-
Bright future for plastics in electronic devices
Don Rosato EngineeringThe road ahead for plastics has the potential to significantly impact future electronic device applications. In commercial applications, polymer development is pushing plastic properties in response to ongoing demand for smaller electronic devices that call for smaller, thinner electrical components in hotter environments at higher electrical frequencies.
-
Blow your horn, toot your flute and watch your sales soar
Fred Berns Facilities & GroundsIf you're not getting clients you want — and the income you need — it's not your competitors' fault. It's yours. If you're like many industry pros, you don't do a good enough job of telling others how good you are. You're your own best-kept secret.
-
How to prepare a business case for your facilities initiative
David E. Patnaude Facilities & GroundsAs facilities engineers and managers, are we expected to be experts in finance? Should we understand as much as our financial officer or chief executive? We know a lot about how to operate a plant, build something, repair equipment, contract for services and the plethora of work and detail that accompanies our job.
-
An army of robots fighting corrosion
Alan Kelsky EngineeringRobots are not new in the never-ending battle against corrosion. Perhaps, the news blitz about C2D2 is because the corrosion-fighting robot design was from a camera bot used by the Disney Company. Here is a look at a few places other robots dare to go.
-
Why buy LED lighting anyway?
Pamela Tresp Facilities & GroundsBy now everyone has heard of LED lighting, and Kermit the Frog isn't the only one complaining that "it's not easy being green." New technology, especially any kind of electronics, can be expensive and constantly changing, making it difficult to know when to take the plunge. So why are you using or considering LED for your facility?
-
How building commissioning relates to total cost of ownership
David E. Patnaude Facilities & GroundsAs facilities professionals, we are often asked to work on projects and tasks that go beyond the day-to-day operation of our facilities. The types of projects and tasks I'm talking about include capital planning, construction project management and long-term master and capital planning.
-
Monitoring boiler feedwater cuts maintenance costs for power plants
Alan Kelsky EngineeringBoilers make steam from feedwater, and most feedwater has impurities that accelerate corrosion in the boiler chamber — how much of any contaminant found in feedwater depends on the water source.
-
How to cut energy use and boost profitability like Pizza Hut
Valerie Hunt Facilities & GroundsWhen Pizza Hut announced this summer it is adopting a new energy-monitoring system for 500 corporate locations, company officials touted the environmental benefits — plus a return on investment that is "quicker than a lot of things that we do." Just how much — and how quickly — can a facility save through energy monitoring
-
Something in the water for UK heat pumps
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe superior efficiency of the heat pump against conventional boiler technology, and its avoidance of reliance on fossil fuels, makes the technology attractive to those tasked with decarbonizing energy. And, of course, the technology utilizes refrigerants, making them of great interest to all within the cooling industry, and for many companies offering a potentially lucrative new market for heating.
-
Sustainable schedules for custodial services
Jeannea Jones Facilities & GroundsSustainability has been around for a while, and the most common connection is energy. We spend energy with most every task during a workday, and custodial services are no exception. Past trends have been to have janitorial services arrive as the tenant leaves for the day.
All Facilities & Grounds Articles