The First Facility Management Blog

In the ongoing quest to reduce, reuse, and recycle, one aspiring furniture designer is expressing her artistic talent in the form of furniture made from factory waste—and nothing else. No screws, bolts—just wood waste.

Amy Hunting, a London, UK-based designer and illustrator, has introduced The Patchwork Collection—lamps, chairs, and storage/book boxes made out of wood waste and off cuts produced in the Danish factories.

These descriptions and images come from the artist’s Web site:
The magazine box (picture, left) can be moved around and reconfigured for multiple uses and appearances.

These lamps (pictured below, right) were cut out of a large solid block of wood, made up of small off cuts. The pendant lamps were then cut out of the block until 12 lamps revealed themselves and all the wood had been cut out. The 12 lamps can be stacked inside each other for easy transport. They require no fitting and can be hung on any bare lamp bulb through the top.

Crestron Electronics, Inc. closed the books on its 2007-08 fiscal year recently, posting its 20th consecutive year of double digit growth. The maker of commercial and residential control and automation systems finished the year with a record breaking month, with sales 50% above the previous month. The nearly 20% revenue growth for 2007-08 brings Crestron total annual sales to $400 million.

“Despite an increasingly competitive marketplace, challenging economy, and rising costs, we continue to grow—creating jobs and helping fuel the economy,” said Randy Klein, executive vice president of Crestron Electronics. “Our industry is strong, and the future looks brighter than ever.”

In fact, Crestron, a NJ-based company, situated in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline, continues to manufacture all of its 1,000 high tech products locally. The company is hiring at a record pace and added three buildings to its local infrastructure in the last 12 months. Additionally, Crestron has opened more than a dozen new worldwide sales and support offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Expanding its worldwide headquarters campus in Rockleigh, NJ, Crestron bought a new administrative building from Volvo and built a 100,000 square foot research center. The company also added a massive distribution center in Carlstadt, NJ, from which orders are shipped to every continent around the globe.

The research center houses more than 350 full time hardware and software engineers who are innovating technology and developing new products. Crestron introduced 70 new products in June, coinciding with the largest commercial audio/video trade show in Las Vegas where the company exhibited and was a sponsor.

“Many companies grow by acquisition; we grow through innovation,” explains Klein. “We add value and create opportunities. We’re focused on growing our industry and the economy, not investor portfolios. Crestron is a private company so we have that freedom, and with that freedom we feel we have a great responsibility to support our employees and partners.”

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is celebrating the dedication, innovation, and success of Crestron. The CEA is launching its national grass roots bus tour, recognizing American industry and manufacturing leadership. The bus, carrying press, government officials, and business leaders, will visit companies that continue to operate domestically and propel the national economy.

“Crestron is our premier stop on the tour,” says Matthew Shaffer, CEA International Trade. “They represent the very best in American innovation and ingenuity. When other companies are going off shore or moving for real estate or tax benefits, Crestron remains loyal to its employees and its roots.”

The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) recently released the figures on its diversion and recycling efforts for 2007. The group announced that the efforts achieved a double digit growth in recycling and diversion for the sixth year in a row. The CARE 2007 Annual Report included the following statistics:

* 296 million pounds of post-consumer carpet diverted, a 17% increase
* 275.1 million pounds recycled, a 19% increase
* CARE reached a milestone of a cumulative diversion of one billion pounds since its inception in 2002
* 149 million pounds of carpet diverted, on average, per year since 2002
* Carpet Recycling results in a net GHG emission of 1.96 metric tons of Carbon Equivalent per Ton of carpet (MTCE/ton)–far better than most other common materials that are recycled, according to CARE
* CARE’s Reclamation Network grew to 56 members in 2007

2007 Awards
In other CARE news, the group presented its EPA/CARE Innovation Awards at its recent annual conference, held in Clearwater, FL.

The EPA/CARE Award, established and awarded for the first time at this year’s conference, recognizes innovation as it relates to any aspect of carpet recycling. Interface was presented the award for its ReEntry 2.0® carpet recycling program. ReEntry 2.0 reclaims all types of carpet (commercial and residential) regardless of face fiber type or backing used. Through a new patent pending technology, Interface can cleanly separate the face fiber and backing of nearly any carpet type.

The CARE Recycler of the Year - Large Entity Award was presented to Shaw Industries, for its Shaw Green Edge initiative. The cornerstone of Shaw’s environmental vision is cradle-to-cradle production, which will allow synthetic products, such as carpet, to be collected and then manufactured into new product repeatedly. The Shaw Green Edge Program encompasses over 100 environmental initiatives and was introduced following Shaw’s purchase of the Evergreen Recycling facility in Augusta, GA.

Honored by CARE as the Carpet Recycler of the Year - Small Entity was Kruse Carpet Recycling of Indianapolis, IN. As a collection and sorting center opened in 1997, Kruse Carpet recycling guarantees customers that none of their carpet will go to landfills.

CARE Person of the Year was Russ DeLozier, who sits on the CARE Board of Directors and has been active in the industry since taking over the Evergreen facility that Shaw Industries now owns in 2006. The majority of Russ’ experience has been in startup or operation of various types of plastic plants, including those manufacturing nylons, styrene block copolymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.