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Author Archives: Gage Products

  1. We’re a Suppliers Partnership for the Environment Award Recipient

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    Sharon Stahl, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Gage, accepts the Creativity in Implementing Sustainable Practices Award. (Image courtesy of Suppliers Partnership for the Environment.)

    Sharon Stahl, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Gage, accepts the Creativity in Implementing Sustainable Practices Award.

    The relationship between original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers is a delicate and important one—but when the Environmental Protection Agency gets involved, an entirely new level of collaboration is reached. The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment encompasses all three of these entities to form a space for small, mid-sized and large suppliers to come together.

    The purpose of this partnership is for these groups to share ideas and brainstorm on the best business practices for the environment. As you know, Gage considers recycling to be one of the company’s core elements, and we’ve blogged about our initiatives and ways we support going “green.” We’re happy to announce the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment has chosen to recognize us with the Creativity in Implementing Sustainable Practices Award for our closed-loop solvent recycling program.

    This remanufacturing program aims to cut costs and reduce the environmental impact. From the moment a project starts to anywhere in between project completion, recovery and repurposing are possible. We’ve seen plenty of positive results, and we will continue to push for sustainability in all aspects of our business as a part of our rethink_refine_resolve initiative.

    Read more about this award or head over to our website for more information on our recycling initiatives.

    (Image courtesy of Suppliers Partnership for the Environment.)

  2. The Importance of Providing Assistance to Future STEM Leaders

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    This year's winner, Randell Seaton, is an intern in Gage's R&D lab.

    This year’s winner, Randell Seaton, is an intern in Gage’s R&D lab.

    Our previous blog post highlighted our involvement in the EcoCar competition, which sponsors teams of student engineers as they design an American-made automobile with less dependence on oil and more environmental benefits. And if you haven’t seen our Facebook page, you’re missing out on photos of us at color runs, community events, and awards ceremonies. Here’s the Cliff Notes version of what Gage is all about: We love to be a part of our community and support STEM education.

    A result of our activities with the chamber of commerce and community, led us to realize that we had an opportunity to do more for local students. We firmly believe that today’s students represent tomorrow’s business leaders, and we think it’s very important to support them and provide assistance, which is why we have awarded a $1,000 scholarship to a local senior high school student studying science or engineering for the past 20 years.

    In 2007, we realized that four-figure sum wasn’t enough to last through an entire undergraduate career. Consequently, we opened up the opportunity to renew the scholarship, meaning each winner can claim their scholarship annually for up to five years.

    While we’ve been thrilled to provide an opportunity to support the local education system and encourage careers in science and engineering, this opportunity has also provided a chance for students to intern with us and get hands-on experience in the field. We firmly believe the development of a sustainable talent pipeline is vital to Michigan’s (and Gage’s) long-term success. For more information on our company, initiatives, and products, visit our website.

  3. We’re Proud Supporters of Innovations and the Next Generation of Automotive Engineers

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    EcoCar Students

    Want to plug into the future? That’s exactly what 15 universities across North America are doing as part of the EcoCar competition. The program, established by the Department of Energy and General Motors, offers a chance for the next generation of automotive engineers to gain hands-on, real-world experience.

    Each team was awarded a 2013 Chevy Malibu to work on, with the goal of designing an American-made automobile with less dependence on oil and more environmental benefits. In May, competitors spent six days in Yuma, Arizona, testing out the drive quality and environmental impact of their vehicle, which were evaluated on safety, performance, utility, safety, and reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Pennsylvania State University’s ethanol (E85) plug-in hybrid electric vehicle impressed the judges and inspectors enough to win the competition for the second year in a row.

    TonyJangCar

    Tony Jang, business manager for Gage’s fuel segment, alongside a few EcoCar competition entries.

    At Gage, we love innovation, and we believe in supporting educational endeavors and the  outreach of a younger generation. Because of the exceptional results and dedication to this program, we are proud to provide the specially formulated fuels to the university teams participating in the annual competition. As leading supplier of test fuels, custom fuels blends, and reference fuels, Gage has also been a proud sponsor of the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge for the past 11 years.

    We can’t stress the importance of being involved with new ideas—especially when clean energy and reduced environmental impact is the basis of these projects. For more information on Gage’s sustainability efforts and initiatives, head over to our website.

  4. Gage Celebrates National Safety Month

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    Gage hosts training for Ferndale Firefighters

    Ferndale Firefighters practice using a portable foam unit during a safety training hosted by Gage.

    At Gage, we commit ourselves to a variety of causes and initiatives. We’re eco-conscious. Supporting our community is important to us. Everything that we do as a company in the end works to benefit the communities that we serve and where we live. The environment and community are two topics that are an important part of our daily lives, but there’s one underlying aspect to everything we do at our company: keeping each other safe.

    We celebrated National Safety Month in June, which got us thinking about how we can better our safety practices at work, school, and home to create more secure surroundings. Ferndale, Michigan, is a close-knit community, and because of our commitment to one another and to the city, we uphold safety standards to the highest value.

    Gage is currently more than 1,300 days without a lost time injury. Continuing education and raising awareness are essential in preventing injuries, and we have frequent in-house training sessions with employees to review safety practices and procedures such as our plans for pollution incident prevention plan, how to respond to spills and releases, fire safety, and best storage practices.

    But it doesn’t stop there—we take our efforts into the community. Recently, we held a four-day classroom and hands-on training session, which included hazard identification and foam trailer specifics, for the Ferndale Firefighters. We discussed appropriate uses for the AR-AFFF foam that Gage utilizes, and demo foam was utilized with the trailer and portable units.

    We encourage companies, clients and community members to keep up with the most current safety procedures in every aspect of their lives. Check out the on our Facebook page from the training session held at Gage a few weeks ago, and head over to our website for more information.

  5. We’re a ‘Green Leaders Automotive Innovation’ Honoree!

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    Our recent “Why Recycling Is Good For Your Company” blog discussed the cost-effective and eco-friendly bonuses of reusing existing materials instead of making new products out of raw materials. For the past few decades, we’ve aimed to set “green” standards within our industry while pioneering sustainable closed-loop recycling systems, which reduces costs and increases resource management.

    We’re proud that more than 100 million gallons of liquid organic materials has been recycled and remanufactured—especially when considering this material could have gone into a landfill or another form of disposal. We have also developed customized fuel blends made from Michigan-made sustainable resources such as ethanol-based fuels and biofuels.

    Many organizations across the globe make reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing negative environmental impact a priority—and we consider ourselves one of those companies. Our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint through sustainable business practices that meet today’s needs and support the needs of future generations is important to us.

    By having sustainability ingrained in our corporate culture, we are fully committed to advancing our environmental programs and policies. For us, conducting business in a socially responsible manner is the only way to conduct business.

    Our hard work has been previously highlighted in Automotive Design & Production and Waste News, and we are excited to announce that the Detroit Free Press named us a Green Leaders Automotive Innovations honoree. Each year, the Free Press recognizes organizations working toward making Michigan a greener, more environmentally sustainable state, and for the past 25 years, that’s exactly what we’ve aspired to achieve­.

  6. Why Recycling Is Good For Your Company

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    Gage Products Company has been recycling for 25 years, which means more than 100 million gallons of liquid organic materials has been safely recycled and remanufactured in our facility. We are committed to sustainability, which is why our products are designed, formulated, and manufactured with recycling as a priority.

    There’s a common misconception that recycling is too expensive. Some might even believe it’s too time-consuming or won’t make a difference in the scheme of things. We whole-heartedly disagree.

    First of all, recycling isn’t a one-size-fits-all term. At a consumer level, recycling is as easy as reusing glass jars or plastic containers, but at a manufacturing level, it’s a little more in-depth. Take paper, for example, which can be recycled into other paper or burned for fuel—it’s more cost effective to use it in a fire than repurpose it, but either way, the environment is satisfied you’re not cutting down extra trees. However, in almost every instance, it takes less energy to repurpose existing materials than making new products from raw materials.

    Still don’t believe recycling is for you? Check out five statistics from Global Environment Services:

    • The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.
    • The amount of recycled aluminum from 2012 could rebuild the entire world’s airplane commercial fleet every six months.
    • The amount of wood and paper people in the U.S. threw away last year is enough to heat 50 million homes for two decades.
    • Out of the 251 million tons of trash generated last year, only about 33 percent was recycled.
    • The disposable forks, cups, and spoons thrown away in 2012 could circle the equator 300 times.

    It’s clear there’s an earthly benefit to recycling, but most likely, you’re looking for a benefit for your company—and who isn’t? Many major brands already make money off of recycling, and your company can be next.  Paying waste disposal companies to collect your trash isn’t cheap, and having a recycling program within your company cuts down on wastes. Plus, a majority of states offer a tax credit for recycling equipment and more customers are looking toward “green” companies for products, which means more money will be in your pocket while you make eco-friendly decisions.

    Want more information on our award-winning recycling and sustainability solutions? Head over to our website.

  7. The Importance of Celebrating Mathematics

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    Many of today’s elementary and high school students look at their mathematics and science classes as either a waste of time or irrelevant to their future lives. But as the world becomes ever more digital and opportunities in career fields such as engineering and manufacturing become more of a priority, it will be increasingly difficult to avoid these academic subjects.

    It was this lack of interest by students in mathematics that prompted President Reagan to initiate the annual promotion of Mathematics Awareness. Since his term in office more than 30 years ago, the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics each April have been celebrating and bringing awareness to the study of math via the Mathematics Awareness Month. This demonstrates to students that math and the real world are more intertwined and connected than they thought.

    This year’s theme was on the Mathematics of Sustainability. This year’s celebration to focused attention on the use of mathematics training to show how scientists and engineers can work via their academic training to balance the use of our natural resources with the need to conserve and preserve it. We’ve kept these notions with us even though the celebration is technically over.

    In the spirit of Mathematics Awareness Month, especially with the focus on Mathematics of Sustainability, Gage thought it would be a great time to mention our support of the EcoCar2 competition. The EcoCar2 is a competitive challenge that brings students from 15 leading North American universities to retrofit a regular car and turn it into a competitive green, sustainable vehicle.

    In our next blog, we will provide more details and coverage on this competition and our participation. Until then, take time to think about how much math you use on a daily basis. Besides all of the digital devices that you use daily (thanks to algebra, trig, calculus, and stats), there’s that tip you add onto a restaurant bill, the calculations to figure out whether you owe taxes to Uncle Sam, or the simple addition as you determine how many calories you just consumed. Math is truly as fundamental as reading. Celebrate it!

  8. Gage Products Company and the 2013 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

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    SAE 2013 Snowmobile Challenge

    Gage Products Company Director of Laboratories, Bob Patzelt, works with participants at the 2013 SAE Snowmobile Challenge. Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech (www.mtukrc.org).

    Gage Products Company is once again proud to be taking part and sponsoring the annual SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge. This year’s contest was held the week of March 4-9, 2013 at Michigan Tech in Calumet.

    Since 2000, this engineering design competition for college-age students has been at the forefront of improving the snowmobile industry’s environmental footprint. With Gage’s and other corporate support, CSC challenges the engineers of the future to reengineer an existing snowmobile to reduce emissions and noise. These reimagined snowmobiles are put through a wide range of tests including:

    • Ÿ Emissions
    • Ÿ Noise
    • Ÿ Fuel economy/endurance
    • Ÿ Acceleration
    • Ÿ Handling
    • Ÿ Static display
    • Ÿ Cold start
    • Ÿ …And of course, design

    There are a number of cash prizes and trophies to win and it is a great way for companies to get a closer look at the best new engineers.

    However, the real benefit comes from teaching tomorrow’s engineers that performance, presentation, and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.  As industries become more aware of the profit potential of sustainability, the more we can help save the Earth and reinvigorate the world’s economy. It’s the kind of win-win that is at the core of what we do at Gage.

    If you want to learn more about the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, you can visit their website or their Facebook page.

  9. Custom Test Fuels Eliminate the Guesswork

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    In automotive equipment testing, as in any other area of experimentation, results on one variable are not useful unless all other variables are eliminated. One major source of confusion is typically the fuel used. Unless the test fuel is specifically formulated to a certain set of standards intended to produce a particular performance or result, it’s difficult to calibrate the equipment in question correctly.

    There are many parameters that define a fuel’s performance. Gage Products’ expertise with benchmarking and varying these qualities extends to over 1000 custom blends, and we will work to whatever specific requirements a customer might have. These are just a few of the factors that we take into account when formulating a custom fuel

    • Cetane and Octane.  A measure of combustion quality: Cetane for diesel; RON and MON for gasoline.
    • Distillation and DI.  Distillation is a measure of fuel volatility and is used to calculate the Drivability Index (DI). DI measures factors like a fuel’s performance at different temperatures.
    • Hydrocarbon Types.  Chemical variants including aromatics, olefins, or saturates.
    • Oxygenates.  More chemistry adjustments, such as Alcohols and Ethers like ethanol, isobutanol, methanol, and MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether).
    • Sulfur.  Found in crude oil, concentration is regulated in gasoline and diesel.
    • Vapor Pressure.  Another measure of fuel volatility.

    We’re also able to alter physical properties like pHe, corrosivity and conductivity. Our customer-focused approach means that we will work to create the exact blend that you require. Visit our custom fuels page for more information.

  10. Gage Products at NAIAS 2013

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    Over three-quarters of a million people visited last year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and with that number poised to grow, Gage Products is excited to be among this massive group of attendees later this month, from January 14th through the 22nd. We work with the automotive industry in a number of key areas, namely our custom fuel blend products (used mainly in emissions testing) and our purge solvents used in cleaning automotive paint application lines.  Our paint system line cleaning is used by auto manufacturers to maintain system specifications and restore them to a “bare metal” condition.

    Additionally, as we celebrate our 25th year of solvent recycling, we are proud to be a green partner of the many OEMs that will be present at the Auto Show. We’ll be making the rounds and visiting as many exhibits as we can; this is a great opportunity to keep your finger on the pulse of the state of the industry for the upcoming year. The NAIAS 2013 is the perfect chance to get a snapshot of where auto manufacturing is, and where it’s going.

    In addition to the rollout of the next model year of cars, there are always some great concept cars to take a look at as well. Last year featured, unsurprisingly, lots of hybrid and electric cars, some new takes on minivans and SUVs, and more. Along with other fun elements like the NAIAS photo contest and numerous charity events, the Auto Show can bring in up to $375 million to the Detroit area, so we’re not the only ones looking forward to it. The impact on area businesses is wide-ranging and major. What’s been the best part of past NAIAS shows for you?