University’s new industrial assessment center ready to help local manufacturers – North Texas Daily | So Good News

The university recently helped members of the manufacturing sector participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Evaluation Center program, the first in North Texas.

Assessments provided by the Center help manufacturers save energy; to reduce waste; Designed to improve productivity and prevent contamination.

“This assessment is free for the company and they don’t pay anything,” said Nourredine Boubekri, founder and director of the university’s IAC. “We did it so the company could benefit from this federal program. […] We are trying to help small and medium-sized companies become more competitive.”

The center will assist these manufacturers through five steps outlined on the university’s IAC website. The process begins with a pre-assessment survey that all applicants must complete. The survey was based on the size of the factory; its layout; type of business; Applicants are asked for production level and other things.

As the second step, the factory manager Energy Manager; Ensures that key personnel such as environmental personnel and maintenance personnel are involved.

The third step is when the pre-assessment is done. At this stage, IAC is the manufacturing process; Analyzes table and graph costs; Starting a plant profile using QuickPEP; We will identify potential energy saving tips and more.

The fourth step is the factory tour. debating in the meeting room; It is the industrial assessment itself which includes the data collection process and more.

Finally, The fifth stage is when post-evaluation actions take place. performing engineering and financial analysis on such activities; Creating an IAC report; designing case studies; This includes following up on the IAC report and posting “positive publicity” on social media.

The IAC website states that IAC covers all aspects of production. These sectors include food production; clothing manufacturing; chemical production; including device manufacturing and more.

However, Not all members of the manufacturing sector are eligible to avail assistance from the university’s IAC. A company is eligible to contact the Center if:

• These are codes 20 to 39 for the Standard Industrial Classification and codes 311 to 399 for the North American Industrial Classification System.
• They are from Texas; Located 150 miles from Denton.
• They reported gross annual sales of just under $100 million.
• Their factory has less than 500 employees.
• They have annual energy bills of between $100,000 and $3.5 million.
• They don’t have professional in-house staff to evaluate.

Boubekri, Huseyin Bostanci and 12 students; Data will be collected from 20 qualified companies with 10 undergraduates and two graduates.

Bostanci, assistant director and master’s program coordinator for the College of Engineering, is responsible for recruiting students to the university’s IAC.

“We are in the process of recruiting undergraduate engineering students who are eager and motivated to be a part of the center for a unique experience,” Bostanci said.

The graduate student positions were filled by Prudhviraj Nayudu and Rushabh Patel. After the verification process, The two were selected for their respective experience and pursuit of master’s degrees in engineering management.

“Personally, [I] Nayudu is very excited to be a part of this as all this is funded by the US government,” said Patel. “I’m honored to be a part of it.”

This is not the first time Boubekri has been involved in introducing IAC to a university. He also served as associate director at the same University of Miami for the past 22 years, according to a memorandum.

The University of Miami’s IAC is still operational and has conducted 402 assessments, saving local manufacturing companies $80.22 million.

Featured image: Graduate students and management leaders Rushabh Patel (left) and Prudhviraj Nayudu on November 10. In 2022, I work at the Industrial Assessment Center in Discovery Park. Photo: Ismael Belkoura