Below is a list of DEP funding opportunities compliments of our friends at the DEP North Central Regional Office.

DEP 2023 Environmental Education Grant Program Open. Fundable projects include hands-on programs for students, teacher training workshops, and community conservation projects for adults that will occur between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Application deadline December 9^th. Details at Environmental Education Grants (pa.gov)

DEP Agriculture Energy Efficiency Rebate Program Now Open: Fundable projects include LED lighting, efficient ventilation equipment, and efficient dairy equipment for PA ag producers. Rebates up to $5,000 are available on a first come, first served basis. Guidelines and a link to the online application can be found at www.dep.pa.gov/agricultureenergy

DEP’s Small Business Advantage Grant now open. Small Business Advantage Grant (pa.gov) Funding energy efficiency and pollution prevention projects.

DEP’s Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant is Open—next deadline is December 16^th. Funding alternative fuel vehicles for both non-profits and for-profit businesses (i.e. electric, propane, natural gas vehicles). Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (pa.gov)

DEP’s Level 2 EV Charging Rebate Program is open–first come, first served.  Funding EV Chargers for both non-profits and for-profit businesses for public charging, employee charging, & tenant charging. Driving PA Forward (arcgis.com)

USDA’s REAP program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants | Rural Development (usda.gov)

For support or additional information contact:

Michelle Ferguson | Energy Program Specialist
Department of Environmental Protection | Energy Programs Office
North Central Regional Office
Phone: 570.327.3783
miferguson@pa.gov

The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC), Inc. is excited to welcome Tim Davis to its team of Central PA resources as an IMC Business Advisor. As an IMC Business Advisor, Tim will work closely with Central PA manufacturers to provide objective, expert advice and actionable solutions to drive economic success and profitable growth. More specifically, Tim will be concentrating his time supporting manufacturers in Bedford, Blair and Huntingdon counties.

“The IMC team is excited to have Tim join us to better serve the Southernmost counties in our region. Tim’s expertise spans many business disciplines and his approaches to solving business challenges make him a perfect match to help our clients advance their manufacturing operations.” Dennis Gilbert, IMC President.

Tim has over 35 years of management and operational experience in manufacturing businesses in Central and Southwestern PA. Various career roles include Operations Manager, Safety Manager, HR Manager, Sales Manager, Sales Rep, Service Manager, executive/business coach and trainer. His areas of expertise include employee development, strategic planning, people skills, effective communication, leadership, safety, time management, sales and customer service.

“I’ve been in manufacturing my whole career. I’ve experienced the challenges and the successes, and the personal growth provided by participating fully in creating, building, marketing, selling and supporting Pennsylvania made products. I’ve lived the manufacturing life on the frontlines with customers and coworkers, and I am very excited to join the IMC team and use my experience and knowledge to help with the challenges manufacturers face.  IMC brings a wealth of resources in training, teaching, connecting and support to help manufacturers meet those challenges. Our goal is to serve as a catalyst to help manufacturers innovate, grow and prosper.”  Tim Davis, IMC Business Advisor.

Tim has a B. S. in Occupational Health & Safety Management from Slippery Rock University. He is a graduate of the Avraham Y. Goldratt Institute’s Jonah Marketing Program where he also completed certifications in Management Skills, Theory of Constraints and Drum/Buffer/Rope Implementation. Tim has also completed extensive management and leadership training through Penn State University.

Metal Integrity, a sheet metal fabricator and machine shop in State College PA, was having continued workforce issues, leading to challenges to meet customer orders. Through a national Advanced Manufacturing Technology Solutions grant, IMC helped the company implement advanced robotics & automation technology. They quickly realized production improvements with the first job run on the automated system of 200-250%, seeing an increase in production from 180 parts per week to 475 parts per week.

After attending an AMTS sales training program in Fall 2022, knowing of Metal Integrity’s interest in automation, IMC’s Dana Gordon reached out to Metal Integrity directly to discuss.  The sheet metal fabricator and machine shop was having continued workforce issues, leading to challenges to meet customer orders.

Support provided; tools utilized

Upon meeting with Metal Integrity, IMC helped them refine their automation strategy, which consisted not only of robotic machine tending, but also an investment in a new lathe with a bar feeder along with sheet metal quoting automation software. As the client was already progressing down the path toward machine tending, there was no need to complete a full assessment; IMC and the AMTS lead for Pennsylvania instead met with client to validate their robotic machine tending approach.

Lessons Learned

Overall, the project was a success, however the timeline was longer than anticipated. The project hit various challenges during the implementation phase, leading to a longer than desired learning curve.  These challenges were primarily related to the inexperience of both the integrator and the robot manufacturer.

The first challenge dealt with the performance of the Productive Robotics OB7 robot once a dual gripper was added.  The robot motion became very erratic and was unable to perform the programmed tasks.  It was later discovered that the robot programming interface was inadequate for making the needed adjustments for the higher weight of the end effector and the extended tool center point (TCP).  It took weeks of troubleshooting by both the integrator, Exact Machine Tool, and the manufacturer, Productive Robotics to make this discovery, further delaying production implementation.

The next major challenge involved the workholding setup.  As is common in mill machine tending systems, Exact Machine Tool installed a Airvise AV-T-4 pneumatic vice that was integrated into the robot controller.  However, the pneumatic vice was unable to hold the tight tolerances required of the target part. In the end, Metal Integrity found a solution that allowed them to automate their standard Kurt workholding system that already held needed tolerances with a Rapid Design Solutions CNC vise actuator.

An ROI of 4 months was expected prior to launching the project and that will be exceeded, depending on upcoming parts volumes.  Metal Integrity has already realized production improvements on the first job run on the automated system of 200-250%, seeing an increase in production rate from 180 parts/week to 475 parts per week.  For this part, based on reallocated labor alone, they will see an ROI of 6 months.  When the increase in production for parts run off-shift with a conservative value applied to machine runtime is considered, it surpasses a 3-month ROI.

In hindsight, going with an experienced system integrator may have reduced the implementation difficulties experienced in working with an equipment distributor. However, the low price point of the system and the fact that they are now in operation, makes it challenging to determine if that would have been advantageous. Even considering the delays and additional time required of Metal Integrity personnel, the ROI is in an acceptable range.

This project made possible through MEP AMTS grant funds.

The 2022 Small Business Advantage Grant is now accepting applications for $1 million in available funds. This grant is offered through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  The purpose of this grant is to provide small businesses in Pennsylvania with grant funds for projects that increase energy efficiency, reduce pollution, or protect our waterways. Many different types of small businesses, from manufacturing to retail to agriculture, may be eligible for funding under this program.  Funding is awarded first-come, first served so interested applicants should act fast!

All program documents are available on the Small Business Advantage Grant Website; these documents include details about applicant and project eligibility and an overview of the application process.  There is also a link on the website to the online application system used to apply for the grant.  Additionally, there are tutorial videos available for everything from an overview of the program to using the Grant Calculator for specific project types.

Maximum grant awards will vary based on the attributes of a project as shown in the chart below. Projects will be eligible for more funding if they are located in Environmental Justice areas or reduce CO2e by at least 20 tons (as calculated by the Grant Calculator).

For questions, contact:

Samantha Harmon | Small Business Ombudsman

Small Business Ombudsman Office

Department of Environmental Protection

Rachel Carson State Office Building

400 Market Street | Harrisburg, PA 17101

717.783.0909 | Cell 717.319.8009

www.dep.pa.gov

On Wednesday, October 19th, IMC and the Central PA Chamber partnered with Fabtex, Inc. to host an Inside Jobs Tour as part of a National Manufacturing Month celebration!

Two lucky attendees got to make their own pillows!

Eric Frantz, VP – Customer Commitment, and Will Greiner, Process Improvement Manager, led the tour through the facility near Danville, after providing some background on the 36-year-old company, that is “the performance pacesetter of the fabric fashion industry” in the hospitality and healthcare industries. They have aspirations to expand their market and product lines even further. Learn more at: https://www.fabtex.com.

IMC, along with partners across Pennsylvania and the United States, is excited to celebrate Manufacturing Week on October 7-14, 2022.

Governor Tom Wolf has proclaimed the week as Manufacturing Week in Pennsylvania to honor our manufacturing industry, our makers, and encourage the next generation of talent to take a closer look at manufacturing careers in the commonwealth.

Today’s industry demands experienced problem-solvers and strategists, digital operators, engineers, and others who can blend management and STEM skills. And we’re proud that our state is preparing the next generation of talent for careers in manufacturing. We know these careers offer challenging, fulfilling, and stable work — presenting us with the opportunity to bring Pennsylvania’s innovation, imagination, and legendary can-do spirit to the industry at the heart of our economy and communities.

Pennsylvania 2022 PARTNER TOOLKIT

Help us spread the word about modern manufacturing, its positive impact on our economy and communities, and how it benefits existing employees and students who are exploring career options. DCED’s digital toolkit will help you get started with suggested social media posts, newsletter content, and digital graphics. Get involved and be sure to share your own manufacturing resources and stories.  Be sure to tag IMC in your social media so that we can share your posts all week. IMC’s Facebook. IMC’s LinkedIn.  Download PA’s toolkit here. Post your events on the national mfgday.com site – Or IMC can for you. National MfgDay Toolkit.

Resources

Check out information about Central Susquehanna’s What’s So Cool About Manufacturing Video Contest.

For a list of manufacturers who have worked with IMC, check out our directory!

IMC is excited to announce the latest graduates of our Lean Manufacturing Level One Certification program. This eight session certification program uses a unique approach to teach participants to:

Training Topics:

Lean Certification Training Benefits:

Congratulations to the 41 graduates from the following companies:

• Alberts Spray Solutions
• Andritz
• Architectural Precast Innovations, Inc.
• Construction Specialties
• Custom Container Solutions, LLC
• First Quality Products
• Furmano Foods
• Jersey Shore Steel Co.
• Lewis Lumber Products, Inc.
• Lycoming Engines
• Nutek Disposables
• Overhead Door
• Pneu-Dart
• Shop-Vac USA, LLC
• Stellant Systems
• Strong Industries
• Thermal Product Solutions, LLC

IMC recently hosted a webinar where our energy partner, APPI Energy, shared what the volatile energy markets will mean with historic increases in the cost of energy for manufacturers in PA for the coming year and beyond. Dan Forgacs, VP of Market Intelligence & Analytics for APPI, presented both historical data and projected commercial energy costs as well as potential ways to combat its effects on the bottom line. Included were the projected or confirmed commercial energy increases by utility companies in PA:

• PECO: $.07699/kWh, up from $.06816, June 1 – August 31
• PPL: $.11695/kWh, up from $.09675, June 1 – November 30
• Met Ed: $.10625/kWh, up from $.07482, 42% increase, June 1 – August 31
• Penelec: $.11056/kWh, up from $.08031 per kWh, 38% increase, June 1 – August 31
• Penn Power, $0.12533/kWh, up from $.10002 per kWh, 25% increase, June 1 – August 31
• West Penn Power, $0.10115/kWh, up from $.06542, 55% increase, June 1 – August 31

Key to potential solutions were the reduction in peak demand, the use of alternative energy sources, and increasing energy efficiency in facilities. Also presented were opportunities to explore energy procurement opportunities and potential grants and incentives for energy related improvements.

If you missed the webinar, but are interested in learning more, or would like to connect with an IMC Business Advisor to discuss ways to potentially reduce your energy costs through efficiency measures, process improvement, and/or energy procurement services with APPI Energy, email info@imcpa.com.