Enter to Win – Social Media Giveaway

Posted on by Aire Technologies

Aire Technologies is hosting a giveaway for our social media followers. Enter to win a Yeti 45 Tundra hard cooler and a $50 Amazon gift card in just four easy steps!

How to enter (Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn):
1. Like/follow Aire Technologies
2. Like the giveaway post
3. Tag 2 friends in the comments
4. Share the post to your feed

BONUS ENTRIES: Complete these steps on Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn to enter. Each additional platform you complete these steps on will count as a bonus entry. Three (3) entries are allowed per person TOTAL (one per platform).

RULES & ELIGIBILITY: You must complete all steps to enter, or your name will not be entered into the drawing. The deadline to enter is June 23, 2023, at midnight EST.  The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. You must be 18+ years old to enter.  No purchase is necessary to enter.

IRS regulations stipulate that for employees who receive any prize of cash, gift card, or goods/services (other than de minimis), it must be included in the recipient’s taxable gross income. For any DMI employee winning a prize, the fair market value will be included in the employee’s taxable gross income and reported on their W2 form.

If a non-DMI employee wins a prize, the prize amount will be treated as 1099 income. The recipient will receive a Form 1099-MISC on any winnings totaling $600 or more in a calendar year.  The recipient must complete and submit an IRS Form W-9, which includes their social security number, before receiving the prize if DMI determines the prize value to require a 1099.

Good luck to all participants!

Schedule an Aire Technologies Product Training Now!

Posted on by Aire Technologies

Schedule a training session with our Aire Technologies representatives today to ensure you’re up to date with our four core product lines’ latest essential training information.

Who Should Attend Aire Technologies Trainings and Why?

Aire Technologies manufactures very specific life safety products that, when installed or used incorrectly, can void the critical UL rating to which the products were originally designed, tested, and approved. These products increase the allowable amount of time occupants of a building have to escape in the event of a fire.

Our training courses are meant for manufacturer’s representatives, wholesalers, contractors, engineers, inspectors, architects, and anyone else who would benefit from Aire Technologies product training.  Architects, please note that our courses are AIA accredited for one LU credit.

What Training Courses are Available?

Aire Technologies offers four key training courses with the following learning objectives:

  • Ceiling Radiation Dampers (CRDs)
    • Specify the appropriate floor/ceiling and roof/ceiling assembly for a multi-family, senior living, or mixed-use project.
    • Identify operation, testing procedures, classifications, and listings for UL-rated life safety products in architectural assemblies.
    • Specify approved life safety dampers for different floor/ceiling and roof/ceiling assemblies by navigating the UL fire resistance directory.
  • Fire Dampers
    • Specify the appropriate fire and/or smoke-resistive products given a penetration through a wall, floor, barrier, or partition.
    • Identify operation, testing procedures, classifications, and listings for UL-rated life safety products.
    • Understand the differences and similarities between using fire dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire and smoke dampers.
  • Leakage-Rated Life Safety Dampers
    • Specify the appropriate fire and/or smoke-resistive products given a penetration through a wall, floor, barrier, or partition.
    • Identify operation, testing procedures, classifications, and listings for UL-rated life safety products.
    • Understand the differences and similarities between using fire dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire and smoke dampers.
  • Louvers
    • Specify the appropriate louver for intake or exhaust penetration.
    • Identify operation, testing procedures, classifications, and listings for extruded aluminum louver products.

Each training course takes approximately 30-45 minutes.  If desired, you may schedule more than one training course consecutively.

Where Does the Training Take Place?

The best part about Aire Technologies’ training courses is that our representatives will come right to you, or it can be conducted virtually, depending on your preference and schedule.

Whether you attend in person or virtually, you’ll receive the same high-quality educational training from our knowledgeable representatives.

How Do I Schedule a Training?

To schedule one of Aire Technologies’ four key training courses, please fill out the online submission form below, or contact [email protected] with the following information:

  • Full Name
  • Company
  • Location (City, State)
  • Product line(s) of interest
  • Have you done business with Aire Technologies in the past?

To avoid scheduling conflicts, please get in touch with us to schedule your training at least one month before the desired date.  Our representatives may be able to accommodate a sooner date, depending on their schedules and time of year.

We look forward to seeing you and providing the product training you deserve!

 

Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council Releases Playbook for Competitiveness

Posted on by Aire Technologies

DMI Companies, Inc.’s President and CEO Ray Yeager has worked closely with the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council and other manufacturers for the past 18 months to develop a complete Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook that is now available to the public.

DMI is a World Class Manufacturing enterprise because of its employees and strategic plan for success. All Pennsylvania manufacturers can reach this level of success if they utilize the Playbook blueprint.

The Playbook recommends three game changers for improving Pennsylvania manufacturing’s competitive position:
• Recapture Pennsylvania’s manufacturing competitive advantage by aggressively pursuing manufacturing growth sectors to drive prosperity.
• Invest in the factory of the future to boost the performance of small and medium-sized companies, improve the quality of manufacturing jobs, and provide better career options for more of Pennsylvania’s citizens.
• Unleash the power of advanced manufacturing to drive regional prosperity through policies and services that are more responsive to the needs of manufacturers.

The manufacturing sector is fundamental to Pennsylvania’s economic success, can compete more effectively, and offers a growing number of well-paying jobs, but the sector needs the commonwealth’s help. That’s the findings from a new report released by the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council, a nonpartisan partnership of manufacturers and public support organizations. Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook identifies three game changers for Pennsylvanian manufacturing and offers ten actionable strategies to help make Pennsylvania’s manufacturing economy more robust and resilient.

“It’s vital that we do more for manufacturing because it represents one of Pennsylvania’s largest sectors, pays better than most others, and offers good benefits,” COO of the Berks County Workforce Development Board and Council Co-Chair Dan Fogarty said. “The Playbook is a great first step toward coming together around how we can be there for the sector and for communities across the Commonwealth that both support and benefit from our great industrial employers,” he added.

Manufacturing contributes $113 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP and employs an estimated 563,000 Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Playbook includes recommendations developed by a group of 25 manufacturing and public leaders with the help of recommendations and insights offered by more than 500 manufacturers from across the Commonwealth.

The Playbook builds on Pennsylvania’s historic strengths in manufacturing and captures a vision for Pennsylvania’s future as a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

DMI urges Pennsylvania manufacturers to take the time to read the Playbook and share it with their colleagues, friends, and business associates.

CLICK HERE to download the full Playbook from the Manufacturing Advisory Council’s website.

Aire Technologies Holds 2022 Manufacturer’s Representative Forum

Posted on by Aire Technologies

Aire Technologies held its second Manufacturers’ Representative Forum at the Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe in Canonsburg, PA on September 13-15, 2022.  It has been six years since the inaugural forum in 2016. This event was held as a cooperative event focused on open dialogue between all stakeholders. Aire Tech provided product overviews including sales metrics, new devices, market news, industry updates, and steel and aluminum supply outlooks. The representatives were also provided with in-depth manufacturing and shipping process overviews followed by a tour of our Monongahela, PA, facility.

During the first day, attendees spent the day traveling to Pittsburgh and getting settled into their hotel rooms.  Later that evening, attendees were taken to Primanti Brothers in Washington, PA, for a casual dinner and social event.

During the second day, attendees spent half of the day in the Parlor C conference room engaged in presentations by Aire Technologies team members. The second half of the day was spent touring our Monongahela, PA, facility.  Presenters included Michael Florian, Brian Rudolph, Ben Stock, Duane Fetko, Sean Trudeau, Greg Krueger, Zack Zimmerman, Dan Quiroga, and John Newman.  Lunch was held at Vincent’s of Southpointe in Canonsburg, PA, and dinner was held at Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse in Pittsburgh later that evening.

During the third and final day, individual territory meetings with the representatives were held at 45-minute intervals to discuss performance, sales metrics, and 2023 forecasting. Representatives in attendance included The Kivlan Group, Gunder Associates, Sales Management Solutions, Wright Sales, Southern Rep Agency, The McAllister Group, The Eby Co., and EP Sales.

Aire Technologies provided group ground transportation to attendees throughout the forum with van drivers Tom Dunay, Jerry Morris, and Tim Jenkins of the Aire Tech manufacturing team.

Thank you to all who attended, presented, and helped organize this forum.  As always, we look forward to the next one!

Our 2020 Sustainability Report Is Now Available

Posted on by Aire Technologies

Our annual report is now available highlighting our corporate wide sustainability efforts including our Zero Waste and Energy/Water Conversations strategies.

The Year’s Overview – Ray Yeager, President and CEO

Dear stakeholder,

2020 was an incredible year by all accounts – incredibly difficult, but also incredibly successful in spite of all the challenges. Although our face-to-face interactions were hindered, our sustainability efforts still can be considered one of our greatest successes of the year.

DMI Companies is a leader of sustainable efforts throughout the country. Our new five-year strategic plan places ‘Sustainability’ at the forefront, allowing our long term vision to be focused on innovative products and sustainable solutions. Our new, overarching strategic objectives guide our organization to operate in a manner that both protects and promotes the well-being of our environment. The corporate initiatives include a continuous emphasis on encouraging all DMI employees to build a better, more sustainable world. Each of our employees make a difference.

In 2020, we were able to emphasize our commitment to environmental, social and community stewardship. Here are just a few examples of what our sustainability program accomplished:

  • Our Monongahela facility became Gold recertified through the TRUE program!
    • Our landfill diversion rate is now over 96%. I am proud of the Sustainability Team and all our employees for going the extra mile in 2020 to achieve this Top Tier Status.
  • Adopted ‘Environmentally Preferred Purchasing’ strategies.
    • The goal of this is to encourage source reductions through procurement. Our purchasing department was trained on how to find the most eco-friendly, responsibly-sourced products and services for all our company needs. We always aim to find less/non-hazardous and energy efficient solutions.
  • Monongahela’s “Rag Roll-out”:
    • Originally, our production staff utilized old pieces of clothing as rags. These rags were minimally absorbent and needed to be thrown into our dumpster once soiled. Now, we work with a local vendor to purchase efficient cotton rags which are collected once soiled, washed and resold. With this seemingly small change, we’ve been able to reduce our rag waste by 100%.
  • Sustainable practices have started spreading to Wagoner, Oklahoma.
    • All cardboard and shrink wrap waste will now be diverted from landfill, baled and sold to local commodity buyers. It is our hope that Wagoner will be our next certified zero-waste site by 2023!
  • Put Green Engineering strategies in motion:
    • In October, our engineering team designed and created a new semi-automated punch press for our Fire & Smoke department. Components were sourced from scrapped, discontinued or on-hand items which allowed us to cut costs and reduce waste during the construction process.
  • Made our headquarters in Charleroi, Pennsylvania as energy efficient as possible.
    • Built in 1889, our current headquarter building was once a bank, hotel, and housed numerous other operations. With retrofits and redesigns, the building is now Energy Star certified. We first achieved this feat in 2012 when the building was 123 years old. Now, it is considered one of the most energy efficient buildings of its time in the world!
  • Our Manufacturing Execution System (MES) implemented in 2020 with the roll-out of Industry 4.0 has allowed several of our production floors to go completely paperless.

We remain an active participate in every community in which we operate; albeit in 2020 most of our interaction was virtual.  In 2021 we will again venture outside our doors to help our communities to thrive.  Expect to see our amazing staff members help put our communities back together.By thinking and acting sustainably, we will continue to deliver excellent customer service and produce strong financial results and position the company for a strong future.  The future is here!  If you have any questions or comments about this subject or any other topic, please feel free to correspond with me at [email protected].

Sustainability Strategy – Paxton Bucheral, Sustainability and Environmental Compliance Manger

In last year’s annual report, we made the announcement that our Monongahela facility became silver-certified through the Total Resource Use & Efficiency (TRUE) program, administered by GBCI. The TRUE Zero Waste certification program is an assessor-based program that rates how well facilities perform in minimizing their non-hazardous, solid wastes and maximizing their efficiency in the use of resources by awarding credits when certain milestones are achieved. I am pleased to announce that as of October 2020, our Monongahela facility has been recertified with the TRUE Gold Zero-Waste certification, reaching a waste diversion rate of 96.68%.

We committed to improving our diversion rate to over 97% in our 2019 annual report. Originally, we believed that it would take several years to achieve that goal but with everyone’s combined efforts, we were able to complete it within 10 months. Much of our recertification effort stemmed from the Procurement Department’s commitment to source reduction. In 2020, we challenged our vendors to redesign their packaging on the materials we buy and sought to buy the majority of our products locally, where applicable. Our buyers all received training on how to put EPA-based Environmentally Preferred Purchasing strategies to use.

Going forward, the TRUE program will be used to help us define, pursue, and maximize our zero-waste goals while reducing our carbon footprint and supporting community health. Our focus will be to continue pushing our sustainable strategies into each of DMI’s facilities. Continued implementation of this program offers a platform for perpetual improvement that leads to advanced certification levels and aligns with DMI’s sustainable core concepts: people, planet, and profit.

Our current waste program is providing a sustained benefit to the bottom line as we were able to avoid$92,000 worth of expenses in 2020. The list below summarizes some of our recycling and reduction efforts during the calendar year:

  • 2,379 tons of metal recycled
  • 92 tons of wood recycled
  • 40 tons (combined) of cardboard & plastic film recycled 18 tons of totes and drums recycled
  • 78 tons of pallets reused
  • 81 tons of steel pallets returned to vendor

Although 2020 was a challenging year for companies and commodity markets alike, our Monongahela location was able to divert 2,717 total tons of waste from landfill – a 96.68% diversion rate. We are committed to increasing this quantity year over year and incorporating our sustainability program throughout every single DMI facility across the country.

Energy and Water Conservation

Energy conservation continues to be a top priority at all DMI facilities. In 2020, we took advantage of multiple energy rebates to improve our infrastructure while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and costs. Solar panels, LED lighting, skylights and energy-efficient air compressors are a few examples of our continued initiatives.  Continued on the next page are our combined energy statistics in 2020:

  • Electricity consumption: +0.25%
  • Water consumption: +3.87%
  • Natural Gas consumption: -39.57%

With the vast majority of our office personnel working remotely or on staggered shifts, we were able to keep the buildings at a lower temperature throughout the cold months which led to a huge reduction of our natural gas usage. Although we were lucky that our production did not slow across 2020, it did cause us to see a slight increase in our electric usage. Throughout the year, we discovered several faulty toilets and sinks whose leaks caused an increase in our annual water usage.

Our headquarter building in Charleroi, Pennsylvania maintains an Energy Star score of 75, allowing the 130 year old building to be eligible for an Energy Star certification. All our facilities are outfitted with LED lighting, motion sensors and water-efficient fixtures. We will work towards addressing our water and electric usage to assure that we can maintain the greatest efficiency possible.

Workforce Development – Katie Hager, Workforce Development Manger

We can all agree 2020 had its fair share of challenges! Despite them all, our workforce persevered and we have quite a few note-worthy accomplishments:

DMI’s Wagoner facility is poised for great things.  When DMI relocated its Tulsa, OK facility to Wagoner, OK in 2017, the plan was to, gradually, build the manufacturing operations of this much larger space to, somewhat, mirror Monongahela operations.  This would allow key product lines to be moved or duplicated in a strategic location that would facilitate market expansion and growth across all SBUs.  In fact, Wagoner is the only DMI location that manufactures products for all five SBUs.  DMI also had a goal of having enough production in Wagoner to support employing 40 people within five years.  Well, in 2020 Wagoner exceeded that goal early.  They now have enough production to support over 40 jobs.  Throughout 2020, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, teams from across DMI worked together to design and install the ATI Insulated Register Box (IRB) and GSI Pipe lines in Wagoner.  This included training employees on standard operating procedures, quality control and scheduling, to name a few.  The addition of these lines added five new employees and improved sales and distribution capabilities.

Bruce Ellsworth and David Verbanick of DMI Monongahela were the first graduates of DMI’s Maintenance Technician (MT) program.  During their 15-month program, they worked with the DMI Maintenance, Production and Engineering teams to assimilate what they learned in their classroom training into DMI’s increasing culture of automation.  In December 2020, they earned their certificates in Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics from Westmoreland County Community College and assumed their new roles.    As Maintenance Technicians, David and Bruce will be responsible for the overall efficiency of our robotics and automated systems which is a vital component of DMI’s Industry 4.0 and IT/OT initiatives.

Our workforce showed great resolve and resiliency.  When other businesses shut down and left millions of people without jobs, benefits and hope, DMI was able to continue making our products because they were essential to people’s everyday lives.  A number of our products were used in the construction of temporary hospitals to help treat COVID-19 patients when hospitals were overrun.  We even converted one of our lines to manufacture metal nose strips for N95 masks.  We donated over a half million of these strips to help overcome the mask shortage so that medical personnel and first responders could continue to safely care for the sick.  To make this happen, the entire DMI team learned new ways of doing business whether it was adjusting to alternate procedures, learning new skills or leveraging technology.  Throughout these challenging circumstances, our workforce showed up in a big way to ensure DMI could do its part to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, continue to serve our customers’ needs and remain a leader in our industry.

Our People – Melissa Lourimore, Human Resources Manger

Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

The year 2020 and the global COVID-19 pandemic was one for the record books! Its challenges often felt impossible but through hard work and ingenuity, we never gave up and kept our doors open to keep our workforce employed, and our customer needs met.

In 2020, the world confirmed what we always knew; DMI Companies is an “essential business.” During the shutdown orders, we remained open and made products that enabled other essential businesses to function. DMI products were included in temporary hospitals erected to aid with the care of COVID-19 patients. Our employees did not face the challenges of losing their income or benefits that millions of other American workers faced due to the pandemic. Quite honestly, we could not find enough workers to do all the work we had available in our facilities.

As CDC, federal, state and local government guidance became available, the COVID Task Force reviewed and adapted to develop protocols necessary to keep our employees safe. Increased cleaning of high-touch areas, mandatory face mask usage, reworking of work stations to encourage social distancing and temperature checks of all employees are just a few examples of those protocols. All the extra handwashing kept other common illnesses away too!

The pandemic created a historic deployment of remote work and digital access across all areas of our business, and we are stronger because of it. Business travel abruptly halted, and it forced us to enrich the customer experience through video conferencing and virtual trainings. Many of our staff worked remotely for the first time. We overcame equipment shortages and learning curves. It may not become the new normal, but it has become another tool in our toolbox.

It was often difficult, but in the end, we did the impossible and made it through 2020 intact – poised to be even stronger in the future. We missed being together in person and hope the vaccines will allow us to gather again in the near future. Our Ownership, Board of Directors and Senior Management were proud of our employee’s courage to face the challenges of 2020 during such a difficult period of uncertainty.

Manufacturing will always be an essential part of any thriving community. We each play an important role in our success. 2020 made us resilient, more flexible, and able to think outside the box in a way we never thought possible.

Financial Growth and Stability – Dan Bruno, Chief Financial Officer

DMI Companies takes pride in being a socially responsible corporate citizen, and recognizes the importance of sustainability in that role. We believe that there can most often be great harmony between environmental, ecological and economical sustainability, and we always strive to act in ways that ensure those harmonies. Our continued growth and financial success will never compromise our commitment to the sustainability of future generations!

Ray Yeager Appointed Co-Chair – CEOs for Sustainability

Posted on by Aire Technologies

We are proud to announce that DMI Companies President and CEO Ray Yeager has been appointed to Co-Chair of CEOs for Sustainability. Ray is looking forward to sharing our successful sustainability practices with other companies so they can experience the same benefits as DMI.  One of the first projects that Ray will be involved with is the Leading Forward initiative – “a call to action for businesses in the Pittsburgh region to commit to a sustainable economic recovery”. Ray will be a great asset to this project and to his new role!

Read the full story here.

From Silver to Gold – TRUE Zero Waste Certification

Posted on by Aire Technologies

2020 was a difficult year for businesses and individuals alike; however, it ended up being the best year to date for DMI’s sustainability program.  Our Monongahela facility ended the year with a land?ll diversion rate of over 97% and became recertified through TRUE at a Gold level!  They achieved 11 additional TRUE credits in 2020, which helped to bolster our higher recertification.

In 2020, the Monongahela facility recycled 2,698 tons of materials, ranging from metals to mix bags.  Together, Monongahela and Charleroi composted nearly 1,200 lbs. of food scraps and recycled 500 lbs. of universal/electronic waste.  More than 15 printer ink cartridges were diverted from the landfill, as well.

The efforts and diligence of the entire DMI team made this possible and we’re so thankful for all of you! Let’s see if we can surpass our numbers again this year!

Congratulations To Make-A-Wish. ATI Is Proud To Celebrate 40 Years Of Granting Wishes.

Posted on by Aire Technologies

ATI And Make-A-Wish

Aire Technologies is proud to join Make-A-Wish in its 40th year of granting wishes. Our logo’s blue star represents our mutual commitment to delivering hope and joy to children with critical illnesses in our community.

DMI Companies and ATI have been working with Make-A-Wish to grant a wish to a child in need every year since 1990.

For more information on the Make-A-Wish Organization, please visit their website at https://wish.org/

Our 2019 Sustainability Report Is Now Available

Posted on by Aire Technologies

The Year’s Overview – Presented by Ray Yeager (President/CEO)

Dear stakeholder,

In previous years, I indicated how our success breeds more success in a multitude of ways. The Annual Report follows the same outline of DMI Sustainability efforts and the benefit to our stakeholders.

DMI Companies aspires to be a leader of sustainable efforts throughout the United States. We focus on sustainability in our corporate strategy through innovative products, operations, and employee engagement (i.e. culture change). A sustainable environment requires culture change. At DMI, all of our employees make a difference. From the board room to the shop floor, everyone is a contributor, and everyone is an environmental steward.

Our business performance has the commitment to environmental, social and community stewardship by:

  • Reducing the environmental footprint
    • Continually increasing our reduce, recycle and reuse efforts;
    • Implementing projects for waste minimization, and energy and water savings;
    • Working within the supply chain – building owners, engineers, contractors, distributors and vendors to create energy and labor-saving products.
  • Engaging in sustainability issues
    • Speaking to stakeholders such as employees, industry groups, universities, legislators, community leaders, various administrative agencies, and our board of directors to promote sustainability;
    • Increasing transparency and disclosure of our sustainable performance through our Annual Sustainability Report.
  • Supporting sustainable development
    • Collaborating with stakeholders to grow sustainably while considering the social, economic and environmental impact of our decisions;
    • Creating an innovative infrastructure to support our product development, our operational lean enterprise and our corporate sustainability culture.

DMI Companies began our sustainable journey from day one. We like to say, “Sustainability is in our DNA.”

Our most recent (2019) accomplishment – Zero Waste to Landfill Silver certification through the U.S Green Building Council’s TRUE certification process at our Monongahela Facility – was years in the making. It was made possible by our employees who dedicated their efforts to such a worthwhile endeavor. And remember, just around the corner will be other zero waste to landfill facilities at DMI.

We commit ourselves to integrating sustainability as a core value for DMI – protecting the health and well-being of our employees and our communities. We actively participate in every community in which we operate. We want these communities to thrive.

By thinking and acting sustainably, we will continue to deliver excellent customer service and produce strong financial results and position the company for a strong future. The future is here! If you have any questions or comments about this subject or others, please feel free to correspond with me at [email protected]

Sustainability Strategy – Presented by Paxton Bucheral (Sustainability & Environmental Compliance Manager)

ZERO WASTE STRATEGY

In last year’s annual report, we made the commitment to have our Monongahela facility certified through the Total Resource Use & Efficiency (TRUE) program, administered by GBCI. The TRUE Zero Waste certification program is an assessor-based program that rates how well facilities perform in minimizing their non-hazardous, solid wastes and maximizing their efficiency in the use of resources by awarding credits when certain milestones are achieved. I am pleased to announce that as of March 2019, our Monongahela facility has been awarded the TRUE Silver Zero-Waste certification, reaching a waste diversion rate of 94.49%.

We aim to improve our diversion rate to over 97% over the next few years as we expand our recycling, reduction and reuse opportunities across all DMI Companies’ sites. The TRUE program will be used to help us define, pursue and maximize our zero-waste goals while reducing our carbon footprint and supporting community health. Our focus will expand beyond diversion rates and look towards upstream policies and practices to put our goals within reach. Continued implementation of this program offers a platform for perpetual improvement that leads to advanced certification levels and aligns with DMI’s sustainable core concepts: people, planet, and profit.

In 2018, a Green Procurement policy was enacted to support DMI’s sustainability program with initiatives to minimize potential environmental impact. As of 2019. DMI’s Procurement Department has received training on environmentally-preferred purchasing standards set forth by the U.S EPA. The procurement team supports our reduce-recycle-reuse efforts by minimizing the creation of waste through reduced packaging, and by buying green products containing recycled content where possible.

Our current waste program is providing a sustained benefit to the bottom line as we were able to avoid $87,000 worth of expenses in 2019. The list below summarizes some of our recycling and reduction efforts during the calendar year:

  • 2,469 tons of metal recycled
  • 79 tons of wood recycled
  • 44 tons (combined) of cardboard & plastic film recycled
  • 9 tons of totes and drums recycled
  • 59 tons of pallets reused
  • 55 tons of steel pallets returned to vendor
  • 5 tons of plastic steel coil spacers returned to vendor

Although 2019’s recycling markets proved volatile, our Monongahela location was able to divert 2,751 total tons of waste from landfill – a 95.76% diversion rate. We are committed to increasing this quantity year over year and incorporating our sustainability program throughout every single DMI facility across the country.

ENERGY & WATER CONSERVATION

Energy conservation continues to be a top priority at all DMI facilities. In 2019, we took advantage of multiple energy rebates to improve our infrastructure while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and costs. Solar panels, LED lighting, skylights and energy-efficient air compressors are a few examples of our continued initiatives. Continued on the next page are our combined energy statistics in 2019:

  • Electricity consumption: +5.11%
  • Water consumption: -26.28%
  • Natural Gas consumption: -9.85%

We remedied our excessive natural gas usage (2018) by installing air curtains and repairing gas leaks. The addition of ultra-low-flow toilets and water-efficient coffee systems at our Monongahela and Charleroi facilities have assisted in our continued reduction of water usage. Although we missed the mark on electricity consumption, we are addressing our current use of occupancy sensors and LED lighting to help us get back on track in 2020.

We continue to maximize our impact on the community’s energy conservation efforts, as well. By taking advantage of energy rebates, we installed two electric vehicle charging stations at our Monongahela facility, available for public use. At our annual Manufacturing Day with local school students, we participated in Energy Efficiency Day alongside representatives from the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA).

Workforce Development – Presented by Katie Hager (Workforce Development Manager)

As you probably know, DMI Companies has been investing greatly in upgrading and updating our systems, equipment and processes as part of our journey towards building the Factory of the Future. While these efforts will result in numerous improvements across DMI, the most significant benefits will directly affect our people – employees and customers.

Equipment upgrades such as fiber lasers, robotics arms and other automation features have reduced much of the labor-intensive work, improved safety and provided opportunities for employees to increase their skills and knowledge to advance on their career pathways. Instead of performing heavy lifting and rigorous manual work, these employees have been trained to operate and maintain the new automated systems that will do this work for them. Many repetitive jobs have been replaced with more exciting, higher-skilled advanced technology roles. This has resulted in many new opportunities for employees throughout DMI Companies. Just one example of this are the two Monongahela employees who are currently being trained as Maintenance Technicians so they can ensure overall machine and system efficiency around our new advanced manufacturing systems.

Implementations including DMIOne, MES, CPQ, VPI and more will integrate and optimize aging manual and automated processes to fill gaps, reduce errors, improve communication and drive process improvement. In preparation for these advancements, we have been conducting extensive training to prepare those who will be using the new systems. The result will be an improved employee and customer experience from ordering to production planning, and shipping.

In addition, automation and data analytic capabilities provided by these upgrades can help identify, control and optimize energy resources which will further our sustainability goals and provide cost-saving opportunities. The combination of these changes will better enable us to respond to change, meet customer needs, protect our environment and keep up with industry advancements. This will not only contribute to our continued profitable growth, but it will also further our position as an employer of choice and an industry leader.

Our People – Presented by Melissa Lourimore (Human Resources Manager)

Former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr was quoted as saying, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”.  As we step into the next phase of the Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0, we as a Company will be stretched in ways we’ve never before experienced or imagined when DMI Companies began over 40 years ago.  As a company that is more broad than deep, it is those very experiences that allow all of our employees to grow and thrive professionally and personally.

In our home city of Pittsburgh, PA, Heinz 57 is a shortened form of a historical advertising slogan “57 Varieties”, by the H. J. Heinz Company. It has come to mean anything that is comprised or mixed from a lot of parts or origins.  That is an excellent way to describe all of the employees of DMI Companies.  We are a group of individuals diverse in education, training and work experience.  Each of us brings things to the table others do not have and makes the sum greater than all the parts.

DMI is rich in history and looks forward to blazing trails as we step into this new decade. We will continue to adapt to changes in the industry, economy and compliance requirements.  There is no doubt we will pull together as a team to face each challenge and overcome it to allow us to continue to meet the needs of our customers and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.

It continues to be a challenge to find and retain great people for openings for all companies in the United States due to record low unemployment rates and high demands. DMI works hard to show the world that a career in manufacturing is a path to great personal success by providing a stable and safe workplace with a fair compensation package that includes generous health and retirement benefits.

Our Ownership, Board of Directors and Senior Management are proud of the team we have built and feel confident that we will go into the future with the utmost integrity and professionalism that will allow us to continue to be the world leader in HVAC products, service and design for many, many years to come.

Financial Growth & Stability – Presented by Dan Bruno (Chief Financial Officer)

DMI Companies takes pride in being a socially responsible corporate citizen and recognizes the importance of sustainability in that role. We believe that there can most often be great harmony between environmental, ecological and economical sustainability, and we always strive to act in ways that ensure those harmonies. Our continued growth and financial success will never compromise our commitment to the sustainability of future generations!

To download a PDF version of this report Click Here.

ATI’s Main PA Manufacturing Facility Achieves Zero Waste to Landfill Rating

Posted on by Aire Technologies

ATI is proud to announce that our main manufacturing facility, located in Monongahela PA, is now classified as a zero waste to landfill facility.

In 2018, ATI and our sister companies at DMI diverted 94.49% of our waste from incineration/landfill through recycle, reuse and reduction programs and plans to improve that diversion rate by 1% annually.  This allowed us to obtain a Silver rating for zero waste to landfill on the TRUE scale on March 15th, 2019.  TRUE– certified projects are environmentally responsible and must achieve a minimum of 90 percent waste diversion. The program helps facilities turn waste into savings, cut greenhouse gas emissions, manage risk, reinvest resources and create jobs.

For more information on our zero waste to landfill achievement and other DMI news please visit http://dmicompanies.com/blog.