Measure Mashup Manage Market

Wood Chips from Belarus

2012-01-17T10:24:00.000+02:00

Wood Chips from Belarus (natural moisture)

Hello everybody, We are reviewing our contracts for the following moths .
From end of January up to 15 000 tons/monthly of wood chips are available from Belarus.
If your company is interested, please write us on info@grinvich.eu.

Source: Linkedin

We have to Network

2012-01-05T21:12:00.001+02:00

We've to Network
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Invest in your future: start Networking. Learn to use technology in your office and while working while on the road.

Save money and time through mastering skills for efficient collaboration and open learning.

The cyberspace is often a confusing cocktail, like moving to a new country, but learning to work creatively in global expert teams helps to solve problems faster and more efficiently.

You're also able to spot new opportunities in unknown places destinations and business fields.

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T15:57:00.001+02:00

Happy New Year 2012
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Happy New Year 2012. The Year 2011 has been a great year for us.

We've more time and resources for new things. As an example: learning Spanish language.

I used to travel in South America for business without any basic knowledge of Spanish or Portugeese.

Learning is a life-long process. Spanish is now on our agenda. Have a great new year.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T11:33:00.000+02:00

Irja Kallio
Helge V. Keitel

Happy Christmas to all of you

2011-12-23T10:07:00.001+02:00

Happy Christmas to all of you
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Happy Christmas to all of you

Service Design

2011-12-09T01:32:00.001+02:00

Service Design
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Service Design. Let's take a closer look at RCM. Wikipedia teaches:

Reliability Centered Maintenance, often known as RCM, is a process to ensure that assets continue to do what their users require in their present operating context.

It is generally used to achieve improvements in fields such as the establishment of safe minimum levels of maintenance, changes to operating procedures and strategies and the establishment of capital maintenance regimes and plans.

Successful implementation of RCM will lead to increase in cost effectiveness, machine uptime, and a greater understanding of the level of risk that the organization is presently managing.

Let's look at Reliability-centered Maintenance as a process to establish the safe minimum levels of maintenance. RCM starts with the seven (7) questions below, worked through in the order that they are listed:

What is the item supposed to do and its associated performance standards?
In what ways can it fail to provide the required functions?
What are the events that cause each failure?
What happens when each failure occurs?
In what way does each failure matter?
What systematic task can be performed proactively to prevent, or to diminish to a satisfactory degree, the consequences of the failure?
What must be done if a suitable preventive task cannot be found?

Water

2011-10-23T00:12:00.001+03:00

Water
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

The World Water Week is an interesting event. I've been following it from a distance since the '90s.

The Stockholm Water Front - A forum for global water issues No. 3, November 2010 - is now on my desk.

I'm reading a the retrospect of 2010 World Water Week.

One of the themes: The Effects of Industrial Pollution on Ecosystems and human Well-Being.

The Stockholm story makes me think about the importance of water.

Paris

2011-10-23T00:07:00.001+03:00

Paris
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Paris, Champs Elyse, France in retrospect: food and water are essential ingredients for life on earth.

What happens if we pollut the rivers and lakes?

Eating poisoned food can't be the sustainable goal for new industrial investors.

We can learn a lot from past mistakes in the Forest Industries.

I will be writing short stories about the implications and effects of investments in mining activities in Finland.

The Sotkamo CHP power station

2011-10-22T08:27:00.001+03:00

The Sotkamo CHP power station
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

The Sotkamo CHP power station. It's getting cold again. Time to start firing the bioenergy plant.

Co-generation at smaller plants is an interesting option with hyperlocal advantages and benefits.

Bionergy has a long tradition in Finland.

This plant is 17 MW and provides district heat to the municipality of Sotkamo.

Co-generation of electricity 1 MW.

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2011-10-20T22:36:00.001+03:00

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Let me introduce you to Paul W. Swanson from Denver, USA

2011-08-01T17:24:00.001+03:00

paulswansen | Paul Swansen Funny, irreverent, cynical, optimistic, dreamer and Taurus with a stubborn streak, and a fondness for Jerry Garcia Ties, thrives on working hard with smart people. A former, Radio DJ, and Program Director, Television Program Director, Public Affairs Officer, Speech Writer, Award Winning Radio Spot writer, Computer Tech, Event Producer, and Customer Service Guru is always looking for a new challenge. Communicates and plays well with others. Won't work with whiners. Wonders why no one seems to know how to load the dishwasher properly.

Juha, Markku and Petteri, let me introduce Paul W. Swansen as a member of the measurement network. We’ve been collaborating with Paul for several years, trying to figure out Internet and Social Media supported FutureStore and Business to Business (B2B) networking.

Paul and myself know the trends and tricks of social media while Juha, Markku and Petteri are scientist specialized in industrial microbiology, toxicology, and biocide treatment in process industries.

We’re preparing a Digital Direct Sales Network to support global promotion, marketing and sales of intelligent measurements, process analytics and advanced trouble shooting in fields like bioenergy production, mining and processing, and environmental monitoring and control in these industries. We’ve extensive and in-depth knowledge about the pulp and paper industries, but we’re now ready to expand into new fields.

I’ll write more about innovative application developments in subsequent posts. The core idea is to expand out from pulp and paper into new fields. The goal is to start talking and collaborating with Measurepolis Oy, Kajaani, about a joint venture to introduce new intelligent measurements and trouble-shooting tools to the global market. This could be a beginning to a new success story if we create a direct and cost-effect social engineering approach to talk with clients around the globe.

Paul, take a look at Juha Mentu’s blog:

Pulp, Paper, Board and Packaging Microbiologist

Juha writes, “This blog contains novel ideas for the development of paper industry microbiology. Traditional methods, despite their important role in the selection of harmful microbes from process and product samples, does not fulfil the needs of modern HACCP and process stability control. Faults in the process management as well as in the QC of products can cause hazardous situations for the economy of production as well as for the safety of employers, customers and environment.”

More information about Measurepolis:

Measurepolis Development Ltd

Measurepolis Development Ltd is a technology and business development company that specialises in measurement and information systems. Its objective is to create profitable business for its partners. The development company, which is owned by the City of Kajaani, operates nationally and employs around ten experts in measurement and information systems technologies and business in Kajaani, Oulu, Tampere and Espoo.

The company manages the associated regional and national development programmes and produces technology development services, business development services, associated information services, and marketing and communication services for its partners and clients.

The company's main clients are enterprises and research institutes working in the field of measurement and information systems, and its main objective is to create new business in this field. The company works closely with the Renforsin Ranta business park and others to develop entrepreneurship in the area related to measurement and information systems.

Global Social Sales Network for high-cost B2B products and services

2011-07-22T19:30:00.001+03:00

Paul Swansen, I’ve been working with the idea to launch a social sales network that could make B2B high-cost items sales very, very easy, and cost-effective.

This digital direct sales channel has been my goal since the early days of social media. A part of The Future Store focused on how to sell complex and knowledge intensive B2B solutions over Internet.

For people familiar with network applications and social media shouldn’t have any difficulties to comprehend, understand and participate. But traditional enterprises are not used to work in the open. Even though the first moon landing operation used many of the communication tools that are available to consumers and businesses today.

This spring, I spoke with two potential clients that a social sales network would not be difficult to accomplish. The client is a big company with solutions for the forest industry. The company is now looking for new markets outside its traditional market niche.

existing products can be sold to other clients
product modifications are technically easy to handle
this enterprise needs a new multi-talented distribution organization
their traditional sales force isn’t tuned to work outside their specialties

Some of their products and services can be adapted to comparable needs in other industries. The new direct sales network is needed to approach new customer segments. The primary focus is in these industries, but over time the scope of industries will expand.

Mining and processing
Energy production and district heating
Environmental monitoring, measurement and control

The launch of a social sales network would provide a couple of immediate benefits to intelligent sensors and analytics sellers and developers when this partnership program finally gets started. Our first talks took place before the global recession.

The clients has two different options:

supporting a traditional field sales organization
launch and support a digital direct social media sales force

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two distribution models will be cost. Another obvious one is that the proposed social sales network will give independent developers another outlet for their ideas, concepts and creations.

we offer an environment to sell local knowledge to international clients
the initial goal is to attract 100 knowledge works from around the globe to make sales, technical services and application development in this network
we’ve a big organization with muscles and knowledge to support
we’ve scientists and developers available to get started

Chicago seeks private money to fund retrofits of public buildings

2011-07-21T18:13:00.001+03:00

Drew Ballensky writes, “Chicago seeks private money to fund energy retrofits on public buildings | Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 10:53.”

Helge: What are we doing in the field of energy efficiency in our cities?

The City of Chicago is attempting to attract private funds to pay for energy efficiency upgrades of nearly 100 public buildings. The buildings that together have more than 6.5 million square feet of space would be retrofitted at a cost of about $40 million, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. (http://www.suntimes.com/6474753-417/rahm-emanuel-promises-to-make-buildi...)

Helge: We tend to think in terms of what is the government doing to boost investments in energy conservation and efficiency.

Projected energy savings on the city-wide retrofit program would be used to secure private financing. Annual energy savings is estimated to be $5.7 million, and the project is expected to create 375 jobs.

Helge: Is there a bigger saving potential in USA? I guess so.

The project will be modeled on the retrofit of the Richard J. Daley Center. That effort included an energy audit, followed by conservation measures including lighting upgrades, water conservation modifications to public restrooms, new boiler controls, and variable air boxes for a pair of fan systems serving the building’s first eight floors. The Daley Center upgrades have cut $600,000 from the building’s annual utility bills.

I wonder who handles their public relations in the digital age

2011-07-20T18:55:00.001+03:00

Entrepreneurs are a rare breed. They see opportunities and are ready to take bold action fast. Regardless, innovations do not always travel fast.

The use of social media in SMBs and large enterprises is still in evolution. The idea of Enterprise 2.0 is emerging slowly.

Most traditional corporations do not have a clue about how to get started wit online business, social media, and collaboration.

Small wonder when you delve deeper into the essence of business operations.

Business is all about connecting people; today the way we’ve to run our businesses has transformed dramatically.

B2B companies must replace outdated business models, useless rubbish with a new paradigm, and most importantly, a new skill-set.

The successful businesses of the 21st century are those who are open, transparent, outgoing, friendly, sharing and caring. That’s my opinion. The customer need is more important that the greed. Problem solving is the key, not the telling and selling.

Companies need to integrate social media applications and open data sources to maximize productivity, reduce redundancy and inaccuracies, and streamline workflows. That sounds intelligent, I’d like to say, it’s still all about working better together. Take down the barriers and rip down the silos.

The B2B marketing machine enables partners and users community participation to build, preview, test and improve the integration of existing solutions. Social media allows us to talk with more people regardless of their location. We now have the digital tools to do a part of the legwork salesmen, saleswomen, and technical support people had to do in the past.

During my life in the social media environment, the participants have confessed and discussed how refreshing it is to come to events where openness, sharing and constructive feedback is the norm.

Little money is needed to start a new business. Free and inexpensive online services and social media can kick-start a new business. Entrepreneurs can use cloud computing as an infrastructure. The no investment required model is still brand new to most people, but it’s a smart way to get a new businesses off the ground without pockets full of money.

The Marketing Machine is an online marketplace
It’s a community collecting B2B partners into a single, streamlined platform

Trust me, the use of social media has changed massively in a couple of years and now it’s evolving more every single day. But still, most of the b2b marketers don’t have a clue. I’ll continue to write about SM in SMEs.

Imagine what happens when top measurement and control business leaders from around the globe are gathered to discuss breaking down the social media application barriers in business?

How should we tune into better understanding of online measurements?

2011-06-14T17:13:00.001+03:00

Metso Automation’s Newsletter of Kajaani Product Line 1, 2004 “The Analyzer” Wrote, “In process automation, rapid technological development from business systems down to intelligent field devices and analyzers is progressing to meet existing and coming demand. New control and communication protocols are linking different system levels more tightly which emphasizes the importance of accurate measurements. The solution is as strong as its weakest link. Too often it is still the measurement area.”

The approach sounds Top-Down for me. At the early days of Kajaani Electronics the measurement was they key for everything and based on that we could think about process management and control.

Nevertheless, corporate cultures change over time. On-line measurements are based typically on in-direct measurements correlated to laboratory standards. Quite often we try to measure something that is not even well enough defined to start with.

Multipoint measurement has been along for quite some time. But according to The Analyzer “A new way of measuring originates from different engineering sciences combined together.”

Developing an analyzer needs at least physics, chemistry, micromechanics, electronics, sampling, software and many other engineering sciences. The real challenge is about how to handle the complexity and end up with simple and versatile solutions working in demanding operational environments.

When the level of complexity increases automation suppliers must understand the requirements arising from the process. We should also think about the ways to get that understanding. We need to have close contacts and an open dialog with our clients. The processes don’t talk but people managing them are eager to give us insights if we’re able and willing to listen.

A way to cope with the complexities is to combine ones own knowledge with collaborating partners and experts participating in networks working towards a united goal.

Big and small companies are learning to utilize the power of open and closed networks. These consist of universities, research centers, customers and specialized suppliers.

Critical mass is needed to develop, maintain and keep up the networks.

Learn How RFID-based Systems Are Benefiting the Petroleum and Energy Industries

2011-06-13T17:02:00.001+03:00

Utilities, chemical companies, and gas and oil producers are all benefiting from using radio frequency identification. At RFID in Energy, you will hear end users share how they are employing the technology today to track natural gas consumption and business assets, enforce regulatory standards, service and support oil-field assets across supply chains, increase employee monitoring and safety, and so much more. Plus, you'll meet the leading technology companies, and see their latest solutions.

HELGE: We should think in same terms for the pulp and paper, energy, mining, mineral resources, and environmental industries. There’s RFID knowledge and application research in Finland but we need to focus more on ROI business applications.

Industry leaders from such companies and organizations as BP, Argonne National Laboratory and others will share real-world case studies across a variety of application areas, such as lay down yards, production facilities, service centers, oil rigs, refineries, pipelines and more.

HELGE: What are industry leaders doing back home? I’d like to spend much more time and resources in how to solve the supply chain quality management problems of biomass to distributed power plants. Intelligent use of RFID could be a part of the solution.

Speakers will focus on end-user case studies and the benefits that RFID could provide to utility companies, chemical, gas and oil firms, as well as the challenges that must be overcome to achieve such benefits.

Learn how companies are using RFID to:

Track natural gas consumption and business assets
Utilize RFID to enforce regulatory standards
How RFID technology is being used to service and support oil-field assets across supply chains
Increase employee monitoring and safety
How petrochemical companies can benefit from RFID, GPS and auto-ID technologies
And so much more!

Plus, meet the leading technology companies and see their latest solutions.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn how you can use RFID to cut costs, improve safety and track assets.

Source: RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/energy/

iTraining and iTrading

2011-02-26T21:01:00.001+02:00

We're going for it. There's a wild, wild forest of ideas waiting for hyperlocal developments.

Some of them are out there in cloud or cold, waiting to get rid of the old and outdated.

Change management is a tricky business. Take a look at Northern Africa. Dictators have to go when folks at the street level start tweeting.

The market square becomes the location for peaceful but disruptive revolutions.

Take away the market

2010-10-11T22:34:00.000+03:00

They are either using, selling or distributing. Strict laws are needed. It's not a good idea to liberalize the use: people don't care to go for work.

Show me how
They're not able to keep it outside
It's an on-going war
Billions of dollars have been used

A radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years - The Globe and Mail

2010-10-10T16:04:00.000+03:00

A radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years - The Globe and Mail: "The middle class is over. It's not coming back

Remember travel agents? Remember how they just kind of vanished one day?

That's where all the other jobs that once made us middle-class are going – to that same, magical, class-killing, job-sucking wormhole into which travel-agency jobs vanished, never to return. However, this won't stop people from self-identifying as middle-class, and as the years pass we'll be entering a replay of the antebellum South, when people defined themselves by the social status of their ancestors three generations back. Enjoy the new monoclass!

– Lähetetty Google-työkalupalkin välityksellä"

Cloud Computing's Stormy Future - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown - Harvard Business Review

2010-09-28T16:03:00.000+03:00

Cloud Computing's Stormy Future - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown - John Hagel III and John Seely Brown - Harvard Business Review: "Cloud computing has the potential to generate a series of disruptions that will ripple out from the tech industry and ultimately transform many industries around the world. This is definitely a technology that deserves serious discussion from the entire senior leadership team of a company.

– Lähetetty Google-työkalupalkin välityksellä"

Snippets - KM should not be about “knowing more” - it should...

2010-04-23T09:48:00.000+03:00

Snippets - KM should not be about “knowing more” - it should...: "“ KM should not be about “knowing more” - it should be about “understanding better”. Better understanding leads to improved decisions and innovation. How do we understand better; how do we make sense of the world? Through conversation!
— Dave Weinberger"

Planes or Volcano? | Information Is Beautiful

2010-04-17T19:02:00.000+03:00

Planes or Volcano? | Information Is Beautiful: "Planes or Volcano?
April 16, 2010"

Europe Finds Cleaner Energy Source by Burning Trash - NYTimes.com

2010-04-17T06:09:00.000+03:00

Europe Finds Cleaner Energy Source by Burning Trash - NYTimes.com: "Far cleaner than conventional incinerators, this new type of plant converts local trash into heat and electricity. Dozens of filters catch pollutants, from mercury to dioxin, that would have emerged from its smokestack only a decade ago.

In that time, such plants have become both the mainstay of garbage disposal and a crucial fuel source across Denmark, from wealthy exurbs like Horsholm to Copenhagen’s downtown area. Their use has not only reduced the country’s energy costs and reliance on oil and gas, but also benefited the environment, diminishing the use of landfills and cutting carbon dioxide emissions. The plants run so cleanly that many times more dioxin is now released from home fireplaces and backyard barbecues than from incineration.

With all these innovations, Denmark now regards garbage as a clean alternative fuel rather than a smelly, unsightly problem. And the incinerators, known as waste-to-energy plants, have acquired considerable cachet as communities like Horsholm vie to have them built.

Denmark now has 29 such plants, serving 98 municipalities in a country of 5.5 million people, and 10 more are planned or under construction. Across Europe, there are about 400 plants, with Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands leading the pack in expanding them and building new ones."

Can the U.S. learn from Denmark's trash-to-energy innovation? - Holy Kaw!

2010-04-17T06:04:00.000+03:00

Can the U.S. learn from Denmark's trash-to-energy innovation? - Holy Kaw!: "Denmark has a solution for its garbage and it doesn’t involve piling the waste up in stinky landfills and forgetting about it. Nope, the European nation makes its garbage work, using the trash to fuel a new type of energy plant that provides heat and electricity and cuts costs and carbon dioxide emissions. So why don’t we see garbage burning plants popping up all over U.S.? The New York Times has an interesting read all about America’s lagging on new garbage disposal technology and how a small country like Denmark is leading the way towards greener energy resources.

Full story at the New York Times."

Shipping bioenergy container plants to the world

2010-03-30T10:25:00.001+03:00

It will take years before the Finnish bioenergy industry is sending ship-loads of bioenergy plants to the world.

Smaller plants can be stuffed into a container and transported to the location with a truck from the harbor.

But there are a few obstacles in the way. Distributed energy has to become a mainstream thing and the production process has to be streamlined to ensure cost-effective production. This is not the case today.

European wide or global marketing and sales has to be established. We also need hyperlocal partners and CHP-entrepreneurs to run the plants.

We need to understand energy and environment better than before

2010-03-16T21:57:00.001+02:00

Finland is an energy intensive and very northern country. There are months and times when I’d like to live in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece. South America might be a great alternative.

But, we should be speaking about energy. Finland wants more nuclear power plants. What should I say? Should I take a position “for” or “against”?

I don’t oppose nuclear power plants. I’m a pragmatic person, even though I understand the problems of nuclear waste handling. Not all the aspects of it, but it’s a problem we leave unresolved for our children.

Bioenergy is less complex. It’s a perfect distributed energy solution, but we’re not living in the villages – not even in Finland. The urban lifestyle adapts very well to large scale, centralized nuclear energy. Should we move back to the village? Many problems could be handled in a small is beautiful environment with less centralized decision making.

We’re not ready for such a change. Digital Villages might be the best thing for global development, but the concept has to be promoted much better than before.

Bioenergy CHP in the making

2010-01-30T14:51:00.001+02:00

We’ve a long tradition in the field of bioenergy in Finland. I’ve been working with 1 to 20 MW bioenergy CHP for two decades and familiar with the needs in Scandinavia and Central Europe.

The next step would be to offer 1 to 10 MW solutions to the Russian market. We’ve a team of technology suppliers and specialists available, but still look for the best possible strategy.

This picture was drawn in a meeting in Helsinki before Christmas.

Happy Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T17:16:00.001+02:00

It’s cold out here in Sotkamo. Well below – 20 C again. We’ve a white Christmas.

I should write about the Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

How are you folks doing?

Is the recession over?

What will happen next in global trade?

How about green energy, wind mills and renewable energy?

Blowing in the Wind

2009-11-07T20:12:00.001+02:00

Finland's wind power industry aimed year 2008 to find specialist niches in the booming global market.

The sector includes about twenty companies with an annual turnover of 500 million euros, according to information two years ago.

Today, some reports say that the windmill components suppliers are making about one billion euros annually and employing four thousand people.

Can anyone confirm this numbers?

Most of these companies are specialist components suppliers. Networking and co-operation appears vital.

The major turbine producer Winwind is particularly 3 MW windmills. The industry is planning even bigger ones.

The demand for larger than usual turbines is increasing. Finnish components markers are especially designing products that can withstand cold and icy conditions and the physical challenges faced by the offshore wind parks springing up around the world's coasts.

Energiprojekt LTD - Powerplants, CHP, heat, steam,

2009-10-22T16:18:00.003+03:00

Energiprojekt LTD - Powerplants, CHP, heat, steam,: "We Manufacture and Sell Bio-Mass Power Plants for Production of Electricity, Steam and Hot Water."

Got this link through a Google ad. Need to read more about Energiprojekt Ab in a short while. Learning more from their website.

Energiprojekt i Sverige AB is a Turn-Key Producer of Steam Power Plants.

Our company is based in Sweden and has sales agents in a number of countries.

During our 25 years in business, we have built and delivered power plants based Steam Power.

Our focus is to build hot water Power Plants, CHP Plants and Steam Power Plants for Process Industries, Saw Mills, District Heating Systems or Rural Electrification Systems etc.

The electric output is in the range of up to 3MW. Multiple units can be installed next to each others if the need of power is more than 3 MW.

Our CHP Plants are typically up to 3 MW of electric power and up to 10 MW of heat power.

Helge: What's your technology for electricity generation?

Together with our main partner Peder Halvorsen Industrier AS we offer the most flexible power-generating solution on the market today.

Outotec ostaa Laroxin - Tekniikka&Talous

2009-10-17T20:56:00.002+03:00

Helge: Juttelin aiheesta tänä aamuna. Ratkaisu kuulosta molempien kannalta järkevältä.

Outotec ostaa Laroxin - Tekniikka&Talous: "Mineraaleihin ja metalleihin liittyvän tekniikan toimittaja Outotec hankkii määräysvallan teollisuussuodattimia valmistavasta Laroxista. Outotec tekee myös pakollisen julkisen ostotarjouksen kaikista lopuista Laroxin osakkeista.

Outotec on sopinut joidenkin Laroxin pääomistajien kanssa osakekaupoista, joilla nämä myyvät Outotecille kaikki omistamansa Laroxin A- ja B-sarjan osakkeet.

Osakkeiden kauppahinta maksetaan Outotecin uusilla osakkeilla.

'Tavoittelemamme teknologiavalikoiman täydentäminen tuli mahdolliseksi tällä osakevaihdon kautta tapahtuvalla järjestelyllä. Laroxin tuotteet ja palvelut liittyvät saumattomasti Outotecin tarjoamiin teknologioihin. Transaktio tukee myös kannattavan kasvun tavoitettamme', Outotecin toimitusjohtaja Tapani Järvinen sanoo tiedotteessa.

'Yhdistämällä myynti- ja palveluverkostomme sekä tuotevalikoimamme voimme tarjota entistä kattavampia ratkaisuja ja palveluja mineraalirikastamoille ja metallurgisille laitoksille sekä tuottaa aikaisempaa enemmän lisäarvoa yhteiselle asiakaskunnallemme', Järvinen jatkaa.

Outotec arvioi, että yhtiöiden maailmanlaajuisten myynti- ja palveluverkostojen sekä hallinnon yhdistämisestä ja suuremman yksikkökoon tuomista volyymieduista syntyy vuositasolla vähintään 7 miljoonan euron synergiaedut.

Helge: Säästöt saavutetaan suhteellisen helposti.

'Uskon, että tämä järjestely antaa Laroxin henkilöstölle monipuolisempia mahdollisuuksia kehittää uraansa ja kaikille osakkeenomistajille annetaan mahdollisuus sijoittaa jatkossakin alan vahvaan toimijaan. Myös asiakkaat hyötyvät lisääntyneistä resursseista, joiden ansiosta Laroxin on mahdollista pitkäjänteisesti kehittää ja kasvattaa suodatinliiketoimintaa', Laroxin hallituksen puheenjohtaja Timo Vartiainen sanoo."

Russia!

2009-10-02T18:59:00.002+03:00

In 2007, Russia strongly encouraged its companies to buy assets around the world. The idea suited Vladimir Putin's philosophy of restoring Russia's international position.

He is eager to see his country regaining its close partnership with Africa.

Russia is the world's largest energy exporter, and has plenty of its own metals and minerals.

Still in 2007, rich Russian companies wanted to expand their global reach while they had plenty of money in their pockets. At that time, the price of oil was topping 80 dollars per barrel.

The companies also wanted to use their foreign investments as insurance against eventual future changes in Russia.

The Russians see the changes in Africa and Near East, and are fast expanding from oil into financial services, telecommunications and retail.

Growth expected in Africa
Injection of capital and expertise is needed

Biofuel from forests

2009-09-30T19:58:00.002+03:00

In 2007, most of the world's palm oil came from Southeast Asia, and at that time the demand was skyrocketing - thanks to the increasing use of biofuels.

But will this trend continue?

According to Newsweek, global production went from 4,5 million tons in 1980 to 20,9 million tons in 2000, and is expected to rise to 30,4 million tons by 2010.

The Finnish Neste Oil has invested a lot money in the production of biofuels and biodiesel.

Today, with low priceo oil, Neste and others are eagerly waiting for price increases for oil.

Biofuel production 'starves the poor' - MSN Environment UK

2009-08-17T15:54:00.000+03:00

I've to activate this blog about biofuels and bioenergy. The summer is over and it's time to think about the plus and minuses about biofuel programs. Below is a point of view from UK.

Biofuel production 'starves the poor' - MSN Environment UK: "Biofuel production is fuelling poverty, human rights abuses and damage to the environment, Christian Aid has warned.

The charity said huge subsidies and targets in developed countries for boosting the production of fuels from plants such as maize and oil palm are exacerbating environmental and social problems in poor nations.

Helge: USA is using corn and the Finnish Neste Oil imports palm oil for biodiesel production in Finland.

And rather than being a 'silver bullet' to tackle climate change, the carbon emissions of some of the fuels are higher than fossil fuels because of deforestation driven by the need for land for them to grow.

Helge: There isn't enough space available...

According to a report, Growing Pains, by Christian Aid, industrial scale production of biofuels is worsening problems such as food price hikes in central America, forced displacement of small farmers for plantations and pollution of local water sources.

Helge: Food price rises in Mexico.

But with 2.4 billion people worldwide currently without secure sources of energy for cooking and heating, Christian Aid believes the renewable fuels do have the potential to help the poor.

The charity highlights schemes such as the growing of jatropha in Mali, where the plant is raised between food crops and the oil from the seeds is used to run village generators which can power appliances such as stoves and lights.

The report argues that talking about 'good' or 'bad' biofuels is oversimplifying the situation, and the problem is not with the crop or fuel - but the policies surrounding them.

Developed countries have poured subsidies into biofuel production - for example in the US where between 9.2 billion dollars and 11 billion dollars went to supporting maize-based ethanol in 2008 - when there are cheaper and more effective ways to cut emissions from transport, the report said.

The charity said biofuels production needed a 'new vision' - a switch from supplying significant quantities of transport fuel for industrial markets to helping poor people have access to clean energy.

The report's author Eliot Whittington, climate advocacy specialist for Christian Aid, said: 'Vast sums of European and American taxpayers' money are being used to prop up industries which are fuelling hunger, severe human rights abuses and environmental destruction - and failing to deliver the benefits claimed for them."

Biopower investments take off

2009-05-30T10:03:00.001+03:00

I was looking for more background about the Amel project and stumbled upon this one.

High electricity price in Belgium, UK and Spain

Biopower investments take off: "To fulfill Kyoto commitments the European Union Member States have taken in use several measures of support to promote renewable energy production, especially electricity.

Tougher emission limits, emissions trading, new laws in force and subsidies are raising the feed-in price of green electricity. The higher price shortens the payback period of small-scale cogeneration and electricity only plants investments and makes it more profitable and commercially attractive.

As a consequence, the investment scene is changing. Besides utilities also private persons, SMEs and associations are interested in investing in small-scale CHP using biofuels. There are clear signs that the investments take off.

Helge: This is an interesting market scene development. The customer base is expanding.

The threshold price for competitive electricity production in small-scale CHP is 100 €/MWh. Today the price in Austria is about 150 €/MWh, in Germany 130 €/MWh and in Portugal 110 €/MWh. The prices are feed-in or price per unit of electricity that a utility or supplier has to pay for renewable electricity from private generators.

In Belgium and in the UK the price of electricity has also become so high that investments are competitive. Spain has an ambitious program for increasing production of bioelectricity six-fold from the current 500 MW. France and Italy are expected to take notable steps towards higher feed-in prices."

4Energy Invest, Belgium

2009-05-30T09:43:00.004+03:00

Here is an example I came across yesterday at the Helsinki ChemBio exhibition where the New Wallon Cluster participated with their own booth.

"4Energy Invest is a Belgian based renewable energy company that aims at creating and managing a portfolio of small to middle-sized locally embedded projects that valorise biomass, directly or indirectly, into energy," their Website tells.

Take a look at the Shareholder Notification!

Here is some information about problems a public company has to disclose. Managing a full CHP-service cluster includes possibilities and threats.

A complete service model

More information About the company can be found here. The business model is defined here: "4Energy Invest identifies potential biomass projects, performs a feasibility study and then takes responsibility for developing, financing, constructing and operating the project, in close cooperation with carefully selected suppliers and partners."

The Amel project

Currently, 4Energy Invest is operating two cogeneration projects located in Amel (Wallonia, Belgium) which are fully operational. 4Energy Invest starts building in Amel a large scale torrefaction unit to produce biocoal or torrified wood pellets with minimum CO2 footprint.

Biomass cogeneration

2009-05-30T08:59:00.001+03:00

The project presented in my previous posting - the biomass cogeneration plant in Amel, Belgium - is an initiative by the company 4Energy Invest.

This company, listed on the stock exchange since June 2008, has new projects in the pipeline.

4Energy Invest has been created by three experts who have vast know-how in the energy sector and more particularly in the field of the

design
financing
realization
entry into operations of pilot plant completed within two years
management and operation of national and international projects

Collaborating with companies such as Tractebel, Dynegy, Nuon, SPE, Datkia and Indaver.

This Belgian cluster focuses that often are too modest to be of interest to the main energy producers and too complex to be directly carried out by the industrial clients themselves.

4Energy Invest aims to establish and manage a portfolio of small and medium-sized local projects focusing on the the conversion of biomass waste into energy, whether directly or indirectly.

This team is now moving around to identify a number of sites that offer opportunities to build and operate cogeneration projects similar to the one in Amel.

Currently, other projects are under development, in particular in Ham in Flanders but also in Pontrilas of England and in Germany.

Cogeneration through network organization

2009-05-30T07:59:00.007+03:00

A very interesting project has been developed in the field of cogeneration in Belgium. I learned about this while visiting the ChemBio exhibition Finland 09 that took place in Helsinki, and was focusing on:

Networking
Innovation
Business

Let's move back to Belgium. The Kaserbacke industrial estate is located within the commune of Amel. When its expansion became necessary in 2004, the decision was taken to develop a cogeneration system.

The project emerged as the solution to the technical problems arising from the site's development: on the one hand the industrial estate was not connected to natural gas network. On the other hand, it was at the end of the power line.

The cogeneration project was the solution that made it possible to overcome these power supply problems.

Companies involved:

timber sorting center
sawmill
production of wood shavings and pellets
project management

The products used in the cogeneration process are supplied by the three production companies. The biomass consists of barks and timber related products that were not previously recovered (log stocks, rotten wood). In return, they pay attractive prices for the heat generated.

Cooperation for cogeneration

This is a cooperation between companies within the same industrial estate
In the field of energy, this seems to rare enough to be worthy of comment
The project is hinged on the recovery of materials previously considered as waste

Financial benefits

From the financial point of view, the heating costs of the partner companies are cut threefold. Cogeneration makes it possible to replace over 10 million liters of heating fuel a year for the production of the useful heat alone.

The project started January 2006

Work of this project started in January 2006 and the installation is up and running since November 2007. On the strength of this success 4Energy Invest has built an extension that makes it possible to practically double the site's capacity an that was brought into commercial operation May 2008.

We can do it mobile

2009-05-16T01:38:00.002+03:00

Mobile collaboration ideas started to surface 15 years ago.

We selected ideas that could have a meaning in the market

We did ground work in different European markets and Northern Europe.

New logistic tools were emerging
Technology was new
People were not used with mobile apps.
The 3G was still a promise only
No mobile user examples
No applications knowledge ecosystem

Today, most of those visions can be realized with a reasonable budget.

Fast Fresh Flow
Mobile CRM
Cross-border collaboration
Video on-demand
Positioning with GPS
Your computing power in your pocket

Fast Fresh Flow in France 1994

2009-05-03T13:43:00.002+03:00

Considering a heating plant?

2009-03-30T22:22:00.001+03:00

28032009243
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

When you are considering to have a heating or HCP for your home town, municipality or sawmill, it might be a good idea to drop me a line.

A talk with OK is also an excellent choice.

- ask for a design concept for the building
- let's think together where it should be located

The technical part of a biopower plant is a pretty proved concept, but the plant isn't just a square box but an utility delivering a valuable service to multiple users.

Open Innovation and Process Automation

2009-03-15T10:33:00.002+02:00

15032009042
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

“Open Innovation” Key to Tackling Global Challenges | ControlGlobal.com

How Does Technology Help You Run Your Plants More Profitably and Safely and in a Way That Is Sustainable for the Environment?

Raj Batra, vice president of Siemens Energy & Automation’s Automation and Motion Division, discussed the global trends driving industry in his keynote address to assembled users and guests at the Siemens Automation Summit and Users Conference this week in Chicago.

Helge: Is there a connection to this speak? Open innovation evokes more interest at left and right...

Batra called the current era one of “open innovation,” calling out Wikipedia, Mozilla and the Siemens User Advisory Board as agents of what he called “distributed co-creation.”

Helge: UCC and unified communication and collaboration tools are made available by big hightech companies: Cisco, IBM, HP, etc.

“At a time of expensive power and global pressures, how does technology help you run your plants more profitably and safely and in a way that is sustainable for the environment?” Siemens’ Raj Batra called on Automation Summit attendees to network with peers from other industries to gather fresh perspectives.

Helge: Fresh perspective is a good point.

“The industry diversity of this conference is so important to us because it lets us explore and get fresh perspectives on creative solutions and alternatives at the intersections of these industrial landscapes,” he said. That, he added, brings us to the theme of this year’s conference: Expand your world of automation during a time of great global change.

Helge: Creative solutions from a broader knowledge base.

“The price of energy is making us rethink our relationship with fuel and power in our daily lives and our work,” he said. “Self-sustaining offices and homes and systems that can sell power back into the grid truly are within reach. Even glass and cement production now can make great strides with waste-heat-recovery systems.”

The pace of globalization is absolutely incredible, marveled Batra, noting another key influence. “China and India, the bogeymen of U.S. manufacturing barely a year ago, now are themselves being challenged by lower-cost countries such as Vietnam.”

Helge: The challenge is real and concerns all industries.

The safety and security of our plants is certainly at the forefront of these trends, “and many of you are under mounting pressure to ensure your plants are safe and your products meet the necessary standards for quality and purity,” continued Batra.

Batra identified asset management as another huge trend that touches everything from lowering operating costs and maintaining uptime to integrating systems and networks from different vendors and even different eras, all to achieve increases in productivity.

Helge: Asset management and maintenance...

“So at a time of expensive power and global pressures, how does technology help you run your plants more profitably and safely and in a way that is sustainable for the environment?” asked Batra. “These are topics that stand out in the daily news and confront you every day, but they’re also driving our agendas and priorities and forcing us to take a hard look at how we run our plants and decide on the technologies that are in them.”

Helge: How to run your plants more profitably... I agree with his thoughts.

A showroom for timber products 14032009

2009-03-14T09:32:00.006+02:00

14032009031
Originally uploaded by Helge V. Keitel

Selling timber is a challenging task at this time with the building sector in deep recession.

We've discussed the need to change the way timber trading is taking place.

How would you make the selling process more interesting both for the seller and business to business clients?

* A modern showroom with large screen displays
* Showing the end-results of wooden constructions
* Telling stories about the value of wood
* Talking walls and touchscreen devices to learn more about wood
* Reshaping the showroom / shop to a learning environment
* Direct contact with the sawmills
* Expert talking to you from a distance

I'm reading the weak signals in a new way. Market expansion has been replaced by a remarkable global contraction. Timber producers have to adpat to changing market conditions.

We've an intelligent solution for that. Small and flexible is becoming beutiful again. Disruptive innovation provides a road to better times.

Metso pulping technology for Aracruz in Brazil

2009-02-19T22:51:00.002+02:00

JYVASKYLA, Finland, Aug. 21, 2008 (Press Release) - Metso will supply the main technology for Aracruz's new 1.5-million-tons/year bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) pulp line, to be built at their Guaíba mill in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The expansion will raise the mill's total annual capacity to almost 2 million tons. The new pulp line is scheduled to start up during the second half of 2010. The order is valued at close to Euro 400 million.

Helge: I've visited Aracruz when it started its operation.

The EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract with Metso additionally covers the procurement of complementary equipment and services from other suppliers and partners.

The order emphasizes Metso's strong capabilities as a full-scope supplier for the pulp industry, which were further strengthened by the 2006 acquisition of Aker Kvaerner's Pulping and Power businesses. For Aracruz, Metso's scope of supply covers the entire fiber line comprising pulp cooking, screening and washing, bleaching, drying and baling, as well as the recovery boiler and white liquor preparation systems. Metso will also provide process control systems, including the necessary analyzers and special equipment for quality and runnability management. Furthermore, Metso's control and on-off valves were selected as standard for the entire mill.

The fiber line process features the latest evolution of cooking and washing technologies. The continuous Compact Cooking G2 digester is designed for a daily capacity of 5,030 tons. TwinRoll wash presses will be installed for each stage of washing in the fiber line. The brown stock side wash presses will be the largest ever built.

For pulp drying and baling, Metso's DryWay drying machine followed by four Robobaling lines will be installed. The drying machine will have a trim width of 9.99 m and is designed for 4,970 tons' daily production. The Aracruz pulp drying machine will be the second DryWay dryer of this size supplied by Metso.

The RECOX recovery boiler Metso will supply for black liquor burning will be one of the largest in the world. The design capacity of the boiler is 6,130 tons dry solids per day. The boiler employs High Power technology to maximize power generation from bioenergy.

The nominal capacity of the white liquor plant will be 14,300 m3 of white liquor per day. Latest generation disc filters will be installed for filtration of green and white liquor, as well as lime mud. They will process all the necessary white liquor for the new line and will also have surplus for the existing line.

Aracruz is the world's leading producer of bleached eucalyptus pulp. Total production today is the equivalent of 3.2 million tons a year, produced by three pulp mills: Barra do Riacho (2.3 million tons), Guaíba (450,000 tons) and Veracel (450,000 tons, or 50 % of the unit's total capacity). The company employs 12,000 persons and its gross sales in 2007 was $2.14 billion.

Metso - leading supplier of technology and services for pulp and paper industry.

2009-02-18T23:00:00.000+02:00

I've been talking with a Chinese supplier about disc filters for a 500 000 tpa mill. Let's see what we can do together.

Metso - leading supplier of technology and services for pulp and paper industry.: "Washing and thickening...The production of secondary fiber for high quality tissue and graphic papers, today requires good control over the ash and fines level in the pulp. The paper machine runnability can also be improved when the recycled fibers are cleaned of sticky material, non-usable fines and ash.

Washing

The compact OptiThick GapWasher is a twin-wire dewatering unit for controlled washing of pulp. The two-sided dewatering and strong turbulence of the GapWasher facilitate two to three times higher capacities per unit of width than conventional washer technologies. An additional main feature of the GapWasher technology is that the ash and fines removal can be controlled depending on the targeted levels.

Thickening

The Hedemora VDF disc filters are designed to thicken low to medium freeness pulp, especially where high discharge consistency is needed. The Centerdisc CDI disc filters are insensitive to concentration and freeness variations and suit most recycled fiber applications.
The advantages of disc-filter technology are filtrate quality and the possibility for different water fractions.

The OptiThick GT gravity thickeners deliver high capacity for dewatering in a compact and cost-efficient process. OptiThick GT is used for recycled fiber pulp, especially in..."

Read more at the official web page!

Wetend Technologies Ltd.

2009-02-04T15:53:00.001+02:00

We spoke about this company today. Do you know TrumpJet valves by WetEnd, Finland? They can dose 1 to several additives just before the headbox and spare a lot of water & energy. Juha Veikko Mentu (paper industry microbiologist) says, This company got a National Award in China a couple of years ago.

Wetend Technologies Ltd.: "Wetend Technologies Ltd operates globally serving the paper industry worldwide through own resources and locally together with agents and representatives. Home and technology base are in Finland.

Wetend Technologies Ltd is located in the city of Savonlinna in eastern part of Finland where the company holds office, research and development facilities and assembly shop premises.
New FiberLaboratory for process and development has been recently opened to support our technology and product development operations."

BBC NEWS | Business | Timeline: Global credit crunch

2009-01-18T17:34:00.001+02:00

The credit crunch has turned into a real economical crisis. It took a long time to build up. How many years are we going to suffer? Barack Obama will start as a president on Tuesday 20. January 2009. People hope he'll get US on the right track again. He'll have a few years to find a way out. What should he and we all do to get the business world moving again?

BBC NEWS | Business | Timeline: Global credit crunch: "Most analysts link the current credit crisis to the sub-prime mortgage business, in which US banks give high-risk loans to people with poor credit histories. These and other loans, bonds or assets are bundled into portfolios - or Collateralised Debt Obligations (CDOs) - and sold on to investors globally."

Energy Intesive Firms and Climate Change

2009-01-16T17:58:00.003+02:00

Energy intensive firms and enterprises are in collaboration with research institutes finding ways to exploit new business opportunities related to the global challenge of climate change.

The need to produce large quantities of biomass based fuels is a key challenge facing Finland, Scandinavia, and many other countries, especially considering the EU's target that 10 per cent of transport fuels should be carbon neutral biofuels by 2020.

Almost a quarter of the energy used in Finland comes from renewable resources, and much of this wood energy in various forms, used particularly within the pulp and paper industry.

New types of biodiesel can potentially be made from a wide range of vegetable oils or even animal fats, in addition to the imported palm oil used so far.

Another focus is the potential of using wood chips to make liquid biofuels.

In the field of wood energy Finland is a major technology provider in global terms. The country of green gold is a world leader in technologies used in harvesting wood for energy use.

Three-quarters of all the forestry machines used around the world are made in Finland.

Climate & Energy Change and Facebook

2009-01-05T08:36:00.001+02:00

I got t a new Twitter friend. Amr El Beleidy (beleidy) is now following my updates on Twitter. I got a quick look at his blog and this was his latest posting. Read more on his blog.

Name Amr El Beleidy
Location London
Web http://www.amrelb...
Bio Sustainable Energy Post Grad Student, Self appointed CEO, Thinker, Traveler, Dreamer and sometimes very Random

Climate & Energy Change: "How much carbon do you emit through Facebook?

3% of the electricity produced by the US goes into its computers. We tend to think of computers as a low energy consumption devices, and they are. But without much notice they have crept into every aspect of our life. And now the computers in the US use 3% of its electricity. I wonder how much kettles use.

And some of those computers are housed in massive data centres such as those that are running Facebook. As Facebook adds 600,000 new users every day and as their monthly electricity bill passes $1,000,000 (see here), a lot of carbon is being emitted. We don’t really see it but every time we click on a Facebook link, some computer starts processing and some hard disk starts turning (if it wasn’t already) and some network card starts sending, all contributing to the electricity usage and thus the carbon emissions. But how much is all of this really.

My [Amr El Beleidy] suggestion to Facebook, which any reasonable person in Facebook would strongly reject, is to put a small counter somewhere on the screen that measures your contribution to Facebook’s carbon emissions. Let’s find out how much carbon we emitted just by browsing through our friend’s photos because we are bored at work."

The Energy Challenge - No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in Innovative ‘Passive Houses’ - Series - NYTimes.com

2008-12-27T12:34:00.001+02:00

The Energy Challenge - No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in Innovative ‘Passive Houses’ - Series - NYTimes.com: "DARMSTADT, Germany — From the outside, there is nothing unusual about the stylish new gray and orange row houses in the Kranichstein District, with wreaths on the doors and Christmas lights twinkling through a freezing drizzle. But these houses are part of a revolution in building design: There are no drafts, no cold tile floors, no snuggling under blankets until the furnace kicks in. There is, in fact, no furnace."

Helge: Is this the new trend in building technique and design?

Ottawa / Eastern Ontario Full Circles

2008-12-14T20:56:00.001+02:00

I got a new Twitter friend today and would like to invite him to the kknetwork.

Name Eric Snyder
Location 45.289212,-75.74577
Web http://ottawa.ful...
Bio Interested in diversity, calendars, freecycling, peak oil, environment, genealogy, fungi!

Ottawa / Eastern Ontario Full Circles: "To reduce our individual and collective environmental footprints on our home, the Earth by actively, energetically and positively promoting values of sustainability and conservation of resources. FULL CIRCLES offers education, opportunity, and venues for individuals and communities to learn, to interact, to collaborate, and to take action."

With Obama a Green Economy is Possible

2008-12-05T15:05:00.001+02:00

Twitter search is a good manual news aggregator. I found this on Way to Go Green dot org. Take a look at what that blog is all about.

About

Way To Go Green (dot org) is where you will find news, tips, and ideas about greening your environment.

We offer information to help you save money, be kind to your earth, and enjoy life.

Bookmark this site, subscribe with the RSS feed button, or subscribe with email notification. That way you will be notified when ever new content is posted on this website.

Thanks for visiting. Come back often.

Cato

With Obama a Green Economy is Possible: "With Obama a Green Economy is Possible," written by admincato on December 5th, 2008.

America was built on a dream for a more perfect union. Over the years, we have taken that dream to new heights, but at a cost. Because of our demand for bigger and better things, we have become a nation of polluted air, clogged landfills, and an ever-plummeting economy. However, President-elect Barack Obama has come up with a plan that could turn things around. With Obama-A Green Economy is a possibility.

Stimulate the Economy:
Mr. Obama has set up a plan to stimulate the economy, while saving the environment. He has stated that he would like to create 5 million new jobs over a period of about 10 years. He wants to help train people to work with green technologies, allowing them to gain high-paying jobs that will create an overall better environment to live in.

Green Manufacturing:
He has also stated that he would like to see manufacturing plants create plans to work more efficiently, using less energy, and less waste. He has offered to invest in companies that create plans that will work toward a better future for the entire nation, and has even stated that within a year of taking over as President, the federal government will also begin working toward saving energy and increase the use of hybrid plug-in cars that use less fuel.

Greener Way of Life:
Through President-elect Obama-A Green Economy is a dream that could become a reality. It gives the American people new hope in a brighter future, and a greener way of life. Through this plan, the economy could make a comeback and set new standards for the way the rest of the world does business. And once again, we could become a more perfect union.

Please Leave a Reply on the original page.

Virgance: Activism 2.0

2008-11-26T09:40:00.001+02:00

Learned about this company through Jaiku. Who knows more about 1BOG?

Virgance: Activism 2.0: "1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is a novel model of community purchasing focused on driving widespread adoption of clean energy solutions and sustainable lifestyles using education, logistical support, social networking and group pricing. 1BOG started as a consumer-based initiative in San Francisco and rapidly became the largest group purchasing program for green products in the country.

1BOG addresses the three principal barriers to ‘clean-energy-living’, which we call the Clean Living Trifecta. These are Cost, Complexity and Community. To address Cost, we leverage the group’s bargaining power to negotiate large discounts for our members.

We are able to drive down cost by aggregating large numbers of buyers, and by streamlining the sales process for vendors. Our highly educated, well-qualified members allow the vendors to focus on providing the best solution at the lowest cost. That brings us to the second barrier, Complexity. There are two aspects of Complexity, the technology (what’s available) and the process (how do I get it) – 1BOG addresses both.

For example, on the technology front we sort through all the available information about residential solar energy, process that information and make it available to 1BOG members in an accessible, easy-to-digest format so buyers can easily get the facts and decide if this solution is right for them.

The second aspect of Complexity lies in the process of acquiring the solution. In the case of residential solar, there are a myriad of factors to take into account. Members need to determine how many panels they’ll need, which rebates exist in their area, which ones they are eligible for, how to apply for incentives, etc. 1BOG provides assistance all the way through the process."

Hmmm. Need to read more about 1BOG.

Mould Growth : Mold & Bacteria Laboratories

2008-11-20T06:40:00.001+02:00

I got this information through Twitter.

Mould Growth : Mold & Bacteria Laboratories: "Browse > Home / Industry News / Mould Growth." | November 19, 2008 by mbl.

Dampness and mould growth are recognised as major problems affecting a significant proportion of houses in the North America. Apart from health problems associated with dampness and mould growth, wood decay is also significant problem.

Mould growth in houses is unsightly. But most important, there is considerable evidence to support the view that mouldy housing has a detrimental effect on the health of occupants residing in such environments. This is a cause for concern, considering that many individuals spend most of their time indoors especially during winter. Respiratory problems and allergic reactions are the common health problems associated with mould. Generally, indoor moulds affect people through inhalation of airborne spores. High levels of airborne spores may occur due to growth of mould on walls and furnishings."

Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories – specialists in Mold identification, mold testing, bacteria testing and Microbiology analysis

2008-11-09T08:34:00.001+02:00

I got a new friend on Twitter: MoldBacteria and think we could collaborate. We can promote PMEU.

Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories – specialists in Mold identification, mold testing, bacteria testing and Microbiology analysis: "Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL) specializes in identification and enumeration of mold and bacteria commonly detected in air, fluids and bulk samples collected from homes, schools, offices, hospitals, industrial, agricultural, and other work environments. MBL also provides a unique Mold Training Course on How to Recognize Indoor Mold, Develop Effective Sampling Strategies, Interpret Laboratory Results and Perform Effective Mold Remediation."

Sampling air for the first time? For instructions on how you can sample air for total fungal spore counts, click to watch our flash video demo How To Sample Air For Total Fungal Spore Counts.

Why Use MBL For Your Mold And Bacteria Sample Analyses?
White mold on wood in crawlspace

The team of microbiologists at MBL is actively directed by Dr. Jackson N. Kung’u (B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D). MBL has analyzed thousands of mold and bacteria samples from across Canada and the USA. MBL is able to identify even the most difficult mold and bacteria samples. The lab report includes, if requested, free technical information (including medical information where available) which enables you to make informed decisions."

Have to tell Elias and Juha about this company.

Byline : Lene johansen about Biotechnology

2008-11-08T12:29:00.001+02:00

byline : lene johansen » Home: "Lene Johansen is a Washington-based reporter. Her expertise includes Biotechnology research, free-market ideas, and individualism. You can check out her published work under Clip Book, her weekly column on biotechnology under Biotechnology INK, her weekly column on individualism under Individualist INK and the media buzz about her under Media."

I wanted to find out what comes up under Biotechnology Ink but that's probably work in progress. Making a note here and inviting her to KK-Net: http://kknetwork.ning.com/

Ethanol facing return of 1980s bust, with oil price drop? Lovins, Dineen weigh in on alt energy outlook : Biofuels Digest

2008-11-07T16:34:00.001+02:00

Ethanol facing return of 1980s bust, with oil price drop? Lovins, Dineen weigh in on alt energy outlook : Biofuels Digest: "The Christian Science Monitor ran an article considering whether biofuels will experience a bust as oil prices drop, and compared market conditions to the ethanol bust of the mid-1980s. The article profiles ethanol pioneers who saw oil prices plunge from $53 a barrel to $28 just as ethanol technologies were becoming economically viable. The article profiles the role of the credit crisis, and quotes positive comments on the new robustness of renewable energy business models from Amory Lovins, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Bob Dineen of the Renewable Fuels Association."

Helge: The price of raw materials and oil has been going up and down. It's difficult to predict where we are in six months from today?

Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Obama Gives Thoughts on Michael Pollan’s Times Magazine Letter

2008-10-31T23:09:00.001+02:00

I got a link through Twitter. Food is a much bigger issue than we tend to think.

Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Obama Gives Thoughts on Michael Pollan’s Times Magazine Letter: "In an interview with Joe Klein of Time Magazine today, Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged the brilliant letter to the next president by Michael Pollan and said that agriculture is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, is a national security risk, and is built on cheap oil:

“I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it’s creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they’re contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That’s just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board. For us to say we are just going to completely revamp how we use energy in a way that deals with climate change, deals with national security and drives our economy, that’s going to be my number one priority when I get into office, assuming, obviously, that we have done enough to just stabilize the immediate economic situation.”

Oil falls on doubts rescue will avoid recession, bolster demand | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser

2008-10-15T18:37:00.001+03:00

Oil falls on doubts rescue will avoid recession, bolster demand | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser: "Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) — Crude oil fell below $75 a barrel for the first time in more than a year on skepticism that a rescue of the world's banks will be enough to avoid a recession and stem a decline in global fuel demand.

Oil, which has followed movements in equity markets this month as the credit crisis deepened, fell as stocks dropped today. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its 2009 demand forecast for a second month because of 'dramatically worsening' conditions in financial markets.

'The oil market is under a lot of pressure and nothing is going to change that anytime soon,' said Ric Navy, a broker at BNP Paribas SA in New York. 'We are entering a poor-demand cycle, which will put further downward pressure on prices."

Helge: The price of oil will change the conditions for biorefineries. Where goes the limit? Are we still going to continue along the oil-trail?

Europe Dives In Frenzied Trading - Forbes.com

2008-10-10T17:12:00.001+03:00

Europe Dives In Frenzied Trading - Forbes.com: "In Russia, the lower house of parliament, or the Duma, approved two anti-crisis packages worth $86.0 billion, including the availability of $50.0 billion of state money to the banking system and companies in need of refinancing their debt. The measures represent the latest efforts by the Kremlin to boost confidence in an ailing Russian market. The index of selected leading stocks on the MICEX exchange, where most of Russia's trading takes place, was up 11.6%, following the news."

LONDON - "European equities plunged on Friday morning, following panic selling in the Asia and adding pressure on the world's economic powers to tackle the global financial meltdown," writes Forbes today.

How bad is the situation in Russia? Oil prices are coming down from $150 to soon below $80 per barrel. That means much less money for the oil producers.

US Senate passes Wall Street bailout bill after biodiesel, wind, solar tax credits added : Biofuels Digest

2008-10-03T16:19:00.001+03:00

Here is a point of view that I didn't think about.

US Senate passes Wall Street bailout bill after biodiesel, wind, solar tax credits added : Biofuels Digest: "October 3, 2008. In Washington, the US Senate included extensions of the renewable energy tax credits in the Wall Street bailout bill, prompting a 74-25 vote in favor of the bill. The addition of renewable energy tax credits also led to speculation that the bill will now pass the US House. The additional language in the bill provides a one-year extension of the wind energy tax credit, an eight-year extension for solar energy projects, credits from $2500 to $7500 for buyers of plug-in hybrids, and an extension of the $1 per gallon biodiesel production incentive. U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-IA, told the Des Moines Register that, with the credits, he believes the bill will now pass in the House."

Political-Watch buying of $700 bn in toxic mortgages

2008-09-22T11:20:00.001+03:00

Political-Watch: "“The Bush administration is asking Congress to let the government buy $700 billion in toxic mortgages in the largest financial bailout since the Great Depression, according to a draft of the plan obtained Saturday by The Associated Press.”

Where is the US government going to obtain the funds for this bail out? Already in debt to other nations for trillions of dollars, it seems like a house of cards waiting for a tiny puff of wind to blow it over.

Helge: That's a good question.

When the whole world’s economy eventually fails as a result, where will George W Bush be?

Helge: The new president has to do the clean-up. The cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined is $850 bn.

Green Business Works Atlanta

2008-09-21T09:14:00.001+03:00

index.htm: "As the reality of climate change and the effect of greenhouse gasses on our environment becomes ever more apparent, customers and clients are increasingly influenced by a company’s commitment to environmental responsibility. For companies with established ‘green’ policies or organizations in the initial process of defining their environmental mission, GreenBusiness Works has answers that bring results.

GreenBusiness Works is a full-service marketing, communications and event production organization that produces environmentally aware events guided by the values and principles of GreenScape™ guidelines. We deliver effective meetings and events, on time and on budget with an unrelenting attitude of joy, creativity and profound respect for the environment.

GreenBusiness Works also works with clients to reduce their impact on the environment by greening their office environment, internal and external meetings and events. GreenBusiness Works™ assesses the carbon footprint and develops the GreenScape™ Plan to assist the organization to more fully implement their sustainability policies."

Helge: GBW is from Atlanta.

Wirec 2008 in Washington

2008-09-20T14:45:00.002+03:00

Wirec 2008 - wirec_about.xml: "Vision of WIREC 2008. The Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) will bring together government, civil society and private business leaders to address the benefits and costs of a major and rapid scale-up in the global deployment of renewable energy technology," informs the conference web page.

The conference was arranged in March 2008. Minister Mauri Pekkarinen from Finland participated.

WIREC Participants can expect to:

Acquire a better understanding of the benefits of large-scale renewable energy deployment on energy security, climate change, air quality and economic growth.
Gain an appreciation of the multiple policy options and best practices that encourage and enable accelerated renewable energy up-take.
Develop networks and find partners to explore and initiate renewable energy projects.

These three objectives will be woven into WIREC's four cross-cutting and policy driven themes: Agriculture and Rural Development; Technology/Research and Development; and Market Adoption and Finance."

Helge: We speak more about Wirec and Greentech issues in this collaboration forum.

Green tech grabbing VC greenbacks | Videos on ZDNet

2008-09-19T18:47:00.001+03:00

Green tech grabbing VC greenbacks | Videos on ZDNet: "Green tech grabbing VC greenbacks
VC investor says clean tech is cleaning up. At the AlwaysOn GoingGreen conference in Sausalito, Calif., Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners discusses the current market landscape for clean-tech investing. He says clean tech used to get 1 percent of all venture dollars and that today, it is attracting between roughly 10 percent and 14 percent of all venture capital."

Wikinomics » Blog Archive » Mass collab around Toronto explosion

2008-09-09T08:17:00.001+03:00

Wikinomics » Blog Archive » Mass collab around Toronto explosion: "Mass collab around Toronto explosion
Mike Dover | August 10th, 2008, 04:48pm | Last night, there was a huge explosion at propane factory here in Toronto. News stories here, here, and here.

As ususal, the Internet turned out to be the best place to keep up to date on the explosion and the impact including eyewitness accounts, evacuation information, relevant blog posts and lots of multimedia. Click here for the Google maps mashup."

Helge: Internet is the fastest way to get information about what happens around us.

The Green Media Show

2008-09-06T08:15:00.001+03:00

What’s your communication footprint?

FACTOIDS:

Businesses in North America spend $65+ billion per year on print media advertising.
The average office worker generates 2 pounds of paper waste per day.
Paper and printing represent 15 to 30 percent of every corporate dollar spent.
Websites, email blasts, direct mail and events add even more.

Attend The Green Media Show and Conference and avoid:

1.	Loss of a major bid with green requirements.
2.	Finding your brand damaged by people or the press calling your bluff on your stated sustainable practices.
3.	The damage to your image when asked for your Sustainability Statement and you don’t have one.
4.	The repercussions when a shareholder asks your CEO hard questions about the sustainability of your media choices and knowing he hasn’t a clue because you haven’t given him answers yet. Or her.
5.	Printing your Sustainability Report in a totally non-sustainable way and posting the pdf on a website powered by coal-burning generators. Way to go.

Are You a...

Brand Manager

Print Buyer

Advertising Executive

Commercial Printer

Procurement Officer

Corporate Sustainability Officer

C-Level Exec

Marketing Professional

Graphic Designer

Product Manager

Publisher

Event or Marcom Manager

...then you need to be at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, October 1 and 2.

The Green Media Show & Conference

The intelligent way to get your team up-to-speed, exposed, excited, and knowledgeable about what they can do to make your media, advertising, and marketing choices more green, more sustainable, more responsible, and yes, make the company more profitable.

Helge: Have to check this one out. Learned about this through Twitter.

Bio strategy sustainability advertising marketing design green media

Tri-o-gen electricity production

2008-09-03T13:03:00.001+03:00

Tri-o-gen: "Tri-O-Gen nomination for prestigious Horti Fair Innovation Award 2007 Print. The Tri-O-Gen ORC has been nominated for the prestigious international Horti Fair Innovation Award 2007 at the RAI Exhibition Centre at Amsterdam. The price will be given by the Dutch Agricultural Minister, Mrs. Gerda Verburg.

De eerste Tri-O-Gen ORC’s staan opgesteld bij Stainkoel’n in Groningen, Olij Rozen B.V. in De Kwakel en CleanMinerals in Esbeek."

Rocky Mount, VA: Water Conservation is now MANDATORY! | Water Conservation News -NUPRANA

2008-08-25T20:17:00.002+03:00

Rocky Mount, VA: Water Conservation is now MANDATORY! | Water Conservation News -NUPRANA: "ROCKY MOUNT, VA - The city of Rocky Mount institutes a mandatory water conservation Monday morning in an effort to slow water use in response to severe drought.

All water customers will receive a notice in the mail Tuesday to immediately begin mandatory conservation.

Town Manager James Ervin says, “Continued drought, little rainfall and steady water use all mean that our lack of water has become more critical, and so I call upon you as citizens and good neighbors to do everything you can to reduce water use in your household and at work.”

The August rain deficit dictates that mandatory conservation to go into effect until the Blackwater River returns to better flow.

The Blackwater River has reached lows worse than the 2002 drought.

Ervin says, “Our water levels on the Blackwater are lower than at any other point since the town water plant was constructed. This is an urgent need that requires the immediate and ongoing attention of all our residents, businesses and industries.”

Helge: There is the Water Festival in Stockholm this week. I've sensitized myself to issues concerning water.

The Stockholm Water Festival is a major event in Sweden. The Swedes have an annual holiday period from the beginning of July till the middle of August when almost everyone takes holidays and business, especially heavy industries and construction, comes to a virtual standstill. The water festival is timed to take advantage of this and draws crowds from all over Sweden, Norway, Finland and other parts of Europe and the UK.

Most of the downtown core is closed to vehicle traffic with massive stages being erected in parks and waterfront parking lots where many famous names perform nightly.

The streets and bridges are lined with vendor tents where once can sample exotic foods from around the globe, buy clothing, pins, flags, trinkets toys or even take a scuba diving lesson in a floating swimming pool. Barges are towed in and converted to floating restaurants and bars where you can enjoy a meal or drinks while bobbing gently on the water.

Domestic Fuel: Central Florida Town Becoming Biodiesel Mecca

2008-08-18T18:14:00.002+03:00

Domestic Fuel » Archives » Central Florida Town Becoming Biodiesel Mecca: "A town in Central Florida is on track to become a vital center of biodiesel production, second only to an area around Houston Texas.

This story from the Orlando (FL) Business Journal says Groveland, about 30 miles west of downtown Orlando, is on track to have three biodiesel refineries up and running by the beginning of next year:

Together, the three Groveland plants — CleanFuel LLC, Southern Energy Holdings Inc. and Summit Biodiesel — represent a significant investment in the area: Southern Energy estimates its operation alone cost $5 million — and the three firms could create up to 100 jobs, paying a minimum of $15 an hour.

Dottie Keedy, director of the Lake County Department of Economic Growth & Redevelopment, said the jobs being created through the biodiesel companies are significant for the area.

The companies also have ambitious 2009 sales targets for their operations: Summit Biodiesel, $3.8 million; Southern Energy Holdings, $9 million; and CleanFuel, $120 million."

Helge: Varkaus, Finland, is becoming our national biofuel town? Those of you who would like to discuss biotech and biofuel, please come to http://kknetwork.ning.com/

Steve Newcomb Blog: SF Green Archives

2008-08-14T07:42:00.001+03:00

Steve Newcomb Blog: SF Green Archives: "Many people are curious, what I am doing since I left Powerset. Well, the short story is that I have decided to dedicate myself to what I call the new Green Economy and I am working on several initiatives with other leaders in government and businesses that all fall under the responsibility of non-profit that I am founding called SF Green."

Helge: I learned about Steve Newcomb through Facebook.

I plan to use blognewcomb.com to publish my progress on my initiatives as well as a platform to consolidate and share the most important information in the Green space so that it's easier for someone to get up to speed on the key issues.

Helge: The Green space...

Steve: "That being said, I do want to share with you a little bit about what I am doing. Right now, the most important initiative that I am working on is the creation of a non-profit whose code name is the Global Sustainability Alliance (GSA). The people involved in this non-profit range from leaders in government, venture capital and corporations. The mission of the non-profit is to foster real world solutions between the 3 primary stakeholders in the new Green economy - 1) Government 2) Business and 3) People.There are many initiatives that are already underway under the leadership of the GSA and I will be publishing those initiatives as they become solidified in the near future."

Helge: Global Sustainability Alliance (GSA). Good to know.

The Tower Company Going Green

2008-08-12T18:38:00.004+03:00

The Tower company
Go to work with nature on our side
Marry the work force with the life force
Fostering a successful life
Why does the human brain react to space?
Daylight has to be present in every room
Sustainability and Green Design
Going Green Architecture
Buildings with a higher power
TM

KVPY - Home

2008-08-07T13:55:00.001+03:00

KVPY - Home: "The 'Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana' is an ongoing programme started by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to encourage students of Basic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to take up research careers in these areas. The aim of the programme is to identify and encourage talented students with aptitude for research.

This programme strives to assist the students to realise their potential and to ensure that the best scientific talent is tapped for research and development in the country. Generous scholarships will be provided (up to the pre-Ph.D. level) to the selected students."

El Paso, Texas

2008-07-17T17:15:00.003+03:00

Sponsored by El Paso, Texas. Innovative biofuel with potential to solve fuel problems on a short term.

Biofuels
Bioenergy
Algae used to produce energy
When magic happens
What sets his ideas apart
Pick up the solar energy
The algae oil is extracted
It's a long way from the corn belt, the sun does the job
How to make fuels?
Producing energy drinks

About BIO on the road

2008-07-08T10:33:00.001+03:00

About « BIO on the road: "About BIO On-The-Road. On the road again, just can’t wait to get back on the road again . . .

Yes, that’s us. It seems as if we’re always traveling. Our overarching goal is to advance the industry the world is counting on for new solutions in health, agriculture, manufacturing, and energy. To that end we engage in advocacy on both the state and federal levels to establish a favorable climate for innovation in our industry.

We also hold a number of investor and partnering conferences in addition to the premier event of the global biotechnology industry – the BIO International Convention. These events feature world-renowned speakers and experts from the financial and business development communities, as well as presentations from cutting-edge biotechnology companies.

To find out more about us during our travels, join us here at our home-away-from-home, BIO On-the-Road."

Found this page today...

Green Energy

2008-07-08T07:03:00.002+03:00

John Doerr at the 2007 TED Talks:

Innovate
Invest in energy research
How to solve the energy problem

Smaller cars and bicyles

2008-07-05T20:19:00.005+03:00

The future means smaller cars and bicycles. We've to change our lifestyle.

Microbial Control for Pulp & Paper Manufacturing | LuminUltra

2008-07-04T06:09:00.001+03:00

Macarena sent this link to me. Is this the same thing Juha blogged about?

Microbial Control for Pulp & Paper Manufacturing | LuminUltra: "Pulp & Paper Manufacturing
A Total Microbiological Monitoring Solution!

In the pulp and paper industry, microbial growth can greatly degrade the quality of paper produced. LuminUltra’s biological monitoring technology can help you maintain product of the highest calibre through accurate and reliable water testing.

Our 2nd generation ATP tests are the most accurate, reliable, and versatile tests on the market today and allow you to measure microbial growth at any point in the process, from raw water to process water to wastewater:

▶ Quench-Gone Aqueous (QGA) provides the first line of defence in a multi-barrier operational monitoring program for raw water treatment and distribution, including:

Evaluate raw water quality and optimize water treatment operations.
Monitor and control microbiological re-growth in treated water distribution.
Reduce health risks in cooling systems.

▶ QuenchGone21 Industrial (QG21I ) results can become a valuable component of process maintenance programs such as:

Assessing biocide efficacy in paper process waters (e.g. whitewater).
Protection of product quality by preventing slime formation, which can cause paper breaks, holes, discoloration, and plugging.
Prevent pulp degradation or discoloration.

Peak Oil and $ 600 per barrel prediction

2008-06-30T21:24:00.004+03:00

This man is discussing peak-oil with the help of a bell curve.

We're going to hear new theories about pric of oil in the near future.

Cheap oil from the Middle East.

Russia
America
North Sea
Canada
Iraq
Iran

Says tallcoolone1 (2 weeks ago)

In theory "peak oil" may be inevitable, but in fact we are not there.

Saudi Arabia is set to increase production by 500,000 barrels a day.

They couldnt do that if they were at a peak. But Saudi appears to be skeptical about the price increases, which they believe are not justified.

Fittingly, they would like to lower the prices to make sure we dont start switching in large measure to other energy sources.

Cleantech Blog looking for bloggers

2008-06-29T20:31:00.001+03:00

Cleantech is an emerging trend. I've been looking at the weak signals.

Cleantech Blog: "Bloggers wanted. I have been blessed with leading a great group of bloggers on Cleantech Blog for nearly three years now, including people like

Richard Stuebi (renewable energy and policy),
Heather Rae (green marketing and home),
John Addison (transportation), with recent additions
Mark Henwood (stocks) and
Cristina Foung (green consumer products),
and support over the years from like industry gurus like Joel Makower and Felix Kramer.

But the sector is outgrowing even us. So we want more! And of course I am reaching out to our readership to find them. We are looking to add one or two more bloggers. No previous blog experience needed (though happy to do a 'blog merger' if you wanted to).

We would love someone in

solar,
carbon trading,
climate change,
and biofuels.

"Excellent writing skills needed, of course. Good opinions. Expert on or working in the field you are writing about. Keep in mind, Cleantech Blog does not do all the news all the time. We rely on our friends at CNET, Cleantech Media, Greentech Media, GreenBiz.com, and Earth2Tech to take care of that. Each blogger does a weekly column on opinions, analysis and discussion of the issues and news that matters," informs the blog.

Pulp, Paper, Board and Packaging Microbiologist: Automatized control systems for paper industry microbiology are coming.

2008-06-27T20:06:00.001+03:00

Pulp, Paper, Board and Packaging Microbiologist: Automatized control systems for paper industry microbiology are coming.: "After successful trials that created improved product quality, operating cost savings and environmental and safety performance benefits for papermakers, Nalco Company (NYSE:NLC) has launched OxiPRO(tm) Deposit Control technology to the global pulp and paper industry.

This novel, patent-pending control technology combines measurement, data analysis and precise dosing with proprietary chemistry to prevent unnecessary downtime and product defects. Real-time measurement of changing surface deposition, microbial activity and process conditions triggers proprietary data analysis software and on-site application experts to ensure that feed points, dosing strategies and the proper proprietary chemistries continuously optimize papermaking performance.

'This new technology offers invaluable benefits to our customers - targeted to their unique application requirements - by controlling costly variability in microbial growth and surface deposits. Real-time control allows Nalco to help customers reduce operating costs and use chemistry only as needed, which reduces safety hazards and the potential for upsets to the health of the wastewater treatment plant,' said Michael Meier, Nalco's Global Program Manager for Deposit Control Expertise Center."

Helge: I can see why Juha is interested about this...

Cellulose based ethanol in Umeå

2008-06-11T12:10:00.002+03:00

Abstract. When Umeå Energi was planning the investment in Dåva 2, they also discussed the effects of integrating Dåva 1 with an ethanol plant. This thesis is supposed to identify these effects and find the parameters that are important for the economics of such integration.

Helge: I was talking wit Bionergitidningen in Sweden today.

Two types of cellulose based ethanol plants were evaluated. One plant is based on dilute acid hydrolysis and the other plant on enzymatic hydrolysis. The dilute acid ethanol plant produces 40 700 m3 ethanol annually. The enzymatic ethanol plant has a greater capacity and produces 70 000 m3/year. The result from the simulations indicates that both ethanol plants are profitable.

Helge: We will write about this in Biotouch as well.

The ethanol process results in a few co-products, lignin, combustible solid from the evaporation and barque. These products can be used as fuel in Dåva 2. Waste heat from the ethanol plant is in the range of 25-29 MW. To get a better profit from the ethanol production, this waste heat should be used for district heating.

Helge: Ok.

The evaporation step and the distillation have the greatest steam demands. It is possible to replace the evaporation step in the enzymatic plant by anaerobic fermentation. The anaerobic fermentation will produce 800 kg methane gas/hour. The steam demand will decrease and this will result in a greater effect in both the steam turbine and the condenser.

Helge: Steam.

The high pressure steam to the dilute acid plant should be replaced with steam from an additional boiler. In such case the capacity of the ethanol plant can be increased from 40 700 to 66 000 m3 ethanol/year. The power output from the steam turbine will also increase. Steam from the additional boiler can cost up to 570 SEK/MWh and it will yet be profitable. The most important parameters for the economics of the ethanol plant is in order of precedence, price of ethanol, price of woodchips and the cost of the investment. The uncertainty of the ethanol price is high. The reason is due to a proposal to replace the reduction of taxes with a bio fuel certificate in year 2009.

Helge: Steam turbine.

The income from the dilute acid ethanol plant is 19 MSEK/year, compared to a case without an ethanol plant. For the enzymatic ethanol plant the income is 114 MSEK/year. The greater income from the enzymatic ethanol plant is due to the fact that it has a greater production capacity. The capacity is bigger thanks to a more efficient ethanol process.

Helge: Prices.

World Water Week in Stockholm, August 17 - 23, 2008

2008-06-08T15:18:00.003+03:00

The World Water Week will be organized in Stockholm, August 17 - 23, 2008. The world community of water and development will meet once again in Stockholm. Topics related to the list below will be on the agenda:

agriculture
biodiversity
sanitation
climate change
drinking water
economics
ecosystems
finance
governance
pollution
poverty reduction
stakeholder involvement
technology and water resources management

For a staggering 2,6 billion people, lack of access to adequate sanitation is a major and daily threat to their health and well-being. This bears tremendous social and environmental costs, of which premature deaths, degradation of living quarters and the environment, and reduced access to education are but a few.

Naomi Klein: The Rise of the Disaster Capitalism

2008-06-06T09:07:00.001+03:00

Naomi Klein: "'Klein may well have revealed the master narrative of our time.'
-San Francisco Chronicle.

Her new book is "The Rise of the Disaster Capitalism". I need to read more from her home page. She visited Finland yesterday to promote her new book. Naomi Klein is known for her previous book "No Logo".

Around the world in Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, there are people with power who are cashing in on chaos; exploiting bloodshed and catastrophe to brutally remake our world in their image. They are the shock doctors. Thrilling and revelatory, The Shock Doctrine cracks open the secret history of our era. Exposing these global profiteers, Naomi Klein discovered information and connections that shocked even her about how comprehensively the shock doctors' beliefs now dominate our world - and how this domination has been achieved. Raking in billions out of the tsunami, plundering Russia, exploiting Iraq - this is the chilling tale of how a few are making a killing while more are getting killed."

Social Media and Biotouch

2008-05-25T21:03:00.004+03:00

This is a great time for entrepreneurs and innovators. Internet and Social Media is making marketing, PR and global sales much easier and much cheaper. Maybe I should say, more cost-effective. Now anyone can broadcast their messages, sales pitches and opinions about your startup to the world.

Biotouch is a new channel that will start today. The "biotechtouch" blog is moderated by Macarena Pallares. You'll learn more about Biotouch during the coming weeks.

The web has gained mass adoption
The change started in the 90's and has improved with Web 2.0
The time of the "media gatekeepers" is gone; there are more options for the SME's
Internet and Social Media has democratized both the web and content
Web advirtising is overtaking television in many countries
The media landscape has been blown open; open co-creation and collaboration are a reality
We need to establish a conversation with employees, customers, interest groups and partners
We can use low-cost online channels to publish and share information to communicate more directly and genuinely with people around the world

We will start a new biotech service

2008-05-25T12:52:00.004+03:00

Welcome on-board Macarena. Here are some general guidelines for the new blog. We might expand it to Wiki and some other social networking applications.

We're about to start a new BIOTOUCH communication channel to present new possibilities in the field of biotechnology and microbiological applications.

Paper and board
Biorefineries
Water
Food
Health Care

BIOTOUCH is intended for executives, decision makers and the general public. The style of the communication channel will be:

Personal diary based on discussions with specialists
Personalized style to evolve during the next week
Global point of view
Generic presentation
Conversational

The idea is to take out the complexity from biotech and microbiology.

A year ago about biofuel

2008-05-16T21:25:00.002+03:00

Helge 1.6.2007

We've been thinking about a new communication channel. I got the idea from "All things digital."

Global Open Innovation and Co-creation (We've more experience NOW)
Presenting Finnish companies, innovations, social innovations (Why so nationalistic?)
Products and Services (Blogging, Social Media, Social Networks, UCC, etc.)
Discussing global opportunities, threats and possibilities
Technology Review
Loic Le Mur

Indonesia is targeting a 10 percent domestic usage of biofuels by 2010 while the Malaysian government has approved 52 biodiesel licenses, with a cumulative capacity of five million tons.

On the other hand, Natural Fuel, a biodiesel manufacturer headquartered in Australia, invested $130 million to build the world’s largest biodiesel facility in Singapore.

In the Philippines, the Biofuels Act was signed into law on January 12, 2007 and this is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Mobile devices are a critical part of almost every enterprise. When used properly, they make employees more productive and more accessible.

We try figure out how mobile devices are evolving beyond calendar and communications applications and to learn how to choose, manage, and secure the mobile devices in your enterprise.

What are the different requirements in different markets?

Palm oil firms pledge to stop clearing rainforests in Indonesia

2008-05-16T12:29:00.001+03:00

I got this link information through Twitter.

Palm oil firms pledge to stop clearing rainforests in Indonesia: "Palm oil companies operating in Indonesia pledged to stop clearing forests for new plantations, reports The Jakarta Post. The move is a response to growing criticism that oil palm expansion is destroying biologically-rich rainforests and contributing to global warming.

Speaking in Jakarta at a seminar on climate change, agriculture and trade, Didiek Hadjar Goenadi, executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said that palm oil companies would only develop 'idle land', including former forest concession areas.

'We realize the environmental impacts by opening all our forests so we will stop touching the forest and just concentrate on abundant lands which have not been cultivated yet,' Didiek was quoted as saying."

Pope & Talbot To Shut Three Remaining Pulp Mills - Report / Pulp and Paper Network

2008-05-16T05:59:00.001+03:00

I read in Pulp and Paper Network that the Pulp and Paper mills are not out of the trouble zone.

Pope & Talbot To Shut Three Remaining Pulp Mills - Report / Pulp and Paper Network: "VANCOUVER - Insolvent forestry company Pope & Talbot Inc. (PTBT) is preparing to shut its three remaining pulp mills - employing nearly 1,000 workers in British Columbia and Oregon - after creditors declined to extend financing to the bankrupt wood products company, The Canadian Press reported Tuesday.

Mark Rossolo, a spokesman for the Portland, Ore. company, said Tuesday the company began the wind down of the two Canadian mills Monday afternoon after a Canadian bankruptcy court extended the company's bankruptcy protection for only 48 hours to Wednesday. The court provided the short term extension when creditors refused to provide financing to keep the mills alive, while the company seeks a new buyer.

The two British Columbia mills in Nanaimo and Mackenzie employ around 780 people while the Oregon mill at Halsey, south of Portland, had a workforce of 180 in February. The future of all three mills is uncertain after the collapse of a deal last week that would have seen the pulp businesses sold to an Indonesian company. The U.S. company's lumber operations were sold in separate transactions nearly a week ago."

"Pope & Talbot, a 160-year-old Portland-based wood products company, filed for bankruptcy in November after fighting a losing battle with the slumping U.S. housing market, a strengthening Canadian dollar which hurt its exports from B.C. into the United States, and high debt," the report continues.

What are we going to experience in Europe? What will happen to Nordic pulp and paper mills and sawmills?

"The same difficult market conditions have led to the closure of sawmills across Canada by companies squeezed by rising inventory in the wake of slumping demand from the battered American new homebuilding market," Pulp and Paper Networks writes.

The pulp sector has also been hurt by technological changes and a move to Internet publication that have reduced demand for newsprint and other papers.

The Future of Paper

2008-05-07T08:34:00.006+03:00

I wrote this original blog posting March 23, 2006. What has changed in two years time?

I've been looking for blogs telling about the paper industry. There are less than expected. Paper manufacturer's and employees aren't passionate bloggers. That's one of the statements I'm ready to make. For the blogosphere paper making looks like a very traditional industry. The social media hype and Web 2.0 doesn't belong to paper making communities. The future seems to bring with it:

Paper import from China? (Today: less export from EU to China)
More foreign competition in Europe (Maybe?)
Large and modern mills are more competitive (Sure)
Internet, email, blogs and social media are eating up the markets for paper (True)
The industry has to look for new success routes and formulas
The future might be in smart and electronic paper
Research and development has to increase
Bioreactors and biofuel production (Today: maybe cellulosic but not from food)

What happens in North America?

Read more from an article published about a year ago and more comments in this blog. "Once again you are putting the blame in the wrong place. If you read the article it's right there - you just need to open your eyes. Outdated technology, outdated machinery that the company used longer than it should have. Maybe because Wisconsin is such a tax hell hole the company didn't want to invest anymore than necessary to make a buck!" writes one commentator from Wisconsin.

Wisconsin

What Park Falls faces is not new among cities with strong links to an industry that has made Wisconsin the No. 1 paper producer in the United States for decades. The part-time mayor has plenty of company at the unemployment line.

"New competition from foreign paper makers, a recession at the turn of the century and new technology - such as e-mail and online advertising that have tamped down demand for traditional papers - have hurt an overbuilt industry all over the United States, said John Mechem," a spokesman for the American Forest and Paper Association in Washington, D.C.

"Nationally, 95 paper mills have closed and 123,000 jobs have been eliminated since 2000," he said.

95 paper mills have closed
123 000 jobs have been eliminated since 2000
Wisconsin has lost 17 000 jobs

17 000 JOBS LOST IN WISCONSIN

Since the late 1990s, Wisconsin has lost more than 17,000 jobs, or 30 percent of the work force, at paper mills, pulp mills and converting operations and five mills have either closed or are in the process of closing, according to the Neenah-based Wisconsin Paper Council, an industry group representing 25 paper companies with factories in the state.

Old mills have no future

Tom Ratzlaff is mayor of a small town reeling from the closure of its more than 100-year-old paper mill. And he's among the 300 workers who lost a good-paying job, his livelihood for nearly three decades. Ratzlaff said he was aware of that trend but saw it as a positive for him and his mill. "You were always hoping that was enhancing your ability to stay open," he said. "Many of those that have shut down were competitors for this mill."

The downward trend started 1999

Patrick Schillinger, president of the Wisconsin Paper Council, said more job cutting is likely, and the jobs - some of the highest-paying manufacturing careers in Wisconsin - are gone forever. "You will probably see more consolidation or mergers within the industry," he said.

Recent developments highlight a trend that Schillinger said started at least seven years ago:

SMART Papers LLC of Hamilton, Ohio, closed the Park Falls mill barely a year after buying it from Toronto-based Fraser Papers.
Glatfelter Co. has announced plans to close a Neenah plant that makes specialty papers by June 30, costing 200 workers their jobs.
Riverside Paper Corp. has said it will close its mill in Appleton, founded in 1893, eliminating about 100 jobs making specialty papers.

According to Schillinger, paper- and cardboard-making jobs in Wisconsin peaked at 54,300 in July 1999 before plunging to 36,800 in January. The job losses, in part, occurred as a once mostly regional industry faced new competition and lower prices from paper makers in China and South America, industry experts say.

Cheaper paper from China

Printers can buy paper cheaper from China than walking down to a local mill, Schillinger said. For some products, prices have rolled back to 1996 levels just to compete, he said. Tom Howatt, president and CEO of Wausau Paper Corp., which operates mills in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, New Hampshire and Maine, said prices for some writing papers are down 10 percent from just five years ago.

We are facing the same reality in Europe
The need to close mills started a little later
UPM Kymmene Voikkaa 2006

In addition, according to Schillinger, during the "roaring" economy of the 1990s, U.S. manufacturers expanded to produce more paper. Then a global recession hit, easing demand, followed by the growth of new technology unfriendly to paper makers, he said.

We are working more online

The business use of e-mail, companies doing more work online and the growth of online and Internet advertising reduced the need for paper, a drop that could not be offset by a growth in paper used in homes because of computers and printers, Schillinger said. "It was sort of the perfect storm," he said. "All of those factors have meant a leaner paper industry."

Should we complain Internet?

For Park Falls - a city of 2,800 carved out of a forest in northern Wisconsin and nicknamed the ruffed grouse capital of the world - the mill's sale to SMART Paper a year ago rekindled hopes about the factory's future.

The sprawling mill sits just a block off the city's main street, dominating the downtown landscape along the Flambeau River. A yard is piled with 120,000 cords of logs - a mountain of wood waiting to be made into paper. SMART Paper filed for bankruptcy in shutting down the mill, citing unprecedented high fuel costs and "rapid deterioration" of market conditions.

Rapid deterioration of the market conditions

"Most people have the feeling that they just came in and bled the place dry and that was it," said Ratzlaff, whose wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law also lost jobs in the shutdown. "A couple of weeks ago, somebody wrote on a piece of paper, 'Place for sale' and put it up front."

Good salaries gone forever

On average, the mill's workers earned $17 an hour, and jobs just don't exist to readily absorb them, Ratzlaff said. The ripple effect of the closure hits at least 300 loggers, he said.

Gerry Ring, professor of paper science at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the only college in the state offering such a degree, said the mill's closing has more to do with outdated, less efficient paper making machines than anything else.

Outdated machines to be blamed?

"What should have happened a long time ago - at a lot more of the mills, if they wanted to keep the market - was reinvest in modern machinery," he said. "We could make good paper on old machines far longer than we should. Eventually, the costs get to you when the latest and the greatest comes on line, and then all of a sudden, 'Oh my God. They can make in a half a second what it takes us an hour to make."

RISING ENERGY PRICES
AND TRANSPORT COSTS

Professor Gerry Ring believes that the continuing rise in energy prices will ultimately lead to a resurgence of regional paper markets for the industry as transportation costs rise. "You are not going to make paper in China and sell it in Wisconsin ultimately. They can do it for the short run, but oil prices will change that whole picture," he said.

Is paper making returning back home?

Jim Stueber, owner of True Value Hardware in Park Falls, called the paper mill the life of the community, and said so far his business hasn't been hurt. In fact, it's picked up a little and that worries him. "They are fixing their homes up," the businessman said. "I have a feeling they are fixing them up to move."

Creative Web 2.0 Learning

2008-04-29T15:40:00.001+03:00

| View | Upload your own

Algae: the new biofuel?

2008-04-26T12:33:00.002+03:00

Algae: the new biofuel?: "Today I went to the seminar on the second generation biodiesel at Het Pand, Ghent. It was organised by the Ghent Bio-energy Vally, a consortium which wants to stimulate growth in bio-energy in the Ghent region.

The host was Prof. dr. ir. W. Soetaert, who emphasised that the first generation biofuels clears the way for the second generation. What this really meant became clear during the lectures. First generation biofuels compete with edible crops, and are often not sustainable, nor economically viable.

Second generation biofuels include non edible crops such as Jatropha curcas or algae oil and therefore don’t compete with food production. The third generation of biofuels based on hydrogen should start at 2030."

Helge: Cellulosic biodiesel is on moving towards pilot plant scale operations in Finland. There was a lot of publicity about the intentions of both UPM Kymmene and Stora Enso. "Now there is quiet before the storm". Not much is spoken about the progress in public.

Tri-o-gen the energy care company

2008-04-21T16:16:00.001+03:00

I got this information today. We've to talk about this alternative with Olli.

Tri-o-gen: "Green electricity from waste heat. Burning fuel is expensive. On top of that, a lot of heat is lost through flues and chimneys. It contains CO2, which could turn our planet into a giant greenhouse.

Our Tri-O-Gen ORC tackles that problem by converting polluting waste heat into valuable electricity: easy to transport, easy to use, easy to sell. No pain, pure gain: clean electricity, caring for our environment. Real Green Power we’ve been waiting for! Tri-O-Gen Green Power"

Energy Camp » Welcome To Energy Camp

2008-04-18T12:53:00.002+03:00

Energy Camp » Welcome To Energy Camp: "Whether you’re an end user of technology, an IT professional, a vendor of hardware, software or infrastructure solutions, or an industry observer with an interest in technology’s energy consumption, Energy Camp is for you. Energy Camp is a collaborative forum where industry stakeholders will gather together to discuss the growing impact of today’s energy costs on IT’s bottom line, and the overarching importance of energy conservation and utilizing greener IT solutions and methods."

Helge: Got the lead from my previous blog post.

Energy Camp Wiki

If you're looking for the Energy Camp Wiki, then you've found the right place. There are a bunch of pages you can navigate to that are listed on the left. But if you're new to this wiki (or wikis in general), here are a few things you might consider doing.

Getting started

A wiki is a read/write Web technology that facilitates collaboration on knowledge, information and ideas. The key is that multiple people can hone a wiki page to perfection so that it either:

best represents the community's knowledge of a specific topic,
frames an idea in the eyes of an entire community rather than just one person, or
facilitates some form of collaboration that we haven't thought of yet (actually, there are many more uses).

This wiki was set up for the community of information technologists who have an interest in energy savings and a sustainable planet and generally involves the attendees of Energy Camp (although everyone is welcome to join the fun, virtually).

To begin collaborating, you first need to login. See our special page on creating a new account and logging in for information on gaining read/write access to this wiki.

Energy Camp discussion grid

Energy Camp is an unconference-style event dedicated to bringing together the community of information technologists who have an interest in energy savings and a sustainable planet for a face-to-face collaborative meet-up where new relationships are formed, old relationships are nurtured, ideas are shared, mutiple balls are moved forward and progress is made. See the About Energy Camp page for more information.

To join the discussion at Energy Camp, add your own proposal to the Energy Camp discussion grid: Energy Camp discussion ideas

James Governor’s Monkchips » An industry analyst blog looking at software ecosystems and convergence

2008-04-18T12:46:00.001+03:00

James Governor’s Monkchips » An industry analyst blog looking at software ecosystems and convergence: "In case you hadn’t noticed, my pet project GreenMonk is now bleeding over into RedMonk proper. Having initially thought I would focus more on social change underpinned by the familiar RedMonk playbook - namely open source and social media and grassroots adoption triangulated with a good dollop of “enterprisey” - I have been pulled back into IT. Well they do say stick to what you know."

Helge: Hmmm.

James Governor: "Last week I presented at IBM’s Impact 2008 event on Green SOA (must remember to post those slides!), before running an unconference for some of IBM’s biggest customers - how many times do you go to any technical conference these days, let alone an unconference, where you are fairly certain nobody in the group except the IBM employees or the organizers has a blog, let alone a twitter account. It was extremely interesting to take the temperature of the IBM installed base around SOA. We’re all doing it but nobody except Gartner seems to be able to say what it is."

Helge: unconferense is the way to go...

"I am pretty excited that next month we’re mashing up the sustainability agenda with the unconference format, as practiced by my new partner in crime David Berlind. He gives the skinny here," writes James Governor.

"Energy Camp is free to attend and anyone who comes will get a free pass into Interop as well. If you’re interesting in going, we’ve got a registration page set up on the official camp Web site," he continues.

"Please forgive the somewhat inflammatory headline, but its not me deciding the price of oil. Most IT organisations currently don’t even pay their electricity bill, as the facilities manager covers it. That. is. going. to. change. Are you ready for that? If not why not come to energy camp? If you have it nailed, come anyway, and teach people how to deal with power when its so damned expensive."

Helge: I'd like to know more about the EnergyCamp.

California's Green Guru Speaks Out | Videos on ZDNet

2008-04-17T18:34:00.001+03:00

California's Green Guru Speaks Out | Videos on ZDNet: "California's Green Guru Speaks Out. Clean-tech adviser doesn't see a bubble yet. The clean-tech industry of today is in its early stages, about where Microsoft was in 1980, says Terry Tamminen, an adviser at Pegasus Capital Advisors and the former director of California's Environmental Protection Agency. Now a main force behind the state's rise to the top as a climate change policy maker, Tamminen sits down with CNET News.com's Carl-Gustav Linden in Santa Monica, Calif."

Helge: I think we are in the beginning. The price of oil is getting higher and it means that we've to get cleaner and greener.

Testing SixApart BlogIT

2008-04-17T07:37:00.001+03:00

Good Morning blogosphere and microbloggers. I'm testing the "Brought to you by Six Apart. Sign up for a free blog on Vox" BlogIT application on Facebook.

I can send out blogpost to several channels at the same time. This helps me to update my blogs without the need to sign in individually to each of them.

I got the information through Robert Scobleizer and linked to:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sixapart_ties_it_all_together.php

Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb: SixApart's BlogIt Could Be the Start of Something Big — SixApart launched BlogIt by TypePad last night, a Facebook app that lets you post to SixApart blogs and other blogging software like WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr, to your Facebook Newsfeed and to Twitter all from one place.

SixApart launched BlogIt by TypePad last night, a Facebook app that lets you post to SixApart blogs and other blogging software like WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr, to your Facebook Newsfeed and to Twitter all from one place. It's the kind of app that makes Facebook all the closer to being a one stop social media experience.

Helge: My first impression is very positive. I've use for this application

The service could be more fully developed but it's certainly in the lead compared to other services aiming to do the same thing. A close look at the details leads us to believe that this could be a much bigger move than it might seem to be. Here's a few reasons why we believe it's so interesting.

Tying the Social Graph Together

SixApart is a leading company in the field of social graph experimentation and the most outspoken participating company willing to be critical of some of Google's efforts like OpenSocial. BlogIt is interesting beyond its basic functionality because it can tie together confirmed accounts on Facebook, outside blogs and Twitter - then place that information in the hands of a company dedicating significant time and resources to leveraging such information in the interests of users. BlogIt may be just a beachhead landed in the hostile territory not of Facebook, but of online identity chaos in general.

Helge: This is certainly adding my use of Facebook. Things can change over night. I was getting tired about all the new FB apps. but this one is a "killer".

PRESECO - Company

2008-04-16T15:31:00.001+03:00

PRESECO - Company: "PRESECO OY – Licenced by nature. Preseco Oy is a strongly growing environmental technology company that solves challenges related to water, biowaste and biofuels. We commit ourselves to understanding our customers and helping them in an innovative way. We are always available, seeking to build a long-lasting partnership with the customer.

Helge: Got this information today related to a project.

Since 2002, our focus has been on the development and marketing of comprehensive and creative environmental solutions, as well as effective equipment and modular technology. Thanks to this open-minded product development and investment in state-of-the-art technology, we can now provide proven but novel solutions worldwide. Our head office is located in Espoo, Finland and our representatives operate in 30 countries all over the world.

Helge: Waste water treatment...

Preseco delivers plants and equipment for water and wastewater treatment as well as drum composting plants, biogas plants and biodiesel processors. Our solutions and services help our customers enhance their competitive advantage – turning waste streams into added value."

The ABC’s of Failure – Getting Rid of the Noise in Your System

2008-04-16T15:23:00.001+03:00

The ABC’s of Failure – Getting Rid of the Noise in Your System: "For the past 40 years, I have observed many companies; including DuPont (where I spent 27 years) pursuing planned maintenance with the standard tools of planned maintenance: inspections, planning, scheduling, materials procurement, CMMS systems, etc. with the same results. They succeed for a while and get their percent planned and scheduled maintenance up to the 80+ only to see that drop back later to 60 I am amazed how many of the companies we work with have had this experience," writes Winston P. Ledet

"This pattern of behavior has led us to conclude that the reason for this experience is that only 60% of the normal work of maintenance is inherently plannable. The rest of the work is created by random acts of what we are now calling carelessness. The sites where we see people break this pattern and achieve 92% to 96% planned maintenance for the long term without regressing, are the ones who eliminate the inherently unplannable work. Of course, this cannot be done by maintenance alone. Everyone who does work at a site contributes to the defects that create the unplannable work, and therefore everyone must participate in eliminating the defects that create the 40% of the work that is unplannable."

Helge: RCM and CMMS. More about that later. I needed this link.

UPM Raflatac

2008-04-14T16:36:00.002+03:00

"UPM Raflatac, Tampere, is one of the world's leading forest products groups. The Group's sales stand at EUR 10 billion and it has about 28,000 employees. UPM's main products include printing papers, label materials and wood products. The company has production plants in 14 countries, as well as sales and distribution network in more than 70 countries. http://www.upm-kymmene.com"

I know this innovative unit since 1986.

"UPM Raflatac, the Label Division of UPM, is a globally leading supplier of pressure sensitive labelstock and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays. With a global service network of 12 factories on five continents and a broad network of terminals and sales offices worldwide, UPM Raflatac has around 2,700 employees and annual sales of approximately EUR 1 billion. http://www.upmraflatac.com"