IMEC and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Combining Forces to Drive Sustainability
Helping Chicago area manufacturers reduce the impacts of their operations on the environment and improve profits is the aim of a newly created strategic alliance between the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC).
Under the agreement, the two non-profit business assistance organizations will jointly conduct in-depth assessments of manufacturing production processes, and deliver training and technical support to help companies prevent pollution, divert solid waste from landfills, and increase energy efficiency. The collaboration will also focus on providing manufacturers with information on waste-reducing technologies and sustainable management practices.
“The combination of IMEC and ISTC resources will give area manufacturers a holistic approach to environmental impact reduction,” said Manohar Kulkarni , Director of the ISTC, a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois. “We bring the technologies, research and lab support, and problem solving capabilities. IMEC is the leader in demonstrating how process changes can eliminate the root causes of waste. Bringing these two capabilities together will deliver big results.”
Since 1985, ISTC has helped more than 2,600 Illinois companies with projects ranging from industrial fluid purification, to carbon sequestration and environmental cost analysis. ISTC operates a state-of-the-art sustainability laboratory with sophisticated analytical capabilities at the University of Illinois Campus in Champaign. ISTC engineers also work on-site with Illinois companies to provide customized environmental assistance. ISTC’s Oak Brook office is headed by Deb Jacobson, Regional Operations Manager, who will be the first point of contact for this strategic alliance.
The alliance will build on IMEC’s successful Waste to Profit and Green Supplier Networks, and the Lean and Clean Review. Since 2006, the Waste to Profit Program has reduced landfill consumption by facilitating the transformation of one company’s waste, or by-products, into an input that can be utilized by another company. The Green Suppliers Network works with large manufacturers to engage their suppliers in low-cost technical reviews to identify strategies for improving process lines and using materials more efficiently. Lean and Clean Reviews target and eliminate the root causes of implementing lean manufacturing and six sigma techniques.
“We know that manufacturers account for nearly a third of U.S. energy use, and are responsible for the majority of carbon emissions,” said David Boulay, IMEC President. “Working with ISTC, we can show manufacturers how they can deploy proven continuous improvement methods to cut environmental waste, and do it profitably.”
Since being created in 1996, IMEC has generated more than $1 billion in productivity, sales and cost-saving economic benefits for Illinois manufacturers. Part of a nationwide network of federally-funded non-profit organizations, IMEC was recently awarded a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program to serve the Chicago land market. IMEC’s expansion to the region makes it Illinois’ exclusive provider of quality, efficiency, cost reduction, and growth services under the MEP umbrella.
The two organizations will also produce information workshops and webinars, and IMEC will market ISTC services to its clients.
About IMEC
Globalization has created a fiercely competitive environment for domestic manufacturers. Firms of all sizes and smaller firms in particular, are challenged by a fast-paced market with high demands for quality, cost and delivery. IMEC’s team of manufacturing specialists and affiliated partners assists more than 450 Illinois manufacturers each year. Major IMEC solutions include operating cost reduction, quality improvement, continuous improvement, technology & innovation, and market diversification/growth strategies. A non-profit organization with 10 field office locations throughout Illinois, IMEC is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce that includes 59 nationwide non-profit outreach centers and nearly 2,000 full-time manufacturing specialists. IMEC also receives additional funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. More information can be found at www.imec.org
About ISTC
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is a Division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois. ISTC engineers and scientists focus their efforts on applied research and development of sustainable technologies and practices that improve the efficiency of materials and energy utilization in businesses and communities throughout the State. ISTC, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor, has honored organizations for their efforts in sustainability and pollution prevention since 1987. We believe that the key to sustainability is being less wasteful with materials, energy, and natural and community resources. ISTC has offices in Champaign, Oak Brook, Peoria, and Godfrey. ISTC’s main office is in Champaign and is housed in a modern facility on the South Research Park of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. More information can be found at www.istc.illinois.edu
