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Workin’ Here, Boss!
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Photography by David Andrews |
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Robots Give (Almost) 100 Percent on the Job
The Chamber honored TR Automation with the Kruesi Award for Innovation during the annual Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon in April. The celebration included announcement of Cushion by Design as the Early Innovator Award recipient and recognition for three teenagers in the Great Ideas Competition.
Chamber President and CEO Tom Edd Wilson presented the Kruesi Award to Jerry Tyman Jr., TR Automation general manager, for developing a revolutionary approach to robotic work station manufacturing.
Called SuperCell, the innovation boosts robot welding productivity by keeping the robots’ noses to the grindstone 95 percent of the time. The advance in robotic technology enables the robots to handle and exchange tooling and thus reduces their down time. |
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The advance—particularly applicable to the automotive and aerospace industries—reduces floor space, improves the quality of parts manufactured and achieves a 30 percent reduction in production costs, Tyman said.
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The Kruesi Award recognizes companies for innovative products, services and business practices that have been created and implemented by businesses in the Chattanooga area. The award honors a Chattanooga family whose Swiss ancestor, John Kruesi, was an inventor who worked with Thomas Edison.
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The Chattanooga Technology Council’s (CTC) Early Innovator Award spotlights an emerging knowledge-based organization with a product, technology or process and the potential for a competitive advantage. In contrast to the Kruesi competitors, companies vying for this award are in the early stages of development and may be at the pre-revenues level.
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and CTC President Lulu Copeland presented the award to Charlie and Zach Hubbs of Cushion by Design. Charlie Hubbs is president/owner of the company; his son, Zach, is vice president.
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Cushion by Design is the market leader in developing and manufacturing custom gel foam and filter materials. “Fundamentally, we have reinvented foam cushioning,” says Zach Hubbs. “Our foam products’ unique characteristics—durability, anti-microbial, washability, ignition resistance—boil down to increased comfort and safety for our product users.” |
Hubbs said Cushion by Design products have broad applications from hospital bedding that helps prevent bedsores to washable and breathable padding for sporting goods that cool the athlete and reduce odors and bacteria to filtration material in aircraft that can withstand extremes in temperature and environmental conditions.
During the luncheon Gov. Bredesen made remarks about the importance of innovation in government and in business, and keynote speaker Roger Staubach, executive chairman of the Staubach Company and former Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback, recalled the breakthroughs in gridiron strategy introduced by the late Cowboys’ coach Tom Landry. |
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Accurate Automation Corporation designed and implemented Sentinel, an unmanned ocean racer equipped with artificial intelligence that protects water-based assets such as ships and oil-drilling platforms. Sentinel is the first and only artificially intelligent boat that can perform in a variety of high-demand, real life situations—such as during storms and at night—without human risk or intervention.
Andersen Flaps designed the Eco-Flap, a patented mud flap for trucks with a 75 percent open surface area which allows water and air to flow through the flap. The flaps reduce the spray from trucks’ tires in the rain to make roads safer and also reduce the drag effect, resulting in a fuel savings to the trucking industry of up to three percent, depending on conditions.
Astec Industries, Inc. has developed the Double Barrel Green System which allows the production of “warm-mix” asphalt cement without the use of expensive or caustic additives or systems. Double Barrel Green provides a 14 percent reduction in fuel usage for producing asphalt cement, as well as a 14 percent reduction in emissions and costs.
Cleveland Tubing was a Kruesi finalist for inventing Flex-Drain®, a patent-pending flexible, expandable plastic pipe, usable in most drainage applications. The product offers an alternative to bulky, traditional plastic draining pipe. It collapses to six feet and expands to 25 feet, making it easy to transport and to store.
EnWaste Recovery Systems has created a patented filtration system to address the healthcare industry’s need to recover silver and other heavy metals from the photo-chemical process in radiology departments. (See story on Page 7).
Transcard was recognized for integrating financial processing settlement technology with legacy software platforms for companies and industries. Transcard is a financial stored value processor, taking cash and converting it into electronic cards for everything from payroll to tax benefits and tax payments, gift cards and other transactions. |
| Early Innovator Award Finalists |
CARTA has deployed an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to improve safety, efficiency and effectiveness through enhanced information for local transit riders. System features and service innovations include new ticket vending machines, automatic vehicle location and computer-aided dispatch, digital information displays, and free Wi-Fi Internet connectivity on every bus in the fleet.
NanoChromatic has invented a proprietary fabric product and two new processes to impart dynamic coloration to textiles without using dyes or chemicals. The colored patterns and images change color, shape and perspective depending on the viewing angle and light direction. Potential applications of this new green technology range from lingerie and logos to security and military markets.
UtiliFlex helps customers realize the value of electric utility smart-grid investments by providing utilities a range of software and solutions, from its JUICE CARD prepayment technology to direct load control. JUICE software allows customers to purchase specified dollar amounts of electric power via scratch-card, web interface, automated phone or text messaging. JUICE then places the purchased energy directly into the customer’s meter thus eliminating the need for deposits and monthly bills. |
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