Home Tech Gets K/BIS Cooking
Nr. 3 | June 2008
EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
AskIT
Spam I Am p.14
Market Spotlight – Architecture
Four New Products p.15
Interview – Michael Kitts
Talking Cents p.16
It was a blustery few days at the beginning of April in Chicago. But inside McCormick Place Convention Center, SCHOTT’s booth at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) heated things up. The theme of Home Tech’s first booth at the K/BIS show in more than 10 years was “The New Face of Glass-Ceramics,” which highlighted Ceran’s unique environmentally friendly attributes and aesthetic attributes. Unlike other types of glassceramic cooktops, Ceran® glassceramic cooktops do not use heavy metals, such as arsenic and antimony, in the production process. Other manufacturers rely on these heavy metals to remove bubbles as the glass-ceramic cools after being melted. SCHOTT, however, has developed a proprietary process that doesn’t require them. This step has allowed Whirlpool, one of SCHOTT’s largest customers in North America to eliminate 60 tons of arsenic in its cooktops annually. Whirlpool, like many companies in the U.S., has increased importance on the environmental impact of the company and becoming more environmentally responsible. “Many appliances are recognized for eco-friendly attributes like energy and water savings, but often cooking appliances are overlooked,” said Vikas Sharma, senior category manager, Whirlpool cooking. “SCHOTT’s latest
SCHOTT Raises Visibility of Solar with Federal Government
The Capitol building in Washington D.C. is at the center of the solar debate.
In May, Dr. Alex Marker, Research Fellow and the current Director of the Regional R+D Department in Duryea, PA presented expert testimony on solar power in front of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the US Helsinki Commission. The bicameral commission is an independent U.S. government agency created in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments. Dr. Marker testified before the commission with a five-minute verbal statement, a submitted written statement, and answered questions presented to him by the commission. The testimony, titled “The Power of Solar Energy,” presented facts on the viability of solar power as a resource to stabilize energy prices, create jobs in
the U.S., secure the nation’s energy independence, all while reducing the country’s carbon emissions. “This was a tremendous opportunity to speak to our Congressional Representatives and Senators, and show them the importance of providing the solar industry with the support it needs to provide America with a clean energy future,” said Dr. Alex Marker. Dr. Marker’s testimony pointed to Spain and Germany as examples of how effective legislation can lead to job and economic growth in the renewable energy sector. He also spoke directly to the myth that solar was too expensive – showing independent analysis that showed a cost parity with fossil fuel technologies by 2020. “When you lay out all of the facts, on a purely financial basis,
solar makes sense in the longrun,” explained Dr. Marker. “Then when you consider it’s renewable energy, with no carbon emissions, it solidifies the case. Critics will talk about how solar will only exist on subsidies, but that’s just not true. Any new industry, including oil, coal, and nuclear, is heavily subsidized at its infancy to bring the costs down. Why should solar, which has a tremendous potential, be treated any differently?” SCHOTT, with the most diversified product portfolio and as one of the world’s largest manufacturers in the solar energy sector, can speak authoritatively on the subject of solar. Copies of Dr. Marker’s testimony are available for download at www.seia.org Info
alex.marker@us.schott.com
Dr. Marker prepares to give his testimony on the importance of solar energy.
innovation helps us make progress toward creating an eco-friendly kitchen of today without compromising efficiency.” SCHOTT also displayed ClearTrans and FlashColors cooktops, which bring aesthetic benefits. “Cooktops have long been function over form,” explained Carlos Mendia, Sales Manger for Ceran in the Americas. “With ClearTrans and FlashColors, SCHOTT is showing that cooktops can be an element of design in the kitchen.”
Seeing is Believing To show attendees the interplay between form and function, SCHOTT constructed a giant cooktop for the show (see article in the April issue of SCHOTT World America). The unit had both radiant and induction units, to show the differences between the two. Thanks to the hard work from Home Tech employees in Vincennes and Louisville, the massive cooktop was one of the highlights of the show. (cont. on page 15)
Amy Wilson in Home Tech production in Vincennes carries a portion of the large cooktop.
FINE WORDS
Emphasizing People, Process, Innovation within the organization. But I also need your support, which is why I’d like to share with you my roadmap on what we need to do.
Dr. Gerald Fine, President & CEO of SCHOTT North America
The foundation of a progressive company rest in its people, its products, and how the people get the products to the market. SCHOTT is, of course, no different. While there are many talented individuals within the organization, and many successful products, there is work that needs to be done to improve the long-term strength of the company in three key areas. I presented the management team of SCHOTT with my ideas on these topics during the Annual Corporate Conference (ACC), which was held in Washington D.C. this spring. It is only through their support that we’ll be able to make meaningful changes
People The company must ensure it has a well thought-out succession plan in place for key positions, and must work hard to recruit the next generation of talent. As we continue to make major investments, like those in Albuquerque, we’re finding it difficult to staff key positions, since we don’t want to create a “brain drain” within other areas of the organization. To get the talented and motivated professionals we desire, we need to take a fourstep approach. The first step is creating a performance-based culture internally, where every employee strives—and is rewarded—for doing the best. We need to open up the talent pipeline by hiring and identifying high potential employees and we need to create and execute meaningful roadmaps for their development. We also need to improve communication within the company. I’m taking this step by writing this column every issue, and soon you’ll see a blog from me on (cont. on page 14)