Advanced Engineering

Hello New Products helps manufacturers innovate, bring products to market

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October 16, 2012

In Ohio's historic manufacturing industry, savvy leaders are increasingly turning to innovation to grow their businesses. Hello New Products, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, helps established small- and mid-sized manufacturers develop and get new products to market. "A lot of our clients come to us just frustrated out of their minds," says Chuck Libourel, Hello New Products' director of business services. "We usually meet with a CEO or board of directors that just can't make things happen. We help them get the right tools in place and execute a plan to get new products to market." Hello New Products works with some startups, but it generally works with established companies that already have manufacturing experience. "One thing most of our clients have in common is they lack the business process to bring new products to market," Libourel says. "They're doing it all in marketing and engineering. We do that, plus engage all the business elements of getting a product to market." Often these companies have outdated products that need a refresh, have brought unsuccessful products to market or are having trouble innovating quickly. Many manufacturing companies are running lean and mean, and today many don't have the in-house resources to quickly bring new products to market, Libourel says. That's where Hello New Products steps in. "We advocate for American small- to mid-sized companies that don't have the resources, and have to compete with bigger companies," Libourel says. They do this by helping companies: • Improve their market position by introducing new products • Increase both revenue and profitability from new products • Reduce product development costs • Accelerate product development timing Hello New Products tailors its New Product Development system to individual manufacturers several ways, including sharpening product definitions, focusing on business metrics, building customer needs into products and creating clearly defined tasks and processes for development. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter.

Latest in Advanced Engineering

UC students win ‘zero energy’ national design competition

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Education + Learning

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September 11, 2012

A group of University of Cincinnati students took home first place at a national sustainability design competition, designing an essentially "zero energy" building. The seven-member team redesigned the innovative Joe and Rika Mansueto Library of the University of Chicago. Students were tasked with theoretically creating a building with net zero energy usage. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, sponsors the annual competition, and this is UC's first No. 1 finish. Six graduate students and one undergrad made up UC's team; their educational backgrounds include architecture/construction and mechanical (HVAC) engineering. The team worked on the design for about three months, says member Ravik Chandra, a grad student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team divided into a group that worked on the building's architecture and a group in charge of mechanical systems. Both groups worked closely to assure the building would be both pleasing to look at and energy efficient. That teamwork paid off, and could serve as an example to professionals in the field, Chandra says. "It's the first time I've worked with an architect to solve a real-life problem. Usually the architecture or the engineering dominates (building design). It was quite a new challenge, and I never realized the many different aspects that go into architecture," he says. Teams were allowed to relocate the building to the state capitol of their home state, which the UC team did, bringing it to Columbus. Among the building's winning features were changing the orientation of the building to increase the amount of sunlight it would absorb. That cut cooling costs by some 20 percent. The team also altered the large glass dome that tops the building, using transparent photovoltaic cells that turned sunlight into electricity instead, says Dustin Altschul, the project manager who recently graduated with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology. They also installed a system to harvest rainwater for the building's use to cut down on water consumption. The building wasn't 100 percent net zero, but it was the closest to achieving the goal. It's up to the Library itself to use any of the ideas, but UC team representatives will present their design concepts at the annual ASHRAE Winter Conference in January 2013 in Dallas. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

7 Moose Games becomes GamiGen, develops gaming-inspired training software

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Education + Learning

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June 5, 2012

Games are serious business for Cincinnati-based GamiGen, a startup founded on gaming-inspired 3D training software designed for the health, oil and gas, mining, academic, manufacturing and public safety industries. "What we do is take gaming engine technology to create training simulation technology and make efficient safe, cost-effective training programs," says company founder Brett Canter. "That is our goal: we want to simulate complex or dangerous simulations," The company, previously known as 7 Moose Games, is developing "games" to help companies train large groups of employees. One of the first is a fire extinguisher training simulation that users manipulate online. "We give them the task of putting out virtual fires," Canter says. "They have to use a sweeping motion to spray and point the extinguisher in the right place," giving employees a more real-life experience than watching a video or just examining a fire extinguisher. This form of training can be less expensive and more detailed than traditional employee training sessions, Canter says. Companies with between 5,000 and 10,000 employees can benefit from this type of training technology, he says. "Our main customers are companies that maintain OSHA compliancy, and have the need for some kind of recurring training," Canter says. The company plan to make its games compatible with motion sensor gaming systems like the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox Kinnect. By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Student Designed tech solution garners more university interest

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Architecture + Design

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May 15, 2012

Student Designed, a web-based program that allows businesses and students to collaborate on real-world design challenges, has taken yet another step forward as a winner in Northern Kentucky University's inaugural UpTech class. UpTech is a new business informatics incubator launched by several Northern Kentucky institutions, including Northern Kentucky University, Tri-Ed, ezone and Vision 2015. It's an intense, six-month accelerator program that includes $100,000 in funding. Companies will also be working with students and faculty at NKU's College of Informatics. This follows Student Designed winning Xavier's Launch-A-Business competition in 2011. "One of my biggest barriers was getting a relationship with schools," says Adam Treister, a University of Cincinnati grad who developed Student Designed in 2010. "Now I'll have a strong tie with NKU and the College of Informatics, and it's great to be involved with the innovative part of the school. I look forward to working with students to test the platform." Student Designed allows design, engineering, architecture and other creative students to showcase their student work in a central place where businesses can check it out. Businesses could contact individual students they believe could help them with a project. University professors could also connect with businesses and use their design projects as teaching tools. "Businesses are always looking for ways to more efficiently complete projects. Many have had the idea before to work with students, but there has been no clear way to do that very easily," Treister says. "Professors like the idea of giving students access to real-world projects, and this is also a way for students to get their foot in the door with companies that could hire them." Student Designed is currently in Beta, and Treister hopes to have a more responsive and functional site designed during his time with UpTech. By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Boostchatter incentivizes social media interaction

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Entrepreneurship

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May 8, 2012

When Jason Haines and Tommy Tayman were pulling all-nighters at Centre College, they figured it as a temporary, college-only experience. Little did they know that, years later, they’d be driving across the state, locking themselves in a shared office and cranking out code until the wee hours of the morning. These days, the pair is looking for a little more than good grades. Their new company, boostchatter, is a social rewards program that allows businesses and other organizations to incentivize social activity on Facebook and Twitter. “It gives businesses or organizations a way to reward customers for being active on social media – it could be commenting, liking stuff, checking stuff, tagging, retweeting," Haines says. "Any of the social actions you perform as a user, you can incentivize users for doing them." For a small retail shop, that might mean free coffee, a t-shirt or a coupon. For awareness groups or nonprofits, it could be a trinket for some type of medical awareness or a chance at earning points to redeem for merchandise. Basically, the business or organization can set up its own rewards that make sense to its own users. Boostchatter isn’t the first post-college project the two have collaborated on. In 2004, they partnered to form Optimle, a custom application and web development firm headquartered in Cincinnati. So, when Haines packed his bags and drove down to Knoxville, where Tayman lives, at the end of last year (typically a slow time for web developers), it wasn’t unusual for them to spend 10 or 12 hours – or more – each day hashing out ideas for boostchatter. A private beta for the project is currently in the works. By Robin Donovan

Magnetic separator manufacturer Steinert expands it’s North American HQ in Northern Kentucky

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Innovation News

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April 24, 2012

A German-based manufacturer of magnetic separating equipment has expanded it's North American HQ, with a new 36,000 ft. facility in Walton, Ky. Steinert develops and manufactures industrial separating equipment that sorts materials for the mining industry, trash handlers, large scarp yards and more. The company moved its HQ from Erlanger to Walton earlier this year after outgrowing its Erlanger space. The company is now in a new 36,000-square-foot facility that will expand the its capabilities here. It will feature a new testing lab, manufacturing and repair facility and increase space for its parts inventory. “As the global leader in separation technology, Steinert is committed to investing locally in the US to support our growing customer base. Our new facility allows Steinert US to increase our repair capabilities and begin to bring production of our key products to Kentucky,” Steinert US President Jason Looman says in announcing the move. The Walton facility employs 25 people, including five new hires this year, says company Marketing Manager Nicolle Williams. Steinert is based on Cologne, Germany, and was founded in 1889. In addition to North America, the company also has offices in Brazil, Australia and Japan. The company's clients spans the globe, and major customers include those in recycling and mineral extraction industries. Its North American office opened in 2003, moving from Florida to Northern Kentucky in late 2009. Growth locally is a response to a growing demand for company products and services, Williams says. "In the beginning of 2012 we had a higher business demand in the United States, and that led to our expansion after we outgrew our old space," she says. By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

UC research leads to innovative wind turbine maintenance software

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Environment + Sustainability

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April 17, 2012

University of Cincinnati research has led to cutting-edge software that will monitor wind turbine health, allowing the machines to work as efficiently as possible. Students and faculty at UC's Center for Intelligence Maintenance Systems are testing an early version of the software, based on real-world data from commercial wind farms near Shanghai, China, and in Taiwan and North America. The software is potentially groundbreaking because most wind turbine performance figures are based on computer models. Since the technology is so new, there is still much unknown about the real-life, long-term performance life and maintenance needs of these high-priced energy generators. "This is a very closed community. It's tough to get them to open up. We were very lucky to get the (real-world) wind data," says UC doctoral student Edzel Lapira, who co-authored "Wind Turbine Performance Assessment using Multi-regime Modeling Approach." His paper, which was recently published in the Journal of Renewable Energy, analyzed two years’ of operating and environmental data from commercial wind turbines, as well as information on the maintenance software. This data in essence drives the software, which has several aims, according to UC: To predict maintenance needs so a wind turbine experiences near-zero downtime for repairs.To aid just-in-time maintenance functions and delivery of needed parts.To decrease spare-parts inventory.To ultimately predict and foster needed redesigns for wind turbines and their parts.The team behind the research includes engineering master’s student Dustin Brisset, engineering doctoral students Hossein Davari and David Siegel, and Ohio Eminent Scholar Ohio in Advanced Manufacturing Jay Lee, professor of engineering. The group continues working on the software, while seeking a wider community of wind farms to test, Lapira says. "Prediction, that is the overall goal," Lapira says. "Eventually the software will predict that there is a fault, where it is and what part would be needed to fix it. Right now (turbine) manufactures will look at a large number of systems and if they see something wrong, call the operator who will look into it. It's still manual and takes expert knowledge. We are trying to automate that expert knowledge." By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Energy auditor matches property owners with funding, services

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Diversity

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April 3, 2012

When she’s not giving public presentations about energy efficiency, Toni Winston, founder of Tiburon Energy & Construction is trying to convince wary homeowners that making their homes more efficient doesn’t require a large outlay of cash up front. Winston and her company offer energy audits – comprehensive whole-house inspections to determine the efficiency of the house as a system – and recommends ways you can save money on your utility bills by making your home more efficient. She’ll even do the work for you. “We do everything except equipment replacement. We don’t replace heaters and air conditioners; we bring in subcontractors,” she says. Most of Tiburon Energy & Construction’s business comes from homeowner-to-homeowner referrals and, in general, the older the home, the more the potential savings. Some businesses also take advantage of Tiburon’s services. Unlike private homes, businesses typically see the best return on investment from lighting improvements. One problem, Winston says, is that people simply don’t know that there are government funds available for these types of home improvement and even for assessments. She works closely with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, a steward of federal funds which helps connect qualified homeowners with up to $4,200 for energy conservation improvements. In addition, “Hamilton County has a wonderful property improvement program, which buys down home equity loans by 3 percent; the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance also has a financing component called the GC-HELP Loan,” she says. So, if you, like Winston, have been dreaming of green roofs, urban agriculture and long-term community sustainability, it may come with a very reasonable price tag. By Robin Donovan

Twenty-eight companies add 1,303 jobs in NKy

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Entrepreneurship

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March 27, 2012

In 2011, 28 companies either expanded or relocated to Northern Kentucky, creating 1,303 high-paying, full-time jobs. That tops the 22-company goal the region's Tri-County Economic Development Corporation set for last year, and marks the highest number of companies moving to or investing in Boone, Kenton and Campbell County in several years. In addition to direct job creation, 1,536 indirect jobs were also created. Tri-Ed has spent the last half-dozen years recruiting companies in specific sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences and technology, says Tri-Ed Senior Vice President Karen Finan. "We've done very aggressive marketing. Even during the downturn, folks were out talking about Northern Kentucky to a very targeted group. Now that we're having an economic upturn, we are seeing some of the results of that," Finan says. Nearly two-thirds of new jobs were in advanced manufacturing. Other growth sectors include office/tech, life sciences and e-commerce. The largest investment came from advanced manufacturing company, ZF Steering in Florence. The company, which makes steering components for passenger cars and SUVs, is planning a $95.8 million expansion. ZF Steering will build two 175,000-square-foot buildings and hire 374 employees in two years. Healthwarehouse.com, a growing online, mail-order pharmacy, relocated to Northern Kentucky from Loveland, Ohio, bringing nearly 50 jobs and its large medication warehouse. Healthwarehouse.com sells only FDA-approved and legal-for-sale drugs, and is licensed in all 50 states. It's one of only 24 Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) accredited pharmacies in the country. The company plans to create 220 jobs in the next two years. A bright spot for the struggling Cincinnati International Airport (CVG) is the growth of international shipping company, DHL Express. The $47 million airport cargo hub expansion, in Hebron, will take about 14 months, creating 285 jobs, including 120 full-time positions. "CVG has been such an asset for us," Finan says. "It's a highly efficient airport in our backyard. The growing DHL air cargo hub is really a positive for companies in the area." In addition to airport services, state economic incentives, local infrastructure and the region's distribution workforce have many fast-growing startup companies looking at Northern Kentucky, Finan adds. "Smaller, but impactful, companies are coming in, 10,000 to 20,000 square feet at a time," she says. Written by Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Cincinnati State, AK Steel team for advanced manufacturing training

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Diversity

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March 6, 2012

Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center in Evendale has teamed with AK Steel to provide a new advanced manufacturing training program for the company's workers. The 400-hour Electronic Repairman Training program is one of the latest the Workforce Development Center has developed in response to local employer demand. The center has developed programs for Procter & Gamble and GE, among other major Cincinnati area employers. AK Steel is headquartered in West Chester with major operations in Middletown, Mansfield, Coshocton and Zanesville. The company is a worldwide manufacturer of steel products for the automotive, infrastructure, manufacturing, construction and electrical power markets. This is the Workforce Development Center's first partnership with AK Steel. The training program is about three weeks in, will last 15 months and train approximately 16 workers, says Larry Cherveny, the center's Industrial Maintenance and Green Technologies business manager. Steeped in math, controls and electricity, the program is designed to train workers in modern manufacturing. Course titles include: motor controls, industrial electronics, industrial controls and instrumentation, motion control and AC & DC drives. The Workforce Development Center offers a variety of certifications and programs for working students as well as modifies and creates programs for employers, Cherveny says. "Companies come and ask us to develop these very specific programs, and we're able to customize them to fit what the need is. We see it sort of as a challenge. For instance, we weren't doing the DC drives training before, and through some donations, we were about to get about $7,000 worth of training equipment," Cherveny says. The center works to meet company and worker demand in a fast-changing economic atmosphere. Courses are held at the Evendale Center as well as on company campuses. The center has even taken training programs across the country and to Mexico, Cherveny says. "We are flexible and change quickly," he says. "As they come to us with new needs, that tells us the direction that we need to look into." By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter