New York Times Praises New American Manufacturing Facility Designed to Compete in Today's Global Marketplace
DOMANI Sustainability Consultants Played Key Roles in Design Development
August 24, 2006; Denver, Colorado - In an Op-Ed piece published in the New York Times (1/18/06, page A19), world-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New York Times columnist, Thomas L. Friedman, described how a brand new "hyper-efficient green" microchip factory near Dallas, Texas, proves that American manufacturing "can be efficient and profitable and create good American jobs in the 21st Century."
Friedman, who has written and lectured extensively about globalization and how America's industries need to implement innovative sustainability design practices, said that Texas Instruments' (TI) new chip manufacturing facility is "the most impressive project I've seen."
Sustainability consultants with DOMANI Sustainability Consulting, LLC (DOMANI) provided Project Management and Project Engineering expertise to the TI "Fab One" fabrication facility, while formerly employed by the Rocky Mountain Institute. The consultants researched industry trends, assembled an international team of engineering and technical specialists to participate in a three-day workshop with TI facility engineers and managers, and then helped to focus the diverse group on key design objectives. The output of this workshop formed the basis of improved design for all major electrical, mechanical, and structural systems of the new facility, proving that corporate America has the wherewithal to create quality manufacturing jobs by 'doing things smarter.'
Catherine Greener, Managing Director of DOMANI and head of its Strategic Sustainability Services Practice, provided project management expertise to TI. "Our role was to help the many brilliant experts on the design team to think differently," said Greener, who has more than 20 years of experience in the implementation of sustainability, lean manufacturing, and industrial quality management systems. "By breaking down mental barriers and by aligning technology and environmental expertise with business and finance, the design team was able to produce innovations that significantly reduced the cost of manufacturing a microchip in the heartland of America."
In the New York Times article, Friedman indicated that TI built its new facility for $180 million less (30 percent less per square foot) than its last factory built in Dallas in the late 1990s. By designing a facility that reduces resource consumption, the "cost per wafer at the new facility will be competitive with any overseas plant," said Friedman.
"The new Texas Instruments facility demonstrates that American manufacturing can be innovative and competitive using sustainable development design thinking and technologies," said Greener at DOMANI. "With the high level of creativity and entrepreneurship that exists in our culture, employing holistic concepts throughout a design project will invariably produce breakthroughs that will continue to lower operating costs and create new jobs for Americans."
----------------
DOMANI's sustainability consultants and green building consultants provide professional expertise to multinational clients worldwide through its offices in Denver, Chicago, and its new green building/LEED office in Manhattan, New York City. For further information about DOMANI, please visit http://www.domani.com or contact Maureen Meegan at 303.232.0193 or Mary Osterman at 631.232.7983.
DOMANI is a subsidiary of ENR 200 environmental consulting firm Roux Associates, Inc. (http://www.rouxinc.com), which provides professional expertise in contaminated site investigations, remediation, facility decontamination/demolition, remedial system design/O&M, Superfund remedial investigations/feasibility studies, brownfield redevelopment consulting, risk assessments, indoor air quality studies, air compliance/monitoring, phyto-remediation/natural engineered systems, mold investigations/remediation, and litigation support. For further information about Roux Associates, visit http://www.rouxinc.com.
----------------
Media Contact:
Al Lewis, Environmental Marketing & Communications Inc.
212.496.1940
alewisEMCI@aol.com.