Case Studies Manufacturing

Baldwin, Louisiana, a tiny town in the southern part of the state, is small in both size and population. It measures just 3.2 square miles and is home to just over 2,000 residents. But key industries, including carbon black processing—a little known but important chemical powder—and sugar mills, anchor businesses like SAS Construction Inc., a […]

Under the best of conditions, a painstakingly long and expensive process—on average, 10 years and $2.6 billion—awaits any prescription drug seeking to achieve regulatory approval. There are the research and discovery phases, the preclinical testing, the initial application to the Food and Drug Administration, several rounds of clinical testing, final new drug application and follow-up […]

You hear a lot about sustainability whenever construction or engineering is discussed nowadays. It’s a buzzword and well it should be. Resources aren’t unlimited, and progressive companies don’t want anything going to waste. It’s not just environmentally irresponsible, it’s bad business to boot. Heating ventilation and air conditioning manufacturer, supplier and servicer Trane adds another […]

There was a time when a company meeting entailed a lengthy round-table conversation, with coffee and donuts scattered about. While the goodies may remain, the advent of tablets, smart phones and interactive wall screens, has lessened the need for those sit-downs—or at least created the means for supplementing them. Yet, all the devices enabling this […]

Increasingly popular, fitness trackers allow people to monitor, among other things, how many steps they take in a day. In many cases, simply by accounting for their steps, people are encouraged to walk more. What if we could bring that idea to, say, recycling? And get companies and institutions to track and increase their recycling? […]

Sam Wainer discovered his niche in the sustainability movement as a student at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management in 2010, when his department’s main building, Gallagher Hall, earned a LEED Platinum certification. While giving a tour of the new facility to the university’s board of regents, Wainer realized how nice it would be […]

What do a beach-front kitchen, a tigers’ den at a public zoo, a college dorm room and a biology lab have in common? They’ve all benefited from Werever cabinetry. Since 2001, Werever has been manufacturing durable, waterproof cabinetry ideal for outdoor environments and rough indoor customers. It’s found a home for its wares in places […]

Flying over Libby Dam in Montana, you see two things: 90 miles of slate blue water, winding below low, sloping mountains and an impressive span of concrete holding that water back. What you don’t see is all the activity that happens inside the dam, activity that allows the 43-year-old structure—that’s more than half a mile […]

For 10 years, David Ward installed and maintained HVAC systems in commercial buildings throughout Portland, Oregon, but he was often frustrated by how frequently design engineers overlooked his recommendations for design improvements. “Working in the field, I knew when there was a better way to do something or else tell them that [the design] just […]

When it comes to learning the ins and outs of fire protection, Century Fire Protection’s training facility is “second to none,” says founder and CEO Scott Tutterow. It is also one of the reasons the company has expanded like wildfire since it was founded in 2000. Located at the company’s headquarters in Duluth, Georgia, the […]