PENNTAP Wins Two National Awards for Helping State Businesses

November 21, 2000

University Park, PA------The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PENNTAP) has won two Outstanding Project of the Year awards from the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers (NAMTAC).

Two PENNTAP technical specialists who helped businesses in central and southern Pennsylvania were recently presented with the awards at NAMTAC’s annual awards banquet in Norfolk, Virginia.

John Pletcher, a forest products specialist at PENNTAP’s University Park office, assisted Appalachian Wood Products, a company in Clearfield that manufactures cabinet doors for the kitchen and bath industry. Appalachian Wood Products was experiencing a 22 percent rejection rate from their panel department because the panels were coming apart at the joints. Working one-on-one with the company’s engineer, Pletcher recommended several process and environmental improvements that helped the company reduce its rejection rate to 8 percent. "When you look at the cost of labor and materials, they saved $665,000," said Pletcher. He estimated that the savings will increase to approximately $1 million a year. Pletcher’s project won in NAMTAC’s technology transfer category. "Most assistance centers have process engineers and computer people, but not someone who is focused on helping the wood industry," said Pletcher, who holds degrees in forestry and forest products. "That’s what made this project unique."

Senior technical specialist Warren Weaver, based at PENNTAP’s York office, worked with a food processing company in south central Pennsylvania. Weaver, along with a team of two professors and two graduate students from the environmental engineering department at Penn State Harrisburg, evaluated the company’s processes and procedures and provided technical assistance as part of a pollution prevention grant program. The goal of the program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was to help firms become sustainable by minimizing their waste quantities and environmental impact. After spending $40,000 to implement some of the process improvements recommended by the PENNTAP team, the

company saved $962,000 the first year. "They were able to deal with their wastewater problems based on the advice we gave," said Weaver. The company also reported that the team may have prevented a plant closure, possibly saving 250 jobs. Weaver’s project was named outstanding in NAMTAC’s special assistance category.

PENNTAP is a federal-state-university partnership that provides free technical assistance and information to businesses in Pennsylvania. For further information about PENNTAP visit www.penntap.psu.edu or contact Jack Gido at 814-865-0427.

NAMTAC is a non-profit association that provides advocacy, information, and a forum to enhance the performance of organizations providing business, economic development, and technical assistance to businesses and communities.

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