Though BP Solar is a big name in the renewable energy industry and maintains steady investment in wind energy technology, its efforts in solar development have endured a significant blow.
In March 2010, the company announced that it would be ceasing operations at their Frederick, Maryland manufacturing facility. BP Solar opened the facility just three and a half Stuart Cinema Nyc years ago. With lower cost solar materials and equipment being imported from China and even India, BP Solar simply determined the move to be the most financially practical.
Out of 430 employees at the Frederick plant, 320 were laid off. Production involved with silicon casting, wafering, and cell manufacturing was ceased and all workers associated with these departments lost their jobs. BP Solar plans to shift all the remaining in-house manufacturing to other low-cost joint ventures to ultimately become more affordable to their market. Sales and marketing, research and technology, project development and other business support functions will remain.
Reyad Fezzani, CEO of BP Solar, stated “Solar prices declined between 40 and 50 percent since the onset of the financial and economic crisis, compressing Tools Used In Industry margins and driving solar power towards grid competitive pricing.” To combat this decrease in pricing, solar companies have looked to decrease costs. One of the ways to decrease costs is to hire cheaper labor in foreign countries, which is what BP has done.
Beginning in the first quarter of 2009, BP Solar also closed several other high-cost manufacturing locations and consequentially reduced their prices by 45%. Most solar companies have found themselves drastically lowering their inventory values due to strong international competition and depressed silicon prices.…
Tag: plant
The Right Food Plant Chemicals Ensure Safety of Food Products
Food safety and sanitation are top priorities of those in the food industry, making food plant chemicals vital in everyday operations. These chemicals reduce, if not, completely eliminate rust, dirt and contaminants such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli, among others. There are a variety of such chemicals which allow businesses to maintain clean products, facilities and equipment. Among these are bleach, acids and water treatment products.
Used for disinfecting and sterilizing, bleach is a staple in food plants. It destroys a wide range of pathogens, making it one Manufacturing Engineer Education of the most versatile types of cleaning agents. In addition, bleach removes discoloration and can whiten darkened surfaces.
Special acid solutions remove surface contamination from stainless steel which could potentially corrode it and can even result in the deterioration Types Of Industry of that component. Called passivation, using chemicals on stainless steel for this purpose cleans and protects the equipment at the same time.
As water is a vital component in any food plant, proper treatment in necessary to ensure its safety. There are many different types of water treatment chemicals for different applications. These can be used for purification of water, disinfection of water systems, and the elimination of micro fouling, to name a few.
These food plant chemicals need to be administered with utmost care by trained professionals in order to obtain the best possible results without causing any complications. The right types of chemicals coupled with proper application can greatly help businesses not only pass industry standards, but also improve operations. Most importantly, it will allow them to provide the best possible products to their customers.…
The Right Food Plant Chemicals Ensure Safety of Food Products
Food safety and sanitation are top priorities of those in the food industry, making food plant chemicals vital in everyday operations. These chemicals reduce, if not, completely eliminate rust, dirt and contaminants such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli, among others. There are a variety of such chemicals which allow businesses to maintain clean products, facilities and equipment. Among these are bleach, acids and water treatment products.
Used for disinfecting and sterilizing, bleach is a staple in food plants. It destroys a wide range of pathogens, making it one Indonesia Garment Industry of the most versatile types of cleaning agents. In addition, bleach removes discoloration and can whiten darkened surfaces.
Special acid solutions remove surface contamination from stainless steel which could potentially corrode it and can even result in the deterioration of that component. Called passivation, using chemicals on stainless steel for this purpose cleans and protects the equipment at the same time.
As water is a vital component in any food plant, proper treatment in necessary to ensure its safety. There are many different types of water treatment chemicals High Demand Products for different applications. These can be used for purification of water, disinfection of water systems, and the elimination of micro fouling, to name a few.
These food plant chemicals need to be administered with utmost care by trained professionals in order to obtain the best possible results without causing any complications. The right types of chemicals coupled with proper application can greatly help businesses not only pass industry standards, but also improve operations. Most importantly, it will allow them to provide the best possible products to their customers.…
Honda Adds Accord Hybrid Production to Ohio Plant
The Honda Accord Hybrid is returning to the market, a 2014 model that will be built at the automaker’s manufacturing facility in Marysville, Ohio. This manufacturing plant, opened in 1982, is Honda’s first US production plant. The company will add 95,000 square feet to accommodate the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid and plans to hire 50 new workers.
Hybrid Models
The new hybrid model joins two others built by Honda in the United States. The Acura ILX Hybrid and Honda Civic Hybrid are assembled at Honda’s Greensburg, Ind., manufacturing plant.
The Marysville upgrade represents a $23 million investment by Honda. The main assembly line will be stretched and more space will be made available for parts Electrical Careers List that are unique to the vehicle. Honda says that the expansion will make the assembly plant more efficient and enhance its parts logistics operations.
Assembly Skills Needed To Be An Electrician Plant
As the first Honda car assembly plant in America, the Marysville facility has produced at least eight generations of Accord sedans. This will be the first time that the Accord Hybrid was built there; the previous model was discontinued a few years ago and was imported from Japan.
Two hybrid Accord models will hit the market. A conventional hybrid will be joined by a plug-in hybrid, both employing a two-motor system. Each model will offer a 2.0-liter in-line four cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electronic continuously variable transmission. Its first motor is a 124-kilowatt traction electric motor that will work with the CVT. Its second motor is a 105-kilowatt electric motor designed exclusively for power generation.
Honda Accord
Adding hybrid models back to the Honda Accord line gives this midsize sedan and coupe line additional credibility in an ultra-competitive segment. Right now, the Toyota Camry is the best-selling model with the Honda Accord following. Right behind it is the Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and the Hyundai Sonata. The hybrids should help raise the Accord’s visibility further, while adding yet another measure of “green” driving to the Honda line.
The Honda Accord Sedan is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “top safety pick” again for 2013. The new model also recently the IIHS’s best rating in an all-new front crash test, one of just two midsize sedans to achieve that distinction. The NHTSA has also given the Honda Accord Sedan its top 5-star rating for its exemplary performance in frontal crash, side crash and rollover tests. The Honda Accord Coupe has not been tested.…
How a ‘Virtual Plant’ Helps Streamline Industrial Automation With PLC’s
One of the most overlooked aspects of industrial automation is that of efficient data collection and management. Integrating the operations, engineering and maintenance functions of a factory will not only increase productivity but also help with decision making and create more accurate projections.
The key to unlocking the full performance potential of your manufacturing/processing operations lies in your ability to gain a real-time understanding of what is actually happening on your plant floor. You must then be able to share that information with other important decision makers and take action that improves both your production performance as well as your bottom line.
Creating the ‘Virtual Plant’ for better control
The addition of digital capability to analog devices means that industrial control software can be linked to instrumentation readings via small text files. Data acquisition Electrician Apprenticeship Program is also an essential way to gather unbiased information on production processes as each staff unit might have different perceptions (which may well each be valid).
Industrial Automation is as much about seeing an accurate big picture as it is about controlling processes. An industrial plant application then processes the collective information being generated throughout your production facilities into a “virtual plant” that can be accessed where, when and how you need it. This application (software) allows you to measure and monitor your performance across key criteria in real-time. These should include web-based reports, key performance indicators (KPIs) and notification services if you choose the right system
All of this can be facilitated by a ‘PLC’. A PLC or Programmable Logic Controller is automated computer interface used to control machinery and electromechanical processes. PLC’s range in simple applications such as a basic packaging plant all the way up to a complex high availability environment such as a an automotive paint shop. The types and costs of PLC’s vary but they all differ from normal computing systems in similar ways. PLC’s are designed with a higher immunity to electrical noise, better resistance to high temperatures and have multiple input and output points.
When sourcing a supplier be sure to ask for electrical drawings, full operator manuals and remote connection details. Some Industrial Automation specialists offer setup Industrial Engineering Trade Publications and training as part of their service. Having a good understanding of your factory automation system onsite can help reduce operations costs in the long run.…