper could power a car.

Further leveraging nanostructure advances, Nanosolar has developed a proprietary ink that makes it possible to simply ‘print’ high-performance solar cells. Much simpler and much more cost-effective than conventional vacuum deposition techniques, the Nanosolar process delivers thin-film solar cells which more affordable and generate more energy than their traditional counterparts.

~~~

Handling Combustible Solids & Particulates

In 2005, Carolyn Merritt, Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), declared that chemical dust explosions in the United States are a "serious industrial safety problem." But according to a recent report on 60 Minutes, this threat to the common worker is still little understood and thus not given sufficient respect.

Research attests that nearly 200 dust fires and explosions have occurred in U.S. industrial facilities over the past 25 years, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities and 600 injuries. And while everyone wants to assure that their plant is safe, little is understood about how to evaluate safety conditions in plants that, as a manufacturing side-effect, produce what are known as 'combustible particulate solids'.

Routinely known as 'dust', it must be noted that even sugar, plastic and aluminum dust particles can explode like a bomb given sufficient accumulation and a spark. Safe housekeeping methods to clean air ducts, crawl spaces and other hidden or exposed surfaces are a must to ensure safety. A dust layer only 1/32" thick is sufficient to cause a tragedy and should require immediate cleaning. For more info, visit the Chemical Safety Board online at www.csb.gov.

On Friday, June 27, friends, family members and employees of Metalogic and UniPul were treated to an Ozark-style fish fry buffet with all the fixin's, hosted by Kevin Jensen and Keith Jensen, owners of the two manufacturing facilities.

Kevin Jensen and his dad manned the deep fryers, serving up a bevy of delicious fried okra, taters, and catfish.  Homemade coleslaw, lots of condiments and an array of tantalizing desserts had everyone happily complaining that they'd eaten way too much. Click here for more pics from the event.

~~~

COMPOSITE SHIMS

When installing an FRP doorframe or window system, to gain full advantage of the non-corrosive/rot-immune properties, make sure to use a composite shim in the installation rather than relying on the old standard, wood.

Wood shims can and do rot in high moisture environments. This causes doorframes to shift in their openings, degrading the alignment of the door in the frame and contributing to other detrimental factors.

The simple solution is to use a composite shim such as those manufactured by Nelson Wood Shims of Cohasset, Minnesota, which we find to be an excellent solution to this hidden problem that may go unnoticed until it is too late.

~~~

WASTEWATER TOPIC OF INFORMATION PROGRAM

Susan Poe, Wastewater Trainer/Technician with the Arkansas Rural Water Association (ARWA), is the featured speaker July 24 at an informational seminar hosted by Universal Pultrusions LLC in Marshall, Arkansas.

“Clean potable water is the lifeblood of a healthy community,” said Poe, noting that it takes more than just detecting leaks and inspecting tanks or pumping systems to have a healthy water system. “The way we handle our wastewater has a lot to do with it.”

Poe will overview the training programs and technical support services provided by  ARWA to rural communities in a continuing effort to ensure a high-quality water supply at the lowest possible cost.

“We conduct educational programs throughout Arkansas,” said Poe. “Our purpose is to assist water systems with day-to-day operational and management problems. We have on our staff, experienced and licensed operators who are familiar with all aspects of water systems’ operations and management and are ready to work with any rural community at any time.”

Water quality management has become an increasingly complex job as regulatory awareness of critical demands requires highly-skilled professionals whose salaries are often beyond the budget of rural utility operations. ARWA works to bridge this gap with no-cost consulting services and low-cost training & certification programs, some of which qualify for tuition subsidy via scholarships and grants.

The ARWA is a non-profit organization which delivers up-to-date information to the operators and management personnel of local water utilities by striving to meet the needs of each individual water system. The ARWA is a member of the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) which links-together over 24,500 rural and small utilities nationwide.

“We are very pleased to host this program as part of our continuing education effort,” said Keith Jensen, president and technical director of the UniPul manufacturing facility. “In addition to having a vested interest as a local resident in the quality of our community’s water system, our company is a service provider to the water and wastewater treatment industry as we manufacture industrial doors that are specifically designed for extra durability to hold up in the chronically moist and chemically corrosive environment of wastewater treatment facilities.”

~~~

Einstein understood that imagination is the most potent cognitive tool of the universe. Ignoring status quo assumptions, creative imagination enables us to conceptualize possibilities.

Choosing to adopt this outreaching attitude -- which is really our 'default' mind-set -- allows us to see common circumstances in profoundly different ways and to form entirely new perspectives.

Einstein, for example, in his quest to understand the workings of light, matter and energy, would imagine himself riding on top of a beam of light and then asking himself questions about the imaginary experience.

Einstein willfully empowered his imagination, giving whimsy free reign in his own thought process to rid himself of 'common knowledge' givens and limitations.

Einstein's natural curiosity coupled with his voracious exercise of imagination radically transformed scientific theory and revolutionized how we think about our universe today. Einstein challenged assumptions.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." ~George Bernard Shaw

Ocean Renewable Power Company was founded in 2004 for the purpose of generating reliable, cost-effective, emission-free electricity from the virtually unlimited energy resources of the oceans. The company's proprietary modular OCGen™ technology promises both environmental and economic friendliness by harvesting the perpetual motion of ocean currents.

Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies removes phosphorus and other nutrients from wastewater and recycles them into environmentally safe commercial fertilizer. The company’s first commercial-scale plant began operation in Edmonton, Alberta in 2007. The proprietary technology helps wastewater treatment systems handle sewage sludge liquids in a way that
1) reduces operating costs, 2) increases overall plant capacity, 3) complies with environmental regulations and 4) produces revenue from byproduct: Crystal Green™ fertilizer which provides turf growers (parks and golf courses), commercial nurseries and specialty agricultural markets with a unique fertilizer that is 1) slow release and proven effective, 2) produced without greenhouse gas emissions, and 3) does not leach into and pollute the water table.

Daphne Utilities provides water, sewer and natural gas to the community of Daphne, Alabama and has received many awards for keeping the environment clean while keeping operating costs low. Paramount among Daphne's innovations is it's oil-recycling program which produces bio-diesel fuel and glycerin soap from the wastestream grease that too often winds up in the community's sewer system.

Open Source Initiative (OSI) is an outgrowth of the techies who initially conceptualized and developed the Internet and the World Wide Web. Advocates of the virtual-bridge-building power of free information exchange, members of the OSI community strive to create a nexus of trust around which developers, end users, corporations and governments can effectively organize information thru open-source cooperation.

Pultrusion: In 1994 there were only about 100 commercial pultruders in North America. Now, just fourteen years later, a Google search for 'pultrusion' delivers over 290,000 results. Once treated as a step-child of the FRP industry, pultrusion is today one of the fastest growing sectors of composites processing, commonly used in the manufacture of I-beams, sewer pipes, grates, fences, handrails and doorframes.

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Edison

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Five Sales Reps, home-based out of Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee, attended a Factory Tour & Product Knowledge Seminar hosted by Universal Pultrusions LLC (UniPul) on April 24, 2008, in Marshall, Arkansas.

During the morning session, UniPul President Keith Jensen explained the significant differences between conventional FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) manufacturing processes and the pultrusion process, emphasizing that while the fundamental ingredients (glass fiber, resin and catalyst) are much the same the proprietary fabrication technology employed by his company delivers a product which is vastly superior to other FRP products in both finished quality and long-term durability.

"Pultrusion is a machine process that mechanically pulls a continuous fabric of glass or other fiber reinforcement through a catalyzed resin bath or injector in front of a heated steel die," Jensen elaborated. "With our unique technology, a solid cured door panel emerges from the die, is cut to length and custom prepped for each particular installation."

This, Jensen said, is very different from how mold-formed FRP door panels are manufactured. The pultrusion technology minimizes and eliminates the general tendency for conventional FRP products to delaminate, warp and degrade when installed in environmentally harsh, chronically wet or chemically caustic environments.

Jensen followed-up his comments with a tour of the UniPul manufacturing facility which included a demonstration of installing the company's complete door and frame system.

Lunch was served in the private meeting room of Marshall’s Los Aztecas restaurant, after which Margaret Ratchford, UniPul Marketing/Sales Director, elaborated on the durability of pultruded doors during the afternoon session. "Our doors are industrial quality," she emphasized. "Ideally suited for such demanding installations as wastewater treatment plants, pharmaceutical houses and food processing facilities."

Ratchford also noted that certain segments of the industrial sector such as wastewater treatment are actually experiencing continued growth even in today's slowed economy and encouraged reps to consider this fact when researching prospective clients. 

Concluding the day's agenda, Christine Beems, UniPul Marketing/Information Director, examined effective marketing strategy. "Trends strongly indicate that the next 2 to 3 years will see 50% to 60% of all commercial and industrial purchasing originating from online contacts and research," she said, extrapolating that this makes it more important than ever for the purveyors of products and their representatives to maintain a credible and informative presence on the Internet.

Universal Pultrusions LLC is headed by Keith Jensen and co-owned by Kevin Jensen, Keith’s brother, who attended the April 24th program. The Jensen brothers also co-own Metalogic Inc., a specialty stainless steel fabricating company based in Flippin, Arkansas.

Keith and Kevin, who have a combined total of 51 years of fabricating and engineering experience between them, founded Metalogic in 1990 and took on the pultrusion business in 2004 with the objective to manufacture the finest quality products with conformity to the highest standards and most complete attention to detail achievable. For more info, visit www.unipulllc.com or www.metalogicinc.com ~~~

FRAUDULENT GRAND JURY SUMMONS CONTAINS MALWARE: According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the IC3 is warning consumers to be on the lookout for nefarious email containing a fraudulent subpoena which purports to notify recipients that they are "commanded to appear and testify" before a Grand Jury.

The email attempts to appear authentic by containing a court case number, federal code, name and address of a California (or other) federal court, court room number, issuing officers’ names, and a court seal.

Recipients are directed to click the link provided in the email in order to download and print associated information for their records. If the recipient clicks the link, malicious code is downloaded onto their computer.

The email also contains language threatening recipients with contempt of court charges if they fail to appear and they are told that the subpoena will remain in effect until the court grants a release.

As with most spam, the content contains multiple spelling errors however this has not prevented people from falling prey to the hoax.

Be advised that government agencies and financial institutions NEVER initiate contact with an individual about a serious matter by email. Thus if you receive this type of notification always question its authenticity: Contact the alleged issuing agency by phone, after you look up the number yourself, for validation.

Whenever you receive an email with attachments or links to click, do not open it and do not click any embedded links no matter if the sender is known to you or not. Email addresses are easily forged by high-tech crooks to make it appear that an email is being sent to you by a known and trusted source when in fact it has been sent by someone completely unknown to you with no good purpose in mind. 

If you received an email similar to the fraudulent 'grand jury' scam described here, the FBI requests that you report it at www.ic3.gov

SOLAR TENT: Ideally suited to disaster recovery, emergency medial care, computer outposts or other applications where secure power and shelter are needed but not readily available, the Solar Tent manufactured by SolarIntegrated supplies electric power and shelter at the same time. ~~~

There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I’ve figured out nine points—not ten (I don’t want people accusing me of thinking I’m Moses). I call them the “Nine Cs of Leadership.” They’re not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have:

A leader has to SHOW CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care.

A leader has to BE CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. Leadership is all about managing change -- whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth even when it's painful.

A leader has to BE A PERSON OF CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

A leader must HAVE COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk -- you know, My gun is bigger than your gun. -- isn't courage. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

To be a leader you've got to HAVE CONVICTION -- a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done and then do it!

A leader should HAVE CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader they trust.

A leader has to BE COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing.

You can't be a leader if you don't HAVE COMMON SENSE. My boss when I first started in the car business was a guy named Charlie Beacham, a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it."

Put another way, former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world -- and I like it here."

Leadership is forged in times of CRISIS. Leaders are made, not born. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory or send someone else off to solve critical problems when you have no idea how to solve it yourself. It's another thing to be a competent leader and take action, personally accountable to the ramifications of the outcome when a crisis looms. ~~~

The Net Generation

According to Peter Cheese (BusinessWeek March 13, 2008), today's prize recruits and top young performers are bright young people who grew up with techno-gadgetry.

Digital Natives or Millenials or Generation Y or The Net Generation as they are variously labeled, their newest tongue-in-cheek moniker is Scuppie (click image above for a details).

Born circa-1980, as this renegade breed integrates the mainstream workforce, employers are finding that attracting and retaining them can be quite a challenge.

The 'problem' is that these upstarts (as they have also been called by the 'older' generation) like to network and collaborate which -- contrary to all the academic emphasis put on the value of such habits -- has not factually been 'the way things are done around here' in the vast majority of companies... Fortune 500 or not.

Rather than questing for a singular career path that leads to lifetime job security and dependable retirement benefits, those of the Net Generation crave free-flowing environments which enable them to continue to learn and grow.

They expect rapid career advancement and 'balance' between work, play, social obligations and family responsibilities. And as their numbers increasingly influence the policies and practices of the workforce and the marketplace, industry leaders must be prepared to adopt new managerial approaches and policy mindsets as Net Generation workers are engaged.

For example, according to various surveys and marketing studies, in 2006 roughly 23% of all 'technical buyers' (ie: engineers, executives, white collar professionals, etc.) said they no longer relied exclusively on trade publications, professional journals, print ads or conventions for researching components, comparing product specifications and finding suppliers, but  increasingly conducted these activities on the Internet.

These same studies now report that the ongoing migration from traditional information sources to Internet-based virtual exploration increased by 8% in just one year and correlate this to the roughly 1,200,000 Net Generation grads now entering the workforce annually, replacing annually about 5% of the approximately 29,550,000 knowledge workers & decision makers who currently call the shots.

In this light it is self-evident that major changes in 'the way we do things around here' are eminent.

What’s your SSGQ?

Smart growth, sustainable development and green infrastructure 'quotient' (SSGQ): Even after regulatory compliance and design criteria are met, satisfying long-term SSGQ objectives takes forethought and planning, factoring-in from day one both the financial and environmental costs for ongoing maintenance and replacement of key components. The common door is a good example.

Typically, when a facility is designed or retrofitted, great attention is placed on filling needs with products that meet a variety of installation specs within a predetermined construction budget while little or no attention is given to analyzing the life-cycle of various components relative to recurring maintenance costs. Yet these un-factored costs accrue over time and can be substantial.

Ecological impacts accrue, damaging the environment in ways not routinely considered by regulators. Ongoing maintenance & retrofit costs also add-up to major expenses seldom envisioned when plans are on the drawing board.

For example, a hollow-core metal door purchased new for $700 and installed in a highly corrosive environment will, over a 10 year period, require about 2 hours of labor for maintenance each year. 

An FPR door installed in that same corrosive environment will, over that same decade, require virtually no maintenance whatsoever.

Factors such as this must be considered in order to accurately calculate the overall life-cycle costs of every construction component or retrofit installation in order to ensure long-term economic feasibility. Often the initial purchase of a slightly higher priced 'state of the art' or 'industry standard' product saves goodly dollars over the long haul. ~~~

According to Wikipedia: Embodied Energy refers to the quantity of energy required to manufacture, and supply to the point of use, a product, material or service. (As an analog of embodied water, embodied energy might also be called "virtual energy", "embedded energy" or "hidden energy").

Traditionally considered, embodied energy is an accounting methodology which aims to find the sum total of the energy necessary - from the raw material extraction, to transport, manufacturing, assembly, installation as well as the capital and other costs of a specific material - to produce a service or product and finally its disassembly, deconstruction and/or decomposition.

Different methodologies produce different understandings of the scale and scope of application and the type of energy embodied. Some methodologies are interested in accounting for the energy embodied in terms of oil that supports economic processes.

Other types of methodologies endeavor to account for the energy embodied in terms of the sunlight that supports ecological processes.

Still others, like systems ecology, look at the ecological-economic process as a whole.

Embodied energy as a concept used in systems ecology seeks to measure the "true" energy cost of an item, and has extended this to the concept of "true" value. Methodologies such as emergy have also sought to link embodied energy with fundamental concepts, such as capacitance for example, in physical, electronic and chemical sciences.
 

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