Manufacturing : Innovation + Job News

When Andy Halko founded Insivia right out of college in 2002, he was more of a freelancer, picking up projects piece by piece. Today, the company is a full-service marketing firm working out of the Agora in Midtown.
 
“We’ve really evolved into a strategic marketing firm for our clients,” says Rick Scheeser, Insivia's director of operations. “Nowadays we’re their entire marketing department. We have a more strategic partnership with our clients, and we have a lot more control over what we do.”
 
Over the past year Insivia has developed its client base, grown into a 16-person company, and is looking to add a back-end developer and an account executive.
 
“Before we had lots of one-off projects,” says Scheeser. “Now our clients are more our partners; we’re working with them on a long-term basis.”
 
Scheeser says Insivia has developed a niche market in the manufacturing industry. “It really helps us understand how we can use technology in their businesses and communicate with their clients,” he says regarding developing an expertise in the market. “I don’t think you could be in Cleveland without helping manufacturing companies.”
 
Another niche evolves around small tech startups. But Scheeser says no matter what the industry, Insivia gets to know the inner workings of the client. "It’s all about learning about our clients,” he says. “We focus on long-term objectives from a marketing perspective. It allows us to really own the results, instead of just one small piece.”
 

Source: Rick Scheeser
Writer: Karin Connelly

ETI Tech president Mark Sargent carries little nostalgia for the 5,000 square-foot "cracker box" where his small aerospace firm previously manufactured hardware and ground support equipment for a number of high-flying military defense projects. Having suppliers visit for a meeting could even get a bit embarrassing.
 
"We were practically falling over each other," says Sargent.
 
Thanks to a ramp-up of the company's F-35 fighter jet program, ETI Tech is finding itself in expansive new digs, namely a 23,500 square-foot facility in the Dayton suburb of Englewood.
 
The growth process is about 60 to 70 percent complete since a ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place in June. Over the next couple of years, the defense contractor will increase volume of mechanical and electro-mechanical support parts for its F-35 project now its ninth year. Those components could include fiber optics inspection systems or fixtures to hold landing gear. ETI Tech's customers include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BAE Systems and the government.
 
"We'll be gradually adding equipment and more employees," Sargent says of the projected $1 million expansion. "We're going to be introducing capability we've never had before."
 
ETI Tech has augmented its revenue from $3 million to $7 million since Sargent purchased the company from the previous owner in 2010. When full-rate production of F-35 parts begins in a year or two, the firm's owner envisions annual sales reaching $15 million.
 
"We would be ecstatic about that," says Sargent. "There's lots of pride here."

 
Source: Mark Sargent
Writer: Douglas J. Guth

Three research scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee were welcomed to Lima by officials of the Ohio Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Center (OEAMC). The visit came on the heels of an OEAMC trip to Oak Ridge earlier this year.
 
“They were very interested in some of our work,” says Judith Cowan, President of the OEAMC. Cowan was on the team that visited Oak Ridge earlier this year. “The Department of Energy was intrigued with our story and recommended that we make a trip to the DOE.”
 
Cowan and her team met with several key staff members from the Oak Ridge facility, including Dr. Craig A. Blue, Director of Energy Materials, Dr. Alan L. Liby, Deputy Director of the Energy Materials Program and Dr. William H. Peter of the Material Processing and Titanium Division.
 
The group toured several of Lima’s manufacturing plants, including the Husky Lima Refinery, the Ford Lima Engine Plant, Trinity Motor Sports’ carbon fiber lab, General Dynamics' Joint Systems Manufacturing Center and two American Trim facilities. Bio feedstocks, digital dispense printing and carbon fiber layups were among the topics of discussion.
 
All this, Cowan hopes, will lead to new developments between the two organizations. “We are in discussion with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) scientists on the development of a relationship defined by specific technology projects,” she explains.
 
“The leaders of the ORNL were very complimentary of all the manufacturing plants they visited during their visit to Lima,” says Cowan. “Every plant we toured is involved in bringing new technologies to their facilities and to Ohio.”
 
 
Source: Judith Cowan
Writer: Joe Baur

WorkAdvance, a national program that provides low-income and low-skilled individuals with employment training, in conjunction with Towards Employment, a Cuyahoga County-based employment readiness agency, and seven other collaborators, has enrolled 465 local participants in its training program.

Enrollment began in June. The participants are receiving skills training and career services in manufacturing and healthcare. Rebecca Kusner, director of WorkAdvance, says two-thirds of the Cuyahoga County participants are from Cleveland.
 
The WorkAdvance program is part of a study to show that low-skill and low-income people with barriers to employment can meet companies’ needs if they are offered coordinated skills training and career coaching. “Often, people get GED services, but not technical training,” says Kusner. “WorkAdvance puts together all the services people need to not only get a job, but continue along a career pathway so they don’t end up back on public assistance.”
 
Northeast Ohio is one of four sites nationwide in the study. The program operates through federal funding from the Social Innovation Fund and under a local investment from the Fund for Our Economic Future.
 
Manufacturing and health care are two areas most in need of trained workers, Kusner says. “We talked to employers in both fields and asked them where they feel the pain,” she explains, adding that qualified welders were particularly in demand in Northeast Ohio.
 
Participants receive training at places like Tri-C, Lincoln Electric, and Lakeland Community College. Kusner reports that 30 percent of those participants in jobs after training have already received wage increases.
 

Source: Rebecca Kusner
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Ohio Innovation Sensor Summit offers a new benefit this year -- free registration to the state's annual showcase of sensor technology to be held June 25-27 in Dayton.

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) will host the event convening scientists, engineers, investors and others to spur collaboration and business opportunities within the technology. The summit gathers hundreds of sensor enthusiasts from industry, academia and governmental and military agencies for networking and to drive research commercialization.

"Attendees are going to realize that sensors have barely scratched the surface of the commercial market," says summit organizer Gil Pacey of UDRI's sensor system division. "This area is well positioned to take advantage of technologies such as biomedical, biomarker, security and cyber-security." The event will include educational sessions and exhibits on those topics and other emerging applications such as human factors, photonics, thin film and surface research.

Pacey notes sensors are crucial to ensure the functioning and maintenance of machinery. "Industry needs tons of sensors to make their product lines work better," he says. "Attendees might find some sensor technology OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to make their system better."

Sensor technology has been a major focus of the Ohio Third Frontier program. This year's summit will feature a UDRI-led partnership that recently won a $3 million OTF grant to improve surveillance systems used by law enforcement, campus security and government facilities.

Events will be held at the UDRI headquarters and various locations in downtown Dayton. Interested parties should email names of attendees and the affiliate organization to Yulie Halim.


Writer: Tom Prendergast

Dublin-based IC3D Printers has launched a crowd funding campaign through Indiegogo to manufacture 3D printing material locally in Ohio.
 
The campaign is set to run for 30 days with a goal of raising $20,000 to compliment existing capital. Michael Cao, Owner and Founder of IC3D, says he was persuaded by a friend to use crowd funding to avoid getting banks and interest rates involved. Funds will go toward equipment, leasing factory space, buying materials in bulk, and hiring an operator.
 
Cao’s goal is to address today’s costly supply chain model of manufacturing 3D printing components. Currently, outside manufacturers supply the plastic filament needed for Cao's 3D printers. Even worse, that filament is designed for use in the plastic welding industry. This sometimes results in an inferior product that may be contaminated.
 
“The problem is [the plastic welding industry] has very different requirements,” explains Cao, noting that 3D printing is still a young industry. “It has lower quality of requirements, such as cleanliness” and filament diameter. Cao's solution is to manufacture his own 3D printing material in Ohio exclusively for the 3D printing market, allowing him to take some links out of the current supply chain model.

Cao came up with the idea after working as a designer and builder of desktop 3D printers. Customers began asking Cao for filament printing material. At first, he gave it away for free. As this became costly, he began purchasing in bulk, but noticed some quality issues. “It was a frustrating experience,” says Cao, recalling customer complaints. He decided to take his experience in plastics and as an automotive engineer to produce the necessary material himself. Ohio and IC3D’s customers all stand to benefit.
 
“By obtaining the raw materials and packing the materials ourselves, we’re cutting out those layers from the current supply chain,” explains Cao. “That cost savings will be passed down to the customers.”
 
 
Source: Michael Cao
Writer: Joe Baur

Wright State University (WSU) has broken ground on a $37 million research facility, priming the region to take a leading role in the neuroscience field.
 
Dr. Robert Fyffe, Vice President for Research at WSU, says the idea of the new facility is to bring people together from different fields. “This facility will bring create synergies between people and lead to innovation,” he says. “If you can get people working together side-by-side with the recourse you need for truly collaborative, disciplinary work, you can actually achieve much more than if people are working in isolation.”
 
The new facility, scheduled for completion in February of 2015 and occupancy by spring of 2015, will house a diverse array of equipment necessary for the variety of fields of research that will be taking place. “There will be the ability to do everything from cellular molecular imaging to looking at MRI scans,” details Fyffe. “There will also be a good deal of specialized equipment in terms of advanced manufacturing and related areas.”
 
Similar to the vision of the facility itself, funding was made possible by what Dr. Fyffe describes as “a number of mechanisms,” including the state of Ohio’s budget for higher education and bonds issued by the university to assist with construction. This, combined with President Obama’s recently launched Brain Initiative, shows “neuroscience is an area that is moving again to the forefront of research,” Fyffe believes. Best of all, it allows Dayton and the state of Ohio to lead the way in research and innovation.
 
“I think it will be a strong beacon to continue to attract neuroscience research,” says Fyffe of the new research center, noting the alignment of interests between WSU and nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “The state is beginning to prime itself to step forward in the neuroscience field.”
 
 
Source: Dr. Robert Fyffe
Writer: Joe Baur

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) has been awarded $412,000 from the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership to assist small to mid-size manufacturers within the Dayton area solve problems.
 
A research and development arm of the University of Dayton, UDRI plans to use the awarded funds to better serve companies within the region that have the capability to create jobs and make an impact on the local economy. Larrell Walters, Division Head of Sensors Systems at UDRI, says companies with less than 50 employees often face problems they are not equipped to solve.
 
“[They] really don’t know all the resources that are available to them,” Walters explains. “We are basically helping them connect the dots to things that can help them solve problems, move their technologies forward, help them create more revenue and more jobs.” After discovering a company’s problems, Walters and his team are oftentimes able to connect two different companies together that otherwise might not have known of their existence. This ultimately leads to new relationships and new growth opportunities.
 
Companies interested in receiving help can visit fastlane-mep.org for more information. No matter if the problem is technical or workforce related, Walters promises a quick response. “Fill out a short form, and we promise to get back to them within 48 hours.”
 
UDRI’s launch goal is to work with six to eight companies per month. “That might not sound like a lot,” Walters admits. “But if you can work with seven, eight companies a month solving real problems, that create a lot of opportunity for the state of Ohio and the people of Ohio.”
 
 
Source: Larrell Walters
Writer: Joe Baur

Humtown Products, a solution provider in the metal casting industry, has been invited to meet with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) thanks to the Columbiana-based company’s strong performance following the economic collapse of 2008. The invitation from the prestigious research university comes with interest in CEO Mark Lamoncha’s innovative tactics that ultimately saved the company.
 
Lamoncha’s father founded the company in 1960 when the steel industry was booming across the United States. Needless to say, economic needs have drastically shifted, causing the company to downsize from 220 employees to 17 in 2008. “The whole industry in 2008 was off 70-percent in sales,” explains Lamoncha. “Most companies don’t survive it.”
 
To Lamoncha, the answer has been to provide his small staff with incentives to increase their efficiency. Following the layoffs, Humtown instituted an efficiency-based pay rate system that calculates productivity as often as 20-seconds. The incentives ultimately saved the company. “In 2012, 26 people put out the same production sales as what 151 did in 2008,” Lamoncha notes, adding that the system isn’t being done anywhere else in the country.
 
While the system has proven beneficial to Humtown as a company, employees themselves are now able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in order to improve their performance, thus generate more income. “[Employees] study their own work habits and improve on them,” Lamoncha explains. “Their body mechanics, their method of movements, and motivation affect their pay rate based on each cycle of operation.” It’s the proverbial “win-win” scenario.
 
Big picture, Lamoncha hopes his system will help alleviate suffering not just within the Ohio economy, but nationally as well. He sees his pay rate system as an answer to what he describes as America’s low efficiency levels.
 
“Our biggest focus is on extreme efficiency improvements to reduce cost and sell product, being able to compete and leverage against the market price,” says Lamoncha. “That’s where America needs to be if they want to sell products here and abroad.”
 
 
Source: Mark Lamoncha
Writer: Joe Baur

The Clinton County Port Authority (CCPA) and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES) have announced plans to move forward on financing and construction of a new $15.4 million hangar facility at the Wilmington Air Park.
 
“As designed, the hangar will be capable of housing up to 767 and 777 class aircraft,” explains Kevin Carver, Executive Director of the CCPA, adding the hangar will be approximately 100,000 square feet once completed.
 
Carver points to JobsOhio and the Ohio Development Services Agency as vital partners in financing the project. “The total financing package from Ohio for this project was approximately $14.6 million,” he says. “In addition, the state’s willingness to be flexible with the terms of the Ohio Enterprise Bond and the 166 Low Interest Loan were essential in being able to complete this deal.”
 
The new project gives the small southwest Ohio town of 12,000 hope of economic recovery. On November 10, 2008, DHL announced that their Wilmington hub would be closed as they discontinued shipping operations in the United States. 8,000 employees lost their job, including 3,000 residents of Wilmington or Clinton County.
 
“The loss of DHL affected not only Wilmington, but a significant portion of southwest Ohio,” notes Carver. “At its peak, DHL was the single largest single site employer in a five county area of southwest Ohio.” The new hangar facility will create 259 new jobs.
 
“While the 259 jobs that will be created with this new hangar do not make up for the 8,000 or so jobs that were lost in the DHL closure, it is a very welcome addition to the community,” reflects Carver. “And it is a healthy start in the continuing effort to rebuild after the departure of DHL.”


Source: Kevin Carver
Writer: Joe Baur

Tesla NanoCoatings is expanding to new markets in response to growing demand from the oil and gas industry for Teslan, a corrosion control coating for structural steel developed in collaboration with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.  

"Right now we are collaborating with the Department of Defense, the world's largest aerospace manufacturers, and several of the top 10 global oil and gas producers," explains Managing Director Todd Hawkins. "They all grasp the potential and promise of our coating technology."

Hawkins adds that the grand opening of their new Research Center at Stark State College will also help them develop new applications for new markets. Details are being held due to competitive reasons, but Hawkins is happy to introduce three new management employees hired as a result of the company's growth after a successful first five years -- Michael Wright, retired Colonel Stephen Stohla and Charlie Simpson.

"Both Mike and Steve bring us a wealth of experience within the Army Facilities Command, Army Engineers and National Guard," says Hawkins, noting Stohla's extensive military background. "Charlie brings an added level of expertise to further bolster our already robust new product development process. We anticipate launch of two to three additional game-changing protective coatings in the next year."

Hawkins praises Tesla's technology, employees and partners for their continued success and growth, adding a bright forecast for their growing industry in the state. "In history, there has never been a better time or place than in Ohio now to do what we are doing."


Source: Todd Hawkins
Writer: Joe Baur

Youngstown will once again become a hub for advanced manufacturing -- this time with the 21st century firmly in mind -- thanks to a $30 million federal grant that was announced last week.
 
Surrounded by White House officials, Congressman Tim Ryan and Senator Sherrod Brown,  M7 Technologies President and CEO Mike Garvey announced a $60 million 3D printing hub to be built on the campus of the Youngstown Business Incubator in downtown Youngstown.
 
Thirty million dollars of the project’s total budget will stem from a competitive White House grant, while public and private partners will pick up the other $30 million. The strategic partnership will develop additive manufacturing (3D printing) for the defense, aerospace and automotive industries. The 3D printing process consists of making three dimensional, solid objects from digital models.
 
“M7 Technologies was established in 2004 to build strategic partnerships and skillsets to enable our community to participate in 21^st century manufacturing,” Garvey told a room full of business owners, students and media. “Because of this mission, we have devoted ourselves to helping to transition the skillsets of one of our most important resources here at M7 – the people who work here.”
 
Senator Brown of Cleveland characterized the announcement as a “highly competitive” win, dubbing the Cleveland-Akron-Youngstown-Pittsburgh region as the Tech Belt.
 
“Youngstown wasn’t competing against Akron,” added Congressman Ryan of Youngstown. “We were all competing against Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, and if we didn’t all come together locally as a region, then we would never be able to compete globally.”
 
Ryan doubled down on Brown’s remarks, saying Youngstown beat out competitors at MIT and Georgia Tech. “I think it is absolutely a signal that this community and this region is back to play and play hard.”


Writer: Joe Baur

Big and bold. That’s what the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) is going for with its newest project.
YBI has mounted a campaign to fund the printing and installation of a massive 300-foot, 70-window mural depicting the economic and industrial evolution of Youngstown. The mural was created by six graphic design students who are studying at Youngstown State University.

According to Jim Cossler, CEO of YBI, the purpose is threefold. “We want to make sure our campus is a creative, exciting place for all our employees to come to work,” he says. “Second, a lot of people don’t realize we’re a four-building campus. The mural spanning our building will help people understand how much we’ve grown. Finally, Youngstown State University is not only our neighbor, but a very important partner, so we look to engage students in as many ways as possible."

The students have titled the mural “Metamorphosis” because it represents the transformation of Youngstown from a manufacturing city to one with a broader economic base. In order to get the mural printed and installed, YBI needed to raise $7,350, which they did during a 30-day online fundraising campaign.

“A total of 121 different individuals funded the project, and we met our goal,” Cossler notes.  “It’s a complex printing process, and we anticipate installation of the mural in either late July or early August.”

Speaking of innovatve technologies ... Thanks to a special see-though fabric and printing technology that is being used, individuals who are working inside of the YBI offices will still be able to see outside their windows once the mural is hung.

Source:  Jim Cossler, Youngstown Business Incubator
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

With a strong manufacturing infrastructure and more than 630,000 skilled workers, Ohio has the opportunity to become one of the most attractive states in the U.S. for clean energy manufacturers, according to the Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance. Yet while Ohio has created policies to make clean manufacturing a priority, it needs to create further incentives to spur growth, according to The Ohio Green Manufacturing Action Plan (GreenMAP), a report by the Alliance.

“Successful renewable energy programs and energy-efficient projects over the past few years have proven that there’s significant potential for Ohio to meet the growing demands of the clean energy sector,” said Shanelle Smith, Ohio senior coordinator of the Alliance. “Ohio can’t afford to stand on the sidelines while other states and countries compete to win good jobs in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.”

The report praise Ohio’s new incentive programs for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency projects, as well as the new Alternative Energy Portfolio standard. However, it recommends renewed efforts targeting clean energy manufacturing.

“The state has lost over 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000 and needs to reassert itself as a manufacturing hub,” the report states. “The infrastructure and expertise remain in place … Ohio policymakers should bolster the manufacturing sector by doing more to support those trying to compete in the growing clean energy industry.”

The GreenMAP report outlines specific recommendations to help ramp up Ohio’s growth in clean manufacturing. These recommendations include expanding financing and incentives, prioritizing support for small to mid-size clean energy manufacturers and increasing support for research and development. Other recommendations include broadening workforce development programs to train more employees for these new industries, expanding Ohio’s demand-side clean-energy policies, and pushing for improvements in clean-energy manufacturing policy at the federal and regional levels.

The report emerged from a special task force comprised of representatives from the business, investor, labor, policy and environmental communities. The group aims to provide a blueprint for Ohio to win the competition for future clean-energy jobs.


Source:  Shanelle Smith, Ohio BlueGreen Apollo Alliance
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Former Procter & Gamble CEO John E. Pepper Jr. is just one of a group of angel investors that offered up a first round of seed funding last week to Cincinnati-based diversity business matchmaker ConnXus.

Using the internet to facilitate its work, ConnXus is making it easier than ever for corporations to find minority and women-owned companies to meet their supplier needs.
 
ConnXus was launched in 2010 by Rod Robinson and Chris Downie, founder of SparkPeople. The site’s mission is to help minority and women-owned businesses find more opportunities with large companies that are looking to increase their supplier diversity. The site allows them to connect by giving member buyer corporations the ability to post their project needs online with ConnXus. Supplier members then have the opportunity to submit bids.
 
“We’ve already seen lots of tremendous success stories,” says Robinson.  “We’re just really hitting our stride.”
 
Since its launch in 2010, ConnXus’ corporate buyer members have posted more than $75 million in contract opportunities for supplier members. The site’s member supplier companies now number nearly 1,000 and include hundreds of business categories, such as construction and office equipment.
 
Robinson, who has a background in corporate procurement and supplier diversity and has also been a minority small business owner, says both buyer companies and supplier companies can pay for “premium” service, which provides more assistance in matchmaking and marketing from ConnXus. He sees the premium service as source of significant growth and revenue in the future.
 
ConnXus now has two employees, but Robinson says he has plans to hire up to six more over the next year.