News & Updates

September 23, 2020

Tips to Implement Safety Measures

G-WPO presentation for FuzeHub’s Manufacturing Reimagined, hosted by Eric Fasser

Definitely, a physicist’s approach to infection and a business-oriented scientific approach to working for a living vs staying alive! Look to find the data from the 1934 paper that anchored the reasoning for six-feet separation. Undoubtedly this was the first flowering of Wind4 ideas.

November 10, 2020

G-WPO certified as Solution Partner of TrendMiner, a Software AG business

We tried this software and liked it so much we wanted to be able to share it with the broader community. We qualified and are delighted to represent a democratizing product, one that enables engineers to replicate much of what skilled analytics experts are tasked to do. With TrendMiner software, users can analyze, monitor and predict performance of batch and continuous systems.

April 7, 2021

NY State Workforce Development Institute approves Krinos Application for G-WPO Wind4 Study

WDI is supporting the G-WPO proposal to introduce modern digital methods into this Bronx based food factory.

Results were almost immediate since G-WPO’s pre-packaged kit had items that could demo immediate time-saving practices. However – and very much to its credit – Krinos took those ideas and tools and enhanced them for durability. Moreover, the rebuilt-modules were easily replicated, a cost-saving initiative on their part since three were required.

Fortunately, the project ended with Krinos still utilizing – and even building-on – the Wind4 ideas.

July-September, 2021

Presenting Industry 4.0 to SMEs;

not just data - better, faster decision-making

See all four webinars made possible by NY State Workforce Development Institute.

There are three principal themes:

Migration away from traditional pen & clipboard methods to digital transformation is not just possible, it’s easy.
It is critical to recognize the concerns about the transformation from the perspective of both management and staff. These are often strongly felt; but all are addressable.
Creating the transformation will usher in a Golden Age of manufacturing as both staff and management can look forward to meaningful careers and world-class competitiveness.

Hosted by Eric Fasser, FuzeHub

Hosted by Dan Cullen, NY State Workforce Development Institute

October 1, 2021

G-WPO team begins competitively won six-month CESMII project: “Using CESMII SMIP to Optimize Continuous Cooling Tunnels for Industrial Food Processing”

This G-WPO -led CESMII project differed radically from the norm in which sophisticated factories collaborate with specialists in analytics to democratize top-level technology. In this project, a factory with minimal exposure to on-line measurements boldly committed to both real-time measurements and democratization of the results. And, CESMII gave this underserved sector of the manufacturing workforce a real opportunity to show what can be done. The team was presented with a duplex challenge in this project: a Wind4-style method to enable SMM demonstration of a Smart Manufacturing goal.

It's no mistake to label the Android tablet, headphones and tripod “team leader,” since it is the core technology that links all sites in real-time, using the G-WPO Lean & Clean method of Virtual Participation. Lean: highest possible efficiency; Clean: totally non-polluting.

February 10, 2022

G-WPO selected to discuss its work at CESMII Cross-Pollination Workshop

A subset of projects was brought together, virtually. As the invitation stated, “The main objective of this workshop is to bring together CESMII members to share knowledge about their respective project objectives, accomplishments, and developments.”

By the end of Month 4 of the project, the factory was gathering and data from two dozen sensors that the staff itself deployed. The employees, given a chance to upskill, create and demonstrate found all this to be both thrilling and expected. Many outsiders found such rapid success to be remarkable.

March 22, 2022

G-WPO’s colleague on CESMII project selected for panel at Manufacturing USA Virtual Network meeting

The invitation came directly to Jason Impson, the team manager at the factory, from John Dyke, CEO of CESMII. Here was another indication of CESMII’s commitment to SMM up-skilling.

The demonstrable progress is summarized succinctly in this one image. Starting with just a thermostat, the team added sensors. These, in turn, communicated with the CESMII SMIP and team located the signature of data profile of a process in distress.

There was also a suggestion that the experience Jason’s team benefitted from be considered for expansion to other SMMs.

March 23, 2022

G-WPO delivered the requested “Best Practices” document to DOE

While in appearance the Best Practices document is a straightforward, numbered presentation of how G-WPO worked jointly with its SMM client to get the CESMII project done, there were two extraordinarily important attributes uncovered. What appeared to be a routine request at from a learned DOE scientist at the project kickoff meeting, revealed unexpected value in Wind4, a tribute to the insight and intuition latent in sharing ideas at the agency.

These best practices – seven in all – though based on Wind4 concepts were a distillation of the specific factors that were pertinent to executing this particular CESMII project at this particular SMM. This distinction is important because it demonstrated to Wind4 proponents that although a teaching/exploration module, Wind4 can also be focused to address a specific critical need at a very high rate of speed.
The underutilization of staff at SMMs has become a cliché, but what to do about it under rigid constraints of spartan resources at such factories, appeared to be an insoluble problem. That Wind4/’Best Practices’ approach revealed a DEI component – a realization that these workers needed another chance at a bright future, and that together with CESMII support these Best Practices accomplished what had seemed impossible proved to be a delightful outcome. The slide on this topic speaks for itself.

April 20, 2022

G-WPO team member, Jason Impson, invited to speak again; this time on CESMII National Members call

And this time it was the CESMII, CTO, Dr. Haresh Malkani, who invited him – and with the very tolerant guidance, “you tell the story the way you want it to be told.”

He did. And two of the most important things he stressed were

The realization that his team had done a major service to the nation, demonstrating that NYMs could be modernized and made more productive while relying on committed existing staff to fully utilize the upskilling opportunity presented.
Virtual Participation is transformative. The guided DIY meant that he and his staff were active, knowledge gatherers. Not only was the factory changed – but so was the staff.

June 7, 2022

G-WPO CESMII team presented Innovation Award 2022 at Smart Manufacturing Experience,

Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Identical awards were presented for their joint work to Jason Impson, Nutrition Bar Confectioners; Sarah Burlingame, TDO; Henry Weber and Alan Ganz, G-WPO.

July 7, 2022

G-WPO and Versogen sign deal to optimize process for key Green Hydrogen polymer

Versogen, a well-funded, highly respected startup has developed a remarkably cost-efficient way to generate hydrogen. G-WPO intends to use its patent pending technologies in the areas of virtual analyzers and scale-up from lab to production to reduce the cost of a key building block and expedite acceptance of this safe, clean alternative energy source.

July 21, 2022

CESMII member MetalQuest presents G-WPO Virtual Participation method at SMM Affinity Group meeting

Scott Volk and his team at Hebron, Nebraska, MetalQuest, have been working with G-WPO to incorporate the time and energy -saving methods of Virtual Participation. Scott presented examples at the meeting and received an enthusiastic response.

August 3, 2022

Selected to present at CESMII Annual Peer Review, G-WPO emphasized the public-policy impact of its project

Invitation from CESMII, CTO, Dr. Haresh Malkani to be one of only four projects for presentation. Theme: “CESMII to highlight selected technology and workforce development projects that have either been completed, or have made significant progress”.

G-WPO was eager to participate and delighted to show our appreciation. CESMII took a big chance on G-WPO’s ability to upskill a NYM to CESMII-readiness in six months. But along with the effort of the Syracuse MEP, TDO, that seemingly impossible goal was accomplished.

The project success was more than technical; it was a public policy, DEI-like, achievement, as well. A disadvantaged group - estimated to be over 50% of the manufacturing workforce – had been outside the range of vision of CESMII. And not just CESMII … almost everyone. It is the Invisible Majority. There is no Google search term for this group; no term exists! Not traditional; not legacy; nothing. Gartner, McKinsey and BCG don’t see it either. But it’s there – and G-WPO has named it NYMs. And, to their credit both a representative of DOE, at the kickoff meeting, and the CESMII CEO and CTO recognized it, too.

September 6, 2022

G-WPO/RPI team begins competitively-won, year-long NYS Pollution Prevention Institute project: “Smart Manufacturing Deployment for Small Manufacturers”

Smart Manufacturing, Pollution Prevention, and Climate are all connected. Who knew?

Smart Manufacturing creates products efficiently. It’s a natural fit for the Pollution Prevention Institute whose priorities include reduction of natural resource consumption; and waste reduction. Add in another NYSP2I priority, Outreach and Education, and it’s clear why a Wind4 upskilling application.

While obvious to us that the connection between Smart Manufacturing – and the consequent urgent need to upskill NYMs – has a profound environmental impact, many organizations fail to recognize that high thruput with minimal waste is key to climate activism. We applaud the insight shown by the NYSP2I, and appreciate their investment in our Wind4 methodology.

And the team itself is efficient, once again providing both leverage and synergy. Their specialties merge strategically, with each entity responsible for a specific genre of SME factory – RPI, discrete manufacturing; G-WPO, continuous – and with each team member having a specific valuable, teachable expertise. Thus, not only will end-users learn new methods, so, too, will each team member.

Thus, NYSP2I is investing in exactly the way team members direct their clients: for maximum ROI. The institute has succeeded in driving a project covering dual manufacturing areas; and dual upskilling, not only of end-users – but of the providers, as well, assuring broad dissemination of even more skills.

October 13, 2022

NY State Workforce Development Institute approves NBC Application for G-WPO Wind4 Study

The success of the NBC CESMII project caught management’s attention.

Unlike typical projects provided with outside support, the Wind4 method demonstrated capability that showed value beyond the specifically addressed problem. With a fundamental, intuitive understanding of what sensor and simple, contextualized analytics can deliver, previously-unsolvable problems turn into currently addressable challenges. The CESMII project showed that workers could be trained on the job – and in methods that are potentially valuable to resolve these additional challenges.

This WDI effort expands the team to include new staff as well as a pipeline to a management now seeking to better understand how their decision-making can be positively altered by direct exposure to Smart Manufacturing methods. Though several key components are different from the ones on the earlier project, the WDI-supported challenge builds on the understanding gained from the earlier project, and management has the opportunity to observe how solutions – heretofore the work of outside vendors – can be internally crafted.

November 3, 2022

G-WPO begins second competitively won CESMII project with partner, RPI: “Utilizing the CESMII SMIP to Optimize Product Quality for Mixer/Filler Systems in the Food Industry"

We’re really not sure how this title pushed its way on top of the proposal. We’d prefer … “Smart Batch Processing for Food using Low-cost Optical Sensing.” This gives primacy to the sensing, and a hint at how customized Wind4 can be. This SMM is eager to push itself – and CESMII – to new limits.

Krinos, a WDI recipient with a penchant for improving on G-WPO’s initial solutions - see April 7, 202 – is using its Wind4 training to comfortably add new analytical technology to its line. The sensors – two, in fact – measure multiple properties of the food products, using strategies for sensor fusion pioneered by G-WPO.

Here, again, is where the G-WPO/RPI team shows synergies. Of course, the primary goal is to enhance productivity at Krinos, but the agents – a fiber-optic coupled optical analyzer and a sensor-laden miniature mixing vessel – are intrinsically complex devices, more sophisticated than appropriate for new Smart Manufacturing teams. The team intends to re-engineer the units to provide easily-acquired data that is contextualized, i.e., the overall smartness of this Smart Manufacturing technology will be vastly enhanced since the on-line data can be more readily acted upon when the conditions of the measurement – the context – is supplied with key Wind4 technology.

There is one more ambitious goal for the three members, and that is to show how these intrinsically complex devices can be beneficial even at the new-user level, and daring larger, more experienced CESMII members to incorporate these tools to solve ever more complex challenges with more sophisticated software.

Only partially joking, the team calls this ambition “reverse migration.” Typically, sophisticated complex technologies originate in large, well-funded corporations, but then become generally available in less complex, less-expensive form. The Wind4 enthusiasts on this project want to show that the logistics of operation and the fundamental utility of the techniques are achievable even at the SMM level and that large company CESMII members would be well-advised to climb on board. Thus, CESMII, the Institute committed to helping NYMs – see August 3, 2022 – will be in line to receive its first Big Company payback from an inspired trio of SMM and industry and university.

November 15, 2022

G-WPO selected for second time in 2022 to discuss its work at CESMII Cross-Pollination Workshop

While the purpose of our earlier presentation - see February 10, 2022 – was to demonstrate that rapid upskilling of NYM staff is achievable, this second presentation, barely two weeks into our next CESMII project, was an opportunity to reflect on how to get the message out.

This time we wanted to get a sense from the community about getting in the SMM door in the first place. In fact, the presentation was an out-and-out request of the CESMII community for ideas on how to make a persuasive argument to SMM management to take the plunge into Smart Manufacturing.

Just a few months earlier, CESMII CEO, John Dyck stressed the need for SMM commitment to Smart Manufacturing, expressing it in terms of Return on Investment. We agree. An investment in Wind4 has (a) low-cost, especially since travel to the site is almost totally eliminated due to the remote interaction, Virtual Participation that G-WPO has innovated; and (b) no detriment to current output since VP is initiated only at times that do not interrupt production. With negligible risk, minimal cost and demonstrable upside, the anticipated ROI is very high.

The challenge we brought to the members is, “How do we get the word out?”

January 19, 2023

G-WPO proposes comprehensive approach to SMM upskilling at CESMII Affinity Group

One of the outcomes of the November 15 Cross Pollination discussion was an even more ambitious challenge…

How could Wind4 be scaled up to become pivotal in the transformation of NYMs to savvy Smart Manufacturing businesses?

This slide recommends that MEPs are logical vectors since they are present in every state and Puerto Rico; they know the factories in their regions; they are highly competent technically, and already providing guidance across many disciplines including Lean and Six Sigma.

Thus, an alliance with MEPs who are themselves willing to become facile with Wind4 is our first line response to scale-up of Wind4.

May 10, 2023

G-WPO begins negotiations on third competitively won CESMII

The spectrum of opportunities was broad, but the Institute and G-WPO selected two SMMs and their respective MEPs as partners. Details to follow.