Crawmer awarded solar thermal patent

Portland native Don Crawmer has been awarded a U.S. patent for what’s been called a breakthrough in solar thermal technology.
Crawmer, vice president of technology and product development for Solar America Solutions, Indianapolis, said the patented new technology is at the heart of SunQuest 250, a solar thermal collector that the company has been marketing during the 5-year patent application process.
“This patent represents the biggest advance in solar thermal technology in the past 30 years,” Crawmer said.
He noted that solar thermal technology seeks to “harvest” sunlight to produce hot water and heating rather than converting it to electricity. “I’ve been involved in solar thermal for several years,” Crawmer said. “That’s always been my concentration.”
Solar thermal power can result in more than a 50 percent reduction in heating and hot water costs, the company said. That results in a significant reduction in a building’s carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“We believe our product has the ability to crate sustainable, emission-free thermal energy at a level that’s never before been reached,” Crawmer said.
The SunQuest 250 system has already been installed in several government, institutional, and commercial buildings.
The largest application so far is the Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio, where 400 of the units cover the roof of the facility.
Crawmer said the Ross installation is the largest non-utility solar thermal project in North America.
Units have also been installed at Roberts Hall, a dormitory at the University of Indianapolis.
Crawmer was involved in solar technology in Jay County while working with Sertech and, for a shorter period of time, with Fort Recovery Construction and Equipment.
Solar America Solutions, based on Castlegate Drive in Indianapolis, was founded by Crawmer, his brother, and another business partner, Charlie Slavik.
Crawmer concentrates his efforts on developing further improvements in solar thermal technology. “Research and development, that’s what I do,” he said.
Victor Indiano, Indianapolis, was patent counsel for Solar America Solutions in the effort to win approval.

New technology
Ardagh Group’s North American Glass division, which includes glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, has developed a new production system that allows it to make two unique glass bottles on the same machine at the same time.
Called Flex Run, the system uses a variable weight feeder which delivers different weights of glass gobs to the forming section of a individual section machine.
In a normal production run, an individual section machine must be completely stopped and reconfigured so the production line can handle the next glass container. Flex Run eliminates that costly downtime.
Currently the company is offering Flex Run to wine producers in four different colors for orders as small as 1,500 cases.
“Historically, glass production has been focused on high-volume, high-speed production capability. As our customers respond to rapidly changing consumer demands, Ardagh Group has found a means to meet those needs with an affordable, innovative alternative,” the company said in a prepared statement.

Mediators called in
Allegheny Technologies Inc., parent company of Portland Forge, and the United Steelworkers union will meet with federal mediators next week in an effort to end a lockout that began Aug. 15, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
The lockout began after the company and union failed to negotiate a new contract to replace the one that expired on June 30.

Big donation
Tyson Foods Inc., parent company of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, announced this week it is pledging $50 million in cash and in-kind donations over the next five years in the fight against hunger.
The company said there will be a special focus on innovative initiatives at the local level.

Chairman upbeat
Though its stock price has fallen nearly 26 percent in the past month, the chairman of Motherson Sumi Group is upbeat about the company’s current position and its outlook.
In an interview this week with CNBC-TV18, Vivek Chaand Sehgal said the market mistakenly interpreted the impact of events in Greece and China on the company’s future.
“Sometimes the market takes time to understand a complicated stock like Motherson,” he said. “It doesn’t bother us.”
The company had what Sehgal called a “phenomenal” first quarter. Though the automotive market in China is down, both the European and American markets remain strong, he said.
And changes in the value of the rupee vs. the U.S. dollar are not a concern. “We are very comfortable with the debt number,” Sehgal said.

Sneak peak
The entertainment journal Variety took a sneak peak at Watchable, the online video service being readied by Comcast, this week.
Variety reported, “The demo site showed that Comcast is positioning Watchable as a kind of mix between YouTube and Hulu. Watchable’s content is clearly Internet-native, but it’s presented without the clutter of a site focused on user-generated content.”
The service will be accessible to any web user, not just Comcast subscribers. It will compete directly with Verizon’s Go90 video service, which is also getting ready to launch.

New office
Behavior Associates of Indiana has opened a new office in Muncie. The Autism Center is located at 3601 W. Bethel Ave.
Behavior Associates is a provider of behavior analysis services for those with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Coming down
Demolition of the old Dunbar Furniture Company building in Berne is finally underway and is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The building has been vacant for several years.
In its heyday, Dunbar was an international leader in high-end office and institutional furniture. No longer based in Berne, the company continues to produce furniture based upon the designs of Edward J. Wormley in North Carolina.
Wormley was considered one of the most influential designers of what is now known as mid-century modern furniture.

Broadband ahead
CenturyLink Inc. has agreed to accept an offer from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund in order to expand high-speed Internet service to more than 30,000 households in Indiana.
The company will receive about $500 million a year for six years. Construction is expected to begin in 2016, with the build-out taking six years.
The FCC created the CAF program in 2011 to facilitate high-speed web access in high-cost locations.

Official pizza
Pizza Hut, part of Yum Brands Inc., has been named the official pizza sponsor of ESPN College Game Day. The partnership kicks off this Saturday and continues through the college football season.

Stock jumps
A second quarter report by Fort Wayne handbag manufacturer Vera Bradley Inc. led to a 28 percent jump in its stock price this week.The company reported second quarter earnings of $5.7 million on net revenues of $120.7 million. While that’s a decline from the same period last year, Wall Street responded positively. Shares closed at $13.32 on Wednesday.
One market analyst said the jump in stock price was “because the news wasn’t as bad as expected.”
New position
Annette Lamb has joined the Ivy Tech Foundation as executive director of development operations. She’ll assume her new position Tuesday.
Lamb most recently has been senior director of development at Purdue Research Foundation in Student Life. Over the last seven years, she has raised $17 million in donations.