WORKSHOP: Energy Reductions Using Lean Thinking

Sponsored by:

VCE logo

Goal:

The purpose of this workshop is to inspire new visions and strategies which address the most pressing energy challenges for contemporary society; it will create new ideas for usage of Lean Principles in reducing energy use and costs. It will also promote collaboration between scholars working across disciplines on Lean Thinking and Energy.

Key Values of Workshop:

  •  Attendees will have a better opportunity to understand lean and potential energy savings with the implementation  of lean principles into their process.
  • Presentation of an Energy toolkit to identify wastes related to energy, environment, and the processes.
  • Attendees will be exposed on “How to use Lean principles for Energy Savings”  using real applications
  • Participants will be introduced to Energy Management Systems and their benefits

Tentative agenda:

November 20, 2013. 9:00 am-4:30 pm.

  • Welcome and overview
  • Current and future scenario of Energy in Virginia. Charles Patton, President and COO. Appalachian Power.
  • Lean Thinking Principles. Henry Quesada, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Break
  • Energy Audits using Lean Thinking. Henry Quesada, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Energy Management Systems. Tyler Gill, Enernoc Systems
  • Lunch
  • Industry case study I. Brian Bond, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech
  • Closing comments and questions
  • Adjourn

Who should attend:

  • Plant Managers, Quality Engineers, Process Engineers, Procurement Managers, Supplier Chain Managers, Purchasing Managers, Plant Engineers, Energy Managers, Energy and Environment Engineers and Medium Enterprise Manager
  • Anybody who is interested in energy savings

Investment:

$50. Includes coffee breaks, lunch, and materials.

Venue:

USDA Forest Service
Wood Education & Resource Center
301 Hardwood Lane
Princeton, WV 24740
Phone – (304) 487-1510

Registration:

To register, please follow this link. Should have any questions please contact Dr. Henry Quesada at quesada@vt.edu. If you would like CEUs please let us know to arrange that option.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Dr Henry Quesada at (540 231 0978) during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Center for Forest Products Marketing delivers workshop in International Marketing with Purdue


Blacksburg, VA. May 31, 2013. Dr Henry Quesada from the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech and Dr. Eva Haviarova from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University jointly organized a workshop in International Marketing for Forest Products Industry. The workshop was delivered in May 28, 2013 at the Vincennes University campus in Jasper, IN with a total attendance of 18 participants from the furniture industry and state and government agencies.

DSCF2335
Mike Seidl from IDNR addresses participants during the workshop.

Jasper is located in southern Indiana, a place where manufacturing is the key economic development driver for the region. There are many furniture industries that have manufacturing operations in Jasper, most of them kitchen cabinet and office furniture. Although this particular industry places most its production in the local market, there is a growing interest in exploring possibilities in international markets.

As a way to educate and provide leads on international opportunities, this workshop brought together an outstanding pool of experts from industry, goverment, and the academic sectors. Mr. Mike Cooper, from the US Commercial Service, provided participants with directions on how to conduct a succesfull international marketing plan. Mr. Mike Seidl, from the IDNR, gave insights and leads on main international markets for kitchen cabinets and office furniture, and Mr. Steve Klinger, from Cargo services, provided critical information on logistics issues. Dr. Henry Quesada also presented and focused on main principles governing international marketing. The workshop was introduced by Dr. Eva Haviarova who reviewed the connection between the housing market and the furniture industry.

Thirty four percent of the participants evaluated the workshop as excellent and 66% as good. If you wish to have more information on current research on international marketing for forest products industry, please contact Dr. Henry Quesada at quesada@vt.edu

 

Operation of the VT biomass power plant

This video shows our All Powers Lab unit operating at Virginia Tech. This unit is capable of generating 10kw with an hourly consumption of about 12 kilograms of biomass. The unit has been operated only with a mix of hardwood chips dried to 20% MC and size ranging from 0.5″ to 1.5″. A distribution box has been added as well. To see the unit in operation please follow this link: All Power Labs power plant operating at Virginia Tech

 

WORKSHOP: International Marketing for Forest Products Industries

Date: 

May 28, 2013

Location:

Vincennes University, Jasper Campus, 850 College Avenue, Jasper, IN 47546

This workshop will introduce subject of international trade and modern concepts in marketing for US wood products industries to take advantage of global trade benefits.

pic-International-Marketing

Agenda:

Time Theme Speaker
10:00-10:05 Introduction Remarks Eva Haviarova, Purdue University
10:05-10:15 Status of the Wood Products Industry Eva Haviarova, Purdue University
10:15-10:45 International Marketing Principles Henry Quesada, Virginia Tech
10:45-11:15 Strategies for Going Global Mark Cooper, US Commercial Services
11:15-11:45 Export Market Opportunities Mike Seidl, ISDA, IDNR
11:45-12:10 Logistics and Transportation Steve Klinger, Cargo Services
12:10-12:15 Conclusion Remarks Eva Haviarova, Purdue University

For more details, please read the detailed program here

Registration is FREE of CHARGE:

Fax or e-mail attached registration form to:

Adam J. Auffart (Purdue University – Technical Assistance Program)
Fax: (812) 481-5960
Cell: (812) 630-6965
E-mail: aauffart@purdue.edu

For more information on this workshop contact:

Eva Haviarova
765/494.3619
ehaviar@purdue.edu

Henry Quesada-Pineda
540/231.0978
quesada@vt.edu

RESEARCH BRIEF: Determinants of Exports Performance

by Edgar Arias, PhD candidate, Virginia Tech

International marketing encompasses the disciplines focused on the trade of goods and services across global boundaries (CharlesDoyle, 2011).  Studying the determinants of exports performance has been one of the major priorities in the field since the 1970s.  However, despite of the tremendous attention devoted by researchers, a comprehensive theory that explains export performance is yet to be developed.  Some consider that knowledge on this field is fragmented, diverse and sometimes even inconsistent, which makes export performance one of the most contentious fields in international marketing (Katsikeas, Leonidou, & Morgan, 2000).  The globalization of businesses, and the importance of exports for industries such as the Hardwood Industry, justify and incentive additional research in pursue of a better understanding of the factors that determine the success of export ventures (Parhizkar, Miller, & Smith, 2010).

Figure 1. Synthesis of performance models (Sousa 2006)
Figure 1. Synthesis of performance models (Sousa 2006)

There have been several studies that have attempted to revise the existing literature on export performance, for example: (Leonidou, Katsikeas, & Samiee, 2002; Shaoming & Simona, 1998; Sousa, Martínez‐López, & Coelho, 2008).  These studies have been able to provide a perspective on what factors have been proposed as determinants of export performance.  Sousa, in particular, studied the literature between 1998 and 2005, and developed a framework that condenses the results of 52 papers in the export performance literature.  In general, Sousa found that most attempts of developing a framework to explain export performance indicate the presence of at least four elements: internal factors, external factors, control variables and moderating variables.  The internal factors relate to multiple dimensions of the firm: firm characteristics (e.g. size, international experience, market orientation, etc.), export marketing strategy (e.g. product, price, promotion, distribution, etc.) and management characteristics (e.g. export commitment and support, education, international experience, etc.).  External factors relate to the environment that surrounds the firm, domestically and internationally: foreign market characteristics (e.g. legal and political, environmental turbulence, cultural similarity, etc.) and domestic market characteristics (e.g. export assistance).  Control factors (variables) may be either internal or external factors that are of no interest for researcher, but need to be controlled in order to suppress any potential effect in the study.  The selection of control variable depends on the research question, so one researcher’s internal or external variable can be another researcher’s control variable and vice versa.  Finally, moderating variables are those that influence the relationship between independent and dependent variables.  Not all studies accounted by Sousa’s in his literature review include either control of moderating variables.  Figure 1 depicts Sousa et al synthesis of performance models.

Continue reading “RESEARCH BRIEF: Determinants of Exports Performance”