Manufacturing & Increased Need in Southern MN

The state of manufacturing and the increased need for personnel in the industrial sector of Southern MN is making the news. As published in the Owatonna People’s Press, Kim Hyatt’s article, “Minnesota’s manufacturers are confident in economy, wish for more workers,” explores the current need for skilled manufacturers in Southern Minnesota.

In this article, Hyatt discusses a recent presentation by Bob Kill, president and CEO of Enterprise Minnesota, as he presented findings from the 2015 State of Manufacturing survey. The survey results indicated an all time high confidence level among manufacturers, at the same time these same manufacturers are finding it a challenge to fill positions. As a result, many companies are working with area schools and technical colleges, opening their doors, and educating the next generation about the abundant opportunities available in this field.

Our team at APPRO and CERRON hears these same sentiments on a daily basis from the clients we work with. We would strongly encourage students in high school to explore the opportunities available in this industry. As you drive through the industrial park where our offices are located, you see sign after sign of industrial companies seeking help. The opportunities and the variety of careers are abundant!

 


 

You may also be interested in some of our related articles:

MN Manufacturing Online Resources

Manufacturing Lean Process

Industrial & Manufacturing Construction on the rise

Completed Buildings for Manufacturers

Completed Office Warehouse Projects

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Manufacturing Trends to be Thankful For in MN

Manufacturing Trends

2014 Predictions in the Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing Trends to be Thankful For is an article we read this morning in the online publication of Industry Week. All of us, in MN or the Midwest for that matter, who are either in the manufacturing industry or have close ties to the manufacturing industry, are eager to see what the days of 2014 will bring. According to this article, “Favorable Forecast: Five Manufacturing Trends to Be Thankful For” by John Mills as published in Industry Week (online), 2014 might just prove to be year for which to be thankful!

According to the article, the following are the top five trends to watch this year:

  1. Improvements in 3-D printers
  2. Business returning from China
  3. More ‘real-time’ enterprises
  4. The rise of the project economy
  5. More access to data

As Mills states, “no one has perfect foresight” and it certainly would be nice if we did! However, in the meantime, by measuring trends and current data available, we are optimistic for our colleagues in the manufacturing industry. We hope 2014 results in the optimistic forecast, as it benefits not only MN, ND, WI, IA, SD, MT in the Midwest, but our great nation as well!

APPRO Development is a general contractor specializing in property solutions for manufacturers across the Midwest for more than 27 years. APPRO assists business owners find optimal property solutions that may result in renovations, expansions, additions or new commercial buildings to meet the ever changing needs of the manufacturing industry in Lakeville (55044), Apple Valley(55124), Burnsville(55337), Eagan(55123), Hastings(55033), and all of Dakota, Scott, Rice, Carver, Ramsey and Hennepin counties as well as Mankato and surrounding communities of Blue Earth in Minnesota. If your commercial or industrial space needs are changing as the result of a great 2014, contact our team today to help you minimize impacts to your manufacturing schedule, meet your budget requirements, and assist you in making 2014 a great year!

Secrets, secrets are no fun… Changes to LEED v4

Changes to LEED v4 – APPRO Architect Casie Radford Discusses Recent LEED Activity

 

LEEDBuilding-APPRO Development discussion of recent LEED v4 changes LEED Building. Source: Oregon-DOT (Flickr)

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has been the primary program for certifying the sustainability and “greenness” of buildings for the past 15 years. Now LEED v4 has come out and the focus on the building industry has been expanded to include the manufacturing industry, particularly as it relates to materials and resources. The focus and responsibility is not off the building and construction industry, but will trickle down the line to understand more clearly where and how materials (and the raw materials involved) are manufactured and with what they are manufactured. Sustainability reporting is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the building industry.

Manufacturers and materials suppliers will now have stronger motivation to complete life cycle assessments (LCA) or they could see a decline in demand, as the use of their products for more than just one LEED credit won’t be allowed. Best to take care of LCAs, EPDs, and HPDs (mentioned later), before the requirement goes into full effect and LCAs may be harder to complete in a timely or cost effective manner. Don’t worry though, projects can file under the previous version of LEED up until 2015.

One interesting factoid about the revised credits are that one LEED point can be obtained if a manufacturer of a building product discloses information related to environmental and health impacts – even if it is not environmentally friendly or healthy. I understand the importance of honesty here and also that “transparency drives improvement for business”, but what about the point of LEED in the first place. Isn’t there another way to promote safe materials? Why should a product be rewarded by being honest if not an otherwise LEED credit acceptable material?

Utilizing LCA as a tool to assess products is an important tool for evaluating the true energy and environmental impacts a product has. A new tool created for product assessment is the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) which is a third-party verified LCA. This tool will enable a product to achieve additional points if the impacts to the environment are below industry averages. This goes to show that a peer review is never undervalued. Similar to the transparency point, you can still get one LEED point for just having an EPD.

Supply chain information, for certified wood for example, is often viewed as highly confidential. To achieve a credit for the responsible sourcing of all raw materials; however, manufacturers are required to report extraction locations and supplier commitments for 90% of a product’s raw materials. The aim for LEED is to reward those who already openly disclose and communicate with suppliers to avoid future issues.

LEED v4 will also address hazardous materials by requiring companies to declare every ingredient more than 0.1% (by weight). For declaration alone one LEED point can be achieved, while another point can be had by proving they are dodging hazardous materials as determined by the government. The Health Product Declaration (HPD) has been created as a format for reporting a product’s ingredients.

Have concerns about commercial or industrial building materials or manufacturers; or, want to know more about how LEED has an impact on your next building project? Contact the APPRO Design and Architecture team for more information HERE.