July 17th, 2009

The day has arrived! It is my official last day of work at Clipper Windpower.  My experience as an extern will be coming to an end in a few short hours.  I am finishing up work on making the recycling displays updateable and the communication lines which will be in place to provide the information for the displays as they continue to inform the plant.

For lunch today, they have organized a bit of a pizza party for me in one of the conference rooms.  All of the people who have helped me in my time here at Clipper are invited to celebrate with me as I depart from a great experience! 

Then this afternoon will be a waste audit with Dick Stater. He will be a great resource for Clipper and the Green Team as they move forward in their progress of the Green Initatives as a company.  

July 16th, 2009

Just finished up with the last meeting with the Green Team to discuss how to keep communication flowing from the people making decisions impacting our green initiatives to the rest of the plant.  We decided an email each month, which would go out with the current "green tip of the day" emails, with a document on it asking for the basics of an action taken or a project in progress which can then be easily taken to the large communication displays to keep them up-to-date.  While we still want ideas to come in, we wanted to focus on those decision-makers who are moving forward with an idea or other project and be sure they are letting others know about their progress.

As the first stage of the Green Initiatives winds down, with our goal of creating a means of communication for the green decisions & actions already occuring complete, I will help begin the second phase of the project by meeting with an Iowa Waste Exchange representative tomorrow afternoon.  DIck Stater will be coming into the plant for an audit. It is a great way for me to send off, by enabling them to keep up the work we have already achieved and move forward without me.

With my work as a part of the Green Team coming to a close, I had begun to work on a customer company and site display project for the plant manager, Bob Loyd.  We met yesterday and I showed him my designs for the posters he wishes to put up in the main hallway to make it more customer focused.  I made a poster for three of their customers to show how my design could remain consistent but still incorporate colors, logos, and information specific to a company or site. Here they are (in a much reduced size, but if you click on them, you can see a more up close look):

Bob said he really liked what I had come up with and now the next step is to have someone much more familiar with the customer companies to proof what I have written.  Another aspect I am not sure about is the pictures and copyright laws, as well as the company logos.  I found pictures associated with each site, but did not find much information about them beyond what they were of. Also, the company logos I used from other documents of the company's.  I know that a person cannot use copyrighted images without permission when publicly distributing or selling for profit.  As we are not doing either of these, it will be used privately, I am not sure if and/or how they would apply to these posters. 

July 15th, 2009

As I was woking on the rankings I had configured last week, I found another way to rank states in terms of wind power. Here is the other ranking I devised for the top states in reference to wind power and square miles. As the size of the physical state could potentially limit the power possible for that state to produce using wind turbines, I took the total land area of the states compared to the megawatts being produced.

1) Iowa              0.049598 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 20.161 miles

2) Texas            0.026478 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 37.766 miles

3) New York      0.023095 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 43.297 miles

4) Washington  0.020282 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 49.303 miles

5) Minnesota    0.020174 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 49.568 miles

6) California      0.015376 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 65.036 miles

7) Oregon         0.013842 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 72.242 miles

8) Colorado      0.010203 MW per sq. mile -OR- 1 MW every 98.010 miles

And just like the per capita rankings, this may also reveal a different way to look at existing wind power capacity for states. I also realized this would make a great activity in my classroom. Not only does it work directly with mathematics as well as an understanding of rates, etc, but it can give students the opportunity to dig into statistics and rates to decide how the information is best represented and how it can potentially be altered/used in a biased manner. Unit conversions would also be a great topic to work on through this activity.

I would provide student groups with many pieces of data for each state, including wind power capacity in MW, population, land size, number of each different sized wind turbine, total renewable energy generated, etc.  Certain questions would be asked for the students to find different ways to manipulate the data.  Students then asked to decide the best state for wind energy and how they decided this, with what data.

July 13th, 2009

Today I have been hard at work working on creating customer focused displays for the main entrance hallway.  While my actual documents may not be the ones put up on the wall (as I only have a week left) Bob Loyd, the plant manager, wanted an idea or some designs from me as I am a little more creative (or so I was told!).  I had started on just one company's profile, but it is more difficult to find out information regarding some companies than others. So I have had to work on a couple of them at once and add information as I found it.

Last week I had contacted Dick Stater, this area's Iowa Waste Exchange coordinator, about a recycling audit.  He got back to me and we are scheduled for Friday afternoon this week. I am looking forward to having an outside perspective on how things are run around here and what we could be doing more or differently.

I will have my last "Green Team" meeting on Thursday to pass on what I have been working on and focusing on how it will continue once I am done. It is pretty hard to believe that an entire month has gone by with my externship with Clipper!

July 10th, 2009

As I am looking into the various details, facts and figures regarding Clipper's customer wind turbine farms, I have learned a lot more about the wind industry in general.  One of the biggest things I have learned is how fast the wind industry is no longer being used as an alternative energy, but as a valuable, useful, and reliable energy source. Iowa ranks 2nd in the nation with regards to wind energy capacity in megawatts (MW).  We have just recently surpassed California as #2, with Texas still in the lead. Here is the latest ranking of top states in terms of capacity (1,000 MW & up):

1) Texas           7,118 MW

2) Iowa              2,791 MW

3) California     2,517 MW

4) Minnesota   1,754 MW

5) Washington 1,447 MW

6) Oregon        1,363 MW

7) New York    1,260 MW

8) Colorado     1,063 MW

While it is impressive where Iowa ranks among the rest of the United States, there was something that got me thinking about per capita capacity.  As a large focus of the wind industry is the number of homes/businesses that could be powered using this energy produced by wind turbines, Iowa is locked in by Texas and California -- both large states in terms of land and people.  By working with the MW capacity of these states then investigating the current estimated state populations, I came up with a ranking of my own in regards to per capita wind capacity (per 100,000 people)

1) Iowa              93.0 MW

2) Oregon         35.9 MW

3) Minnesota    33.6 MW

4) Texas            29.3 MW

5) Washington  22.0 MW

6) Colorado       21.5 MW

7) California        6.8 MW

8) New York        6.4 MW

Now this list I see as being even more valuable to look at than simply the MW capacity; this list actually shows that based on the population of the states, the ranking for capacity is very different. As the larger states have more people, they would need more energy to be able to supply the same ratio of homes & businesses that the smaller states would need to produce. Since the current and future renewable energy standards and goals are based on percentage and population is a good indicator of the amount of energy consumed by a state, this ranking truly shows the performances of each state. And of course, it doesn't hurt that this list makes Iowa #1!

July 9th, 2009

New day today as I have a new project tasked to me for the remaining time I have left here.  While I am still going to assist with the green initiatives program, it has slowed down a bit since I have finished the displays and have put them up.  (Pictures below)  My new task will be to create a design for the main hallway of the company's entrance focused on Clipper's customers.  Currently they have portraits of their Liberty turbine in various stages. While these look nice, the plant manager Bob Loyd would like to have a more customer-based presentation in this area.  This is not only for the customers that come in but for future customers, that they feel Clipper values their customers. For the visitors, this will give a little more information about who and where Clipper turbines are located.  Of course there will still be portraits up to decorate the hallway, but we hope they will be site/customer specific.

Here are the displays I made for the Green Initiatives Program:

small display (left) and large display (right)

 

 

Here are close-ups of the large display:

And a  little more focused into the Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle lists:

 The last major aspect of my displays and communication efforts was to distribute Clipper Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle symbols throughout the plant as to demonstrate and inform as to where these initatives are taking place. This is the symbol that I created for the company:

 July 8th, 2009

So I had my meeting with the Green Team and they liked what I had designed.  A few suggestions were given and I took the rest of that afternoon and yesterday to solidify my information and add the elements they wanted to see.  I had the bulletin board, which will be my main display, taken down to make my using it a bit more convenient and easy.  It may not have been the greatest idea to try to put up my information while it was still up as there is a barricade preventing a person from getting too close.  And this way I could take my time and work with the layout to make it very nice.  The small foam board will be another place to communicate, but due to size, will not have all the information as the large one.  But a note will be on the small one indicating the main display as a resource. 

Yesterday I spent time getting things cut out, trimmed, and organized on the boards.  I think they both look very nice and hopefully soon I will have a chance to capture them on a camera.  I even was able to go out and find some border for the large display. I was looking for little Earths to bring out the blue and green of the documents I created, but did not find one appropriate for this environment - the only one close had huge Earths with big cheesy smiles - but luckily I came across wind turbines on a border!  While they are not Clipper turbines, I do think it adds a nice aspect to the communication I have designed.

This afternoon is when I will plan to put the boards out on the factory floor.  The images/powerpoint I created along with the displays will also begin this afternoon.  This way the information all comes out at once and there are ample opportunities for everyone to see it and learn about what Clipper Turbine Works as a company here in CR is doing to improve our environmental impact. Another part which I had thought of as an important aspect to any sort of communication campaign is to keep images, documents, etc consistent.  The more things are different the more disjointed they seem. It may not be clear that this is meant to be a part of the same information.  I have kept the display of this information incredibly consistent by not only using the same colors & fonts, but same shapes and manner of display. While I have a large board, a small one, and a spot on the communication TVs, all of them have the same basic information and the exact same layout and look.

Although I am now back in the office environment, I do have documentation -- proof, if you will -- that I, in fact, did shrink wrap a generator and drive a forklift! The proof is in the pictures :

 

July 6th, 2009

After the 4th of July holiday, things are getting back to a normal pace around the office, except for those gone who gave themselves a 4 day weekend.  One of the major aspects about my work on the green initiative & communication project here at Clipper which I feel is different from other jobs I have had as well as the work I did on the floor at Clipper is accountability and independence.  While I have others who are depending on me to get my job done, do it well, and in a timely manner, for the most part I have an incredible amount of independence.  There is no one looking over my shoulder or checking on me every couple of hours to see how I am doing & what is getting accomplished. Even as a teacher this rarely happens as students make us accountable every single class period.  This is not to say that I am not using my time effectively; in fact, it has released me to my own devices and gives me the opportunity for much more in-depth learning when it comes to the programs and information I am working with.  I can try things one way then try them another way and see which way works best for me or for the content I am working with.

Currently I have the information for the green initiative communication project layed out as I would like to put them up and present them to the Clipper community.  While I could very easily put them up without anyone's direction, because I was not alone on this endeaver, I am holding a meeting tomorrow afternoon to include all of those who have helped me gather resources and information to accomplish this project. This is my chance to receive feedback on the style and presentation format I have chosen.  And of course, to ensure my information is accurate! 

July 2nd, 2009

Back in the office environment now to the point that I have my own desk and computer to utilize. After a handful of meetings and being introduced to my resources, I have been set free to work on this communication project. This morning I spent time snapping some pictures of the ways in which this facility already reduces, reuses, and recycles. While the company would like to do more, focusing on what we are doing right now will give us the baseline for continuing with it and furthering our efforts. 

There are quite a few avenues I can take in getting the word out to everyone in the plant about the current green initiatives. Using bulletin boards is the biggest one I will be focusing on right away.  There is a place within the plant referred to as Information Alley.  A board near this place is unoccupied and a perfect place for more communication because it is right outside one of the break rooms. I am looking forward to using my passion for scrapbooking & design to create an attractive and updateable display.

The next couple of communication options I have to work with are the communication TVs and email.  While all Clipper employees have email addresses through the company many do not check it regularly, especially the ones out on the floor.  There is a daily/weekly email containing a "green tip" to encourage a continued changed thinking about recycling and reducing within not only the plant but at home as well. Luckily at the start of each shift, after doing stretches, this information is passed along verbally by leadership. The communication TVs are another way employees, and also visitors, can become aware of things going on around the plant, including the green tip of the day. Both of these communications are furnished and operated by the Plant Liaison, to whom I will be directing my use of them. 

June 30th, 2009

Last week was a full week spent with the warehouse guys. I had hoped to help more intensively with their "project" involving the longer trailer, however, it did not work out well to be a project for me.  It took a couple hours, three heads, and one forklift to fit together all the needed pieces into the required sized container.  So while I learned a lot about the ins & outs of manufacturing/warehousing, it was not a place where I could dive deep into something of my own. 

That is why for the rest of this week, I have a place inside the office working on a project which has been discussed a little but no further work has been done because of other responsibilites for all involved.  That is why it seems to be a great place for me to fall into.

As a wind energy company, there are certain expectations that the public and of course the employees have for the company's practices.  While they have worked tirelessly to have a more energy efficient facility and to produce a higher quality product by doing more processes in house, the waste produced by the Clipper Turbine Works facility has been an issue.

Paper and cans/bottles are the two most clearly recycled products of the plant. Many other items are either reused or recycled but it may not be well known.  As a part of their employee VOICE program, it was learned that the employees did not feel that Clipper was doing enough to promote operating as a green company. 

Before jumping in too far, it was decided that we must inform/educate everyone as to the current practices being done throughout the faciliity to reduce, reuse, or recycle. Once this is done, we can begin to implement other sorts of programs to continue to reduce waste as a plant.

That is what my project will be for the next few weeks: helping them to communicate to the employees what is already being done, where it is happening, and how they can contribute to continuing the green initiatives already established. If possible, I would like to get them started on implementing new recycling efforts, but there are many things to consider!

June 23rd, 2009

Friday last week I spent in the Remote Monitoring & Diagnostic Center (RMDC).  The guys there were very friendly and gave me an insight into what they monitor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Not only can they keep a close eye on the weather to alert site staff as to approaching winds & lightning, but they can get real time data from each turbine. This means they have an incredible amount of parameters to look at when troubleshooting why a turbine faulted.  This is a great way to protect such an investment for the companies but it also contributes to Clipper's ability to continually improve the turbines they produce. 

Availability is the name of the game for the RMDC.  Basically whenever a turbine is online and able to produce power, it is considered available.  So even if the wind prevents the turbine from producing any electricity, but it could if conditions were right, it is considered available.  The availability rate is probably the best way to compare the quality & value of a wind turbine.  Clipper has a consistent availability percentage in the high 90s, varying from 93% to 98% depending on the site, and this is a huge selling point for the company.  

As this is new week, I have chosen to spend time with the Warehouse & Shipping/Receiving.  Not only have I had a chance to really get my hands dirty, I have a much greater appreciation for the assembly these guys put out each week.  They create all that goes inside a conex box which ships out the field and provides the site crew with the numerous extra small pieces needed to erect the turbine. This involves a lot of kits.  There is a kit for just about every aspect of putting together the turbine, from air cooling of the nacelle (outer shell) to the bolts that allow the parts of the tower to be connected. While it could be considered repetitive & uninteresting, the guys take a great pride in providing the extras that "put it all together".  

A major project will be started tomorrow for the warehousing crew. Each tower gets one conex box full of the needed supplies.  One buyer wants to store the materials in a trailer instead.  This means two conexs need to be placed in one trailer. While this may seem like a great spacesaver, logistically it may be more difficult task.  Not only is the trailer smaller than two conex boxes, it may not be wide enough to efficiently place all the needed materials in a sensible & logical order.  Some kits & parts cannot be stacked; Others cannot be turned on their side.  Each requirement for the parts creates more and more of a puzzle.

June 18th, 2009

Thursday...one more day til my first full week at Clipper. It has flown by! And today was full of excitement.  In celebration of the 500th turbine, a barbecue was organized for lunch.  Between chicken, hamburgers, beans, coleslaw, and some delicious cookies, everyone was able to get their full.  We even held a paper airplane contest.  It was great to see the creativity and skill some of the people took in making their airplane. We gave out prizes for longest distance, best accuracy and creativity. 

Before I began to help out with the cookout this afternoon, I spent the morning with Amy Hauschildt of Accounting. She took me through a BOM (bill of materials) for the turbine and how that is used on each level of the company.  Her use of Microsoft Excel was extensive and while her use of mathematics beyond simple computation on a daily basis is limited, the problem solving she has learned and cultivated in her math experience is something she utilizes regularly.  And when Amy makes use of her data and makes graphs, she often must create some equations within Excel or be sure that the program is giving her the correct information. 

This afternoon will be spent on a tour with Bob Loyd, the plant manager.  Eighteen teachers will be touring the Clipper facility in Cedar Rapids as a part of their ten day Institute at The University of Northern Iowa through the Advanced technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC). It is the 15th annual institute which encourages high school and community college math and science teachers to apply to learn more about their annual theme.  This year the theme they have selected is to examine the renewable energy field of wind power. Based on the wind power theme, the 2009 Fellows will design problem-based educational activities that emphasize opportunities for student learning within the context of their community. The activities will support national content standards and be offered to teachers nationally via www.ateec.org. The Fellows pilot-test the activities during the 2009-2010 school year.  Additionally, the Fellows will review ATEEC’s 2008 report entitled Defining Energy Technologies and Services and advise ATEEC on its use with students who may consider occupations in environmental and energy technologies.

June 17th, 2009

This was an exciting day at Clipper in regards to mathematics content. This morning I spent with Sean VanGorp with the quality department. We toured the floor and spoke with many of the employees on how they use math on a daliy basis.  While many spoke of computer programs and software actually doing the mathematics, they understood that whatever it "spit out" they had to understand that figure, how it was found, and if necessary, do it themselves if a problem appears.  Another apsect which was stressed was the ability to read & interpret graphs and data.  Many workers use skematics on a regular basis and must employ certain skills, especially geometry and basic arithmetic,  in order to find the information they need which may not be clearly given in the drawing. An understanding of the metric system is also a must as it is used throughout the plant.  In fact, because business & industry are now more global, using this much more world-wide standard is imperative.

Many decisions are data-driven within the Clipper environment.  The Root Cause Analysis (RCA) team within quality assurance department is an incredibly data filled unit.  Not only do they make decisions regarding data, but through the gathered data, they can pinpoint as to what & where an inconsistency or defect is taking place.  Using a SIX SIGMA program, Clipper is able to track their product's quality and effectiveness from the suppliers' products to the finished assembled turbine sent out to the customer.  With this in mind, understanding and using measurement is an incredible need within this company. There are various tools used to ensure the accuracy of measurements on every part used in the turbine process. Having a distinct idea of tolerances of measurements is also critical to their work as each part must fit together accurately.  If the tolerances are too high, many things could go wrong.  The ability to ensure a small tolerance with parts & materials can create a more sound and longer-lasting turbine.

In reference to 21st century skills criteria within the Iowa Core Curriculum, Sean and others in the quality world were able to emphasize the importance of technology knowledge and experience as it is used daily in all aspects of their work from communication to "numbers crunching". Another facet to the technology piece is presenting your information to others. As often this is done via conference call and someone may not be able to be present at a meeting or call, the rules given in both college and high school regarding the proper use of powerpoint are not always held true.  Limiting the bullets and the words per bullet on each slide is not of importance; the amount of information is of high importance.  Getting enough information on the actual slide for everyone to reference is the key idea with this industry's communication use of powerpoint. Also, knowing the audience to which your information will be going and adapt it as a result is another way to make the best communication tools available.

This afternoon I spent with Rod Schmuecker of Shipping & Receiving. I was able to not only get a tour of their area and a description of what they do on  a daily basis, but get my hands dirty as well!  After describing the conex containers that they use to send out the smaller aspects needed while assembling the turbine in the field and the staging area they work with, I helped Rod assemble some kits for those conex containers.

June 16th, 2009

Second day was another success at Clipper.   At the start of each day, the plant leadership attend a "stand-up meeting", which I was allowed to join this morning.  This meeting is designed to inform all parties on the progress/achievement of each separate area of the plant, including hub, gearbox, machine base, and paint.  Each part of a turbine order is noted as to its location and status.  Each area has a board which visually displays the safety and quality monthly calendars; Using colored dots to indicate a good day with no problems or issues, a small single problem, or a significant problem(s).  These boards are recent additions to the plant and have worked out well as a great way for those walking through the plant to automatically see how things are going out on the floor.

This morning was spent with Mary Murray, a lead buyer.  She was able to break down the supply chain and describe the processes and decisions of her work. She works primarily in procurement, using Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and pull-systems to update and maintain inventory.  The part or material itself determines whether a MRP is the best option or using a pull system would be more cost & time effective.  She is able to break down all of the parts needed in the building of a turbine, how many of each is needed for one turbine, and how many turbines are being planned each week in order to see the total parts needed as well as the total cost. 

As we talked with others in the purchasing department, it was clear that because Clipper procures parts globally being aware of cultural differences is an important aspect to their supply chain work.  This multicultural approach also means common sense must be used when dealing with the differences involved in business and culture ethics. 

Next on my agenda for the day was spending time with Chris Yockey with Continuous Improvement.  His job is to identfiy areas of concern for the plant and create solutions to keep the plant functioning as best it can.  He was able to break down and explain a few of the projects that I could work on in his department, including a recycling & green initiative project as well as data collection & analysis of the high point test on the hub.

This afternoon I spent time in a couple different meetings with leadership throughout the plant.  First was the CAP meeting with those involved with the Career Advancement Program.  They are looking to keep the ball rolling on the progress that has been achieved on the development of CAP and work with HR & Training to seamlessly implement the program later in the year. The second meeting I attended was a weekly meeting of the supervisors & managers of each department.  Each person has a chance to talk about what is going on with their department and seek input if necessary from others in the plant. This is another example of their focus on continuous communication throughout the plant.This week focused on the issues involved with long-term storage of the turbines and executing new training protocols.

As I am learning about wind turbines, I find myself becoming more comfortable with the lingo of the plant and the terminology of the parts of the turbine.  However, thankfully, when I do make a mistake when it comes to the windustry jargon, it is pointed out to me.  Today I learned that, in fact, the blades pitch and the base yaws.

June 15th, 2009

Today was my first day at Clipper Wind Power located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Spent the first part of the morning with Sarah Jackson, the company liasion, who showed me the typical presentation she gives to community organizations or school groups.  I learned so much about the company, their vision, and of course, their turbine: The Liberty 2.5 MW.  

The Liberty is a fourth-generation turbine designed by Clipper in the early 2000's. It has four generators inside the gear box instead of the typical single generator. This means that the turbine can be "up" or available for producing energy much more quickly and the serviceability of the Clipper turbine is greatly increased.  The Liberty can produce energy in wind speeds from 9 to 55 mph, with the peak wattage occurring around 27 mph winds. It has four different blade sizes available, from 89 meters to 99 meters depending on the wind conditions of the area. 

Iowa is the 2nd in wind produced wattage and wind energy is now comparable in cost to oil & gas.  Wind energy currently only provides 0.5% of the United States energy supply.  With the development of electrical grids as well as the peak potential of wind conditions, wind turbines can produce twice the current national supply. It is a free energy, however, which creates some political issues.

The later part of the morning I met with Dan Rickels, head of the HR dept.  He focused his discussion with me around the kind of environment Clipper strives to create in their workforce & facilities.  It is a place where employees can have careers and have their voices heard. With the Career Advancement Program, Clipper allows employees to cross train in other departments of interest to them in order to help create qualified individuals when a certain job may be open. The VOICE program rewards employees for their input and creativity of ideas. 

Dan stressed to me the importance of the Employee Handbook, which covers the basics of the expectations and agreements of working at Clipper WindPower. The way this text can be used to preventatively solve issues allows it to be a resource, not a contract or a bible, for all employees.  This is incredibly similar to the student handbook given to students at the start of the school year. It lays out the expectations and consequences of behaviors to not only the students, but helps teachers and administrators be consistent in their enforcement of policies and procedures. 

In reference to 21st century skills, Dan focused on the employability of people in the work force.  From the resume, cover letter, and application to the interview and first impression, following directions and having the right attitude will create opportunities.

I spent the afternoon with Mike Cavanaugh, a manufacturing engineer. He took me through what the various engineers at the site do and how that fits into the overall production of turbines. It was through his explanations, especially out on the production floor in the bays, that I have come to understand how the wind turbines work.  From the generators and the gear box to the machine base and hub, I was able to see how each piece is put together and tested then combined with the other integral parts of the turbine to create the Liberty 2.5 MW.  

What surprised me the most was that the plant here in Cedar Rapids does not actually ever see the blades or tower.  These two sections of the turbine are produced elsewhere. However the logistics of shipping out the turbines to a site is directly coordinated by employees in Cedar Rapids, blades and all. 

 

June 10th, 2009

Today I was introduced to many of the Clipper folks. Met with them to decide upon the specifics of my time there, and took a short tour of their facility.  Walking through the different parts of the plant, it was obvious of the upbeat attitudes employees have for their work with Clipper. I am excited to start my externship with this indsutry-leading company!