2016 AIA Detroit Building Award
IDS was awarded a 2016 AIA Detroit Building Award for the Bio Engineering Facility at Michigan State University.
Archive for month: September, 2016
INNOVATION: DESIGN THAT IMPROVES SAFETY
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) received a Hardware Innovation of the Year award following a $2.5M upgrade to the climate testing cell at the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The upgrade was a brand-new Burke Porter four-wheel-drive dynamometer installed by Integrated Design Solutions (IDS).
“We have installed a number of dyno’s over the years, but this is very special with an on-demand snow and ice ability. The few testing labs that have this ability are limited to the amount of snow produced. Our project team designed a system that could fill the entire room with snow if they wanted. In fact, Chrysler sent drawings to FIAT-Italy so they could duplicate it,” Dominic Paone, principal, vice president, director of automotive & research of IDS, said.
A dynamometer (or dyno) is a tool used by car tuners and automakers to test vehicles and see exactly how much power they can make among other things. The idea is to allow the testing of its vehicles in extreme conditions. Vehicles can be tested in conditions ranging from minus 40 degrees to 130 degrees. Wind speeds can reach 100 mph.
Watch video: Dynamometer test
Engineers can measure things like the durability of exterior materials in extreme cold or heat, or how certain fuels — gas, diesel, ethanol — react in different weather. They could be looking at whether air intakes might get clogged with snow in a blizzard and shut down the engine. Overall improving the safety and well-being of the consumer, durability of the vehicle and preventing dangerous recalls.“Our world-class environmental test center provides dynamic and static testing conditions to simulate the climatic environments that are experienced by our customers around the world,” John Nigro, vice president, product development of FCA North America, said.
The company also made improvements to ductwork and exhaust capabilities so the lab can accommodate high-output engines.
“With more 4×4 and all-wheel drive vehicles in our fleet than ever, this investment will go a long way to providing the durable cars and trucks our customers expect from us,” Nigro said.
Integrated Design Solutions is at the forefront of innovation, providing FCA with state-of-the-art hardware installation and more. We’ve worked with FCA for many years and look forward to future endeavors with them.
For more information on IDS please visit our website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Utica Community Schools Bond
Our work at UCS has improved safety and security as well as improved learning environments. We encourage communities to follow in Utica’s foot steps to better improve education for their children. IDS has recently been focused on constructing two new auxiliary gymnasiums at Davis and Malow Junior High School along with other numerous projects in the past.
Brewing and Distillation Technology
IDS recently completed our first Brewery and Distillation Facility at a College or University. This project was completed at Schoolcraft College, where a new brewing program has been introduced to the College. This program is available to students this fall and pictures of the new facility to come. More on the project scope to come. Read below for information about the program:
The idea and concept of the program was all initiated a few years ago when Weinkauf began seeing breweries and distilleries opening in Michigan. A home brewer of 20 years, he saw job opportunities. Last July, Schoolcraft’s Research and Analytic Department conducted an environmental scan to gather further information on the fields of brewing, wine making and distillation. It was found that between 2014 and 2020, jobs in brewing are expected to increase by 200 percent and distillation is expected to increase by 100 percent.
Master Brewer and the Face of the Liberty Street Brewing Company, Joe Walters, Stands tall and excited with his partnership with Schoolcraft College to cultivate young minds trained in the art of brewing on Sept. 2.
Weinkauf interviewed 18 breweries and distilleries between January and April 2015 through the thorough and detailed DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process, which is the leading online resource for occupational analysis. This process takes one to two days to assess what workers do for tasks, duties, skills and traits. This information is collected, and then is presented in a graphic chart according to dacum.org.
Some of the breweries interviewed were: Shorts Brewing Company, Liberty Street Brewing Company, Jolly Pumpkin’s Cafe and Brewery, Northern United Brewing Company, Fermenta, Witch’s Hat Brewing, Michigan Brewers Guild, Block Brewing Company and even Metropolitan Brewing in Chicago.
“The point I took away from those interviews was they don’t need degrees. What they really wanted was someone who could come in and hit the ground running and knew all of the background knowledge— the science—and how to work on all this equipment,” said Weinkauf.
The 24-credit certificate program will help students learn the science of beer, brewhouse and marketing operations, and packaging, among other skills. Adding other skills rather than just brewing was important to Weinkauf, who spoke to brewery owners to determine their needs before determining the program’s components.
The program is limited to 24 students in the fall, though Weinkauf hopes to double that by next year. Registration is currently open, and classes begin Aug. 31.
More news on the facility and program:
The Schoolcraft Connection