The Purchasing Team has shared market intelligence, best practices, and collaborated to group the purchasing power of ACM companies. We welcomed them to our plant for a round-table discussion and tour. It was nice to share what we do and it was good to get updates from other ACM companies at the start of year.

At the start of the year, the panels were covered by a record amount of snow thanks to a brutal winter. Spring was cloudy and wet, early summer was on par with prior years, while late summer and early fall were also cloudy and wet. Our total 2011 production trailed 2010 by a whopping 14% because 2010 was a fantastic year with lots of sunshine. 2010 was 10% better than 2009, the year our system went live.

Solar estimates are based on decades of analysis, so one year is only a blip when a system has a 25+ year lifespan, but the numbers are fun to track. In terms of clean energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Calculator is a fantastic tool. Pick the equivalency that makes the most sense.

2011′s total productin of 40,000 kWh’s is equivalent to 27.6 metric tons of CO2, or one of the following:

• annual greenhouse gas emissions from 5.4 passenger vehicles
• CO2 emissions from 3,092 gallons of gasoline consumed
• CO2 emissions from 64.1 barrels of oil consumed
• carbon sequestered annual by 5.9 acres of pine or fir forest
• CO2 emissions from 1,149 propane cylinders used for home BBQ’s
• greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 9.6 tons of waste instead of sending it to landfill

In three years, we have produced more than 129,000 kWh’s of clean energy and produced 44% of the 41 Cedar Street plant’s total electricity demand. This is fantastic. Most of 2012 is still in the future, but so far, we are much better off than 2011. The sun is shining brilliantly today, and let’s hope it keeps shining!

To learn more about our solar PV electric power system and all of our environmental initiatives, click here.

To view our live monitoring system, click here (check it on a sunny day!)

Photo Credit: Wade Summers Collection

Paul’s season isn’t over yet, and he will race at the 2012 U.S. National Championships next month in Madison, Wisconsin. Then, he will compete in the World Masters Cyclocross Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. So, the easily recognizable Horst Engineering jerseys will be represented on the big stage of international cyclocross.

Photo Credit: Marcia Witkus

On the Team Horst Sports side, Scott Livingston and Debbie Livingston traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee in late December to complete the Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Trail Race. Debbie took first place for the women in a time of 9:16:20. She was 20th overall and beat Scott by 16 minutes. This was her fifth ultramarathon trail race victory of the year, following triumphs at the Traprock 50K, Laurel Highlands 77m Ultra, TARC 12 Hour Race, and Grindstone 100.

So between the runners, riders, and those who do both, the team was successful in all disciplines. The cycling team rung out 2011 with a celebration at team sponsor, the Flatbread Company. 2012 promises to be full of even more success.

“Accreditation is the culmination of excellent work by our team. This is the first such Nadcap certification for our company, and we are
proud of our Guaymas team’s efforts,” said Scott Livingston, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Horst Engineering de México, LLC received Nadcap accreditation for demonstrating their ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer requirements and industry specifications.

“Achieving Nadcap accreditation is not easy: it is one of the ways in which the aerospace industry identifies those who excel at manufacturing quality product through superior special processes. Companies such as Horst Engineering work hard to obtain this status and they should be
justifiably proud of it,” said Joe Pinto, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Performance Review Institute.

Click here to view the full press release

Click here to view our Nadcap certificate

Click here to learn more about the Passivation process

Cyclocross is the fastest growing segment of the bicycle market. Races in all age groups are selling out all over the United States and the sport has always been popular in Europe. The U.S. is hosting the 2012 Masters World Championship and the 2013 Elite World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.

Check out the latest information and learn how you can buy spikes. We now have three sizes (small, medium, long) and a special ice & snow version. Horst Spikes are great for cyclocross and mountain biking.

For more information about cyclocross:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclo-cross
http://www.usacycling.org/cx/
http://www.cxmagazine.com/
http://www.crosstube.net/
http://www.louisville2013.com/site/

Horst Engineering has made large investments in Connecticut and we are heavily impacted by the high cost of doing business in our home state. At the request of Larson’s staff, we hosted him for a private meeting and tour. We shared the realities of small business and the challenge of competing in this economy.

Many topics were discussed, including labor costs, health care costs, energy costs, offshoring, and developing manufacturing skills. We also discussed the specific challenges that small companies face with rapidly increasing health insurance premiums. Larson was particularly impressed with some of our vintage machines, including our Waterbury Farrel and Hartford thread rollers. Despite their age, they run every day and are part of the rich heritage of our organization. The employess of Horst Engineering have always welcomed the opportunity to show our legislators what we do and why we take pride in our business.

Manufacturing & Technology Day Video #1

Manufacturing & Technology Day Video #2

Our company strongly supports workforce development efforts in both Connecticut and Sonora. Manufacturing is and engine of economic growth.

Thread rolling is the preferred method for producing strong, smooth, precise, and uniform external thread forms. Thread rolling is different from other types of threading processes like cutting, grinding, and chasing. Learn more about rolled threads and why they have higher tensile strength, shear strength, and fatigue resistance. Thread Rolling Inc. and Horst Engineering have helped many race teams improve the durabilty and performance of their vehicles.

HEDM’s maqiladora shelter partner, The Offshore Group, recently launched a new website to help manufacturers better understand Mexican outsourcing solutions. Our operation is located in Guaymas, Sonora an emerging hotbed of aerospace industry activity. The Offshore Group’s marketing push includes a new Horst Engineering profile and a video overview of our operation. Several businesses have come together to form a cluster of companies serving aerospace OEM’s. Our capabilities in Mexico mirror most of our capabilities in Connecticut.