September 26, 2024
Episode 012 - September 26, 2024
Main Stories
- Tippecanoe Labs in Lafayette, Ind., recently celebrated its annual Safety Days, transforming safety training into a fun and memorable event
- Two years after its opening, Evonik's Allentown Innovation Hub has become a place that fosters collaboration and drives innovation
News Briefs
- Where can U.S. voters find registration and election information specific to their states?
- Evonik Canada commemorates the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a video featuring Phyllis Webstad, founder of the Orange Shirt Society
Hello, I'm your host, Adam Brunner, and welcome to the Avonic Minute, your quick bi-weekly podcast for all the important stories, news, and announcements for Avonic's North America region. The date is September 26, 2024, and on today's episode, Yvonnek's tippy canoe laboratories transform safety training into an unforgettable experience. And we go inside the Allentown Innovation Hub, which is celebrating its second anniversary of aiding Avonic in shaping the future. Those stories and more coming up in just a minute. First up, tippy canoe has some fun with teaching safety. Tippy canoe laboratories in Lafayette, Indiana recently celebrated its annual safety days. The event was organized by Mackenzie Temi, the process safety engineer manager at the site. Everyone looks forward to safety days here at tippy. The theme this year was safety sense, don't ignore your sense of unease, because we want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable speaking up about safety concerns they notice around the plant. And to help drive that point home, we set up interactive booths, we put up safety challenges and some exciting demonstrations like our yard spotter rodeo. And personally, I really enjoyed the Jaws of Life Jenga station. I got to use a big, heavy hydraulic rescue tool to carefully move giant blocks in a four-foot game of Jenga, it was a lot of fun. These activities were designed not only to be enjoyable, but also to enhance safety awareness and encourage the reporting of any potential hazards. The event underscored the message that safety is an everyday priority. This was highlighted in an interview between the Lafayette's Star City News and Todd Wetley, the incoming site manager for tippy canoe labs. That tippy canoe lab, safety is foundational to what we do, the two we are. Our safety days, events are a testament to that. They're not only an opportunity to underscore the critical role of safety in our workplace, but also enjoy ourselves in the process. When we're learning and we enjoy learning, the lessons tend to stick. That's the goal of safety day, to create a fantastic atmosphere where everyone can learn valuable lessons from their work at the plant, but also take it home with them and apply it in their personal lives. Lastly, an update on Avonix Innovation Center. Two years ago, Avonik welcomed state and local officials to the grand opening of its North America Innovation Hub, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Since then, the facility has lived up to its name, as site manager Tracy Mole explains. Over the past two years, the Allentown Innovation Hub has really taken off as a powerhouse for growth and creativity for Avonik and North America. From the ribbon cutting to today, we've seen a transformation, not just in the size, but also in the scope of what we can accomplish. Our top-notch labs and collaboration spaces encourage teamwork and sparks new ideas. In the Lehigh Valley, we're at the center of dynamic business and technology ecosystem. We're not just part of this community, we're actively shaping the future of it in the chemical industry in North America as a whole. Currently, the hub is home to over 60 active state-of-the-art testing and processing labs, a pilot plant, and a collaboration hub. It fosters interactions across business lines and is strategically located within reach of major business centers like New York City and Boston and academic institutions in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. This means that the Allentown hub is pivotal in Avonik's globalization strategy for R&D. It positions the hub at the forefront of research and development in North America, regional expansion, and the green transformation. One of its recent initiatives is the Global Semiconductor Center of Excellence, as explained by Puneema Rubero, technical marketing manager for the Sileen's business line, who helped set up the lab for Avonik. Yeah, so when I first joined, it was just empty walls, I mean empty lab. So it was like starting a startup within a big company like Iwanik, but we are a chemical supplier for the chip manufacturing industry. Chip manufacturing involves very complex processes, including chemical vapor deposition, chemical mechanical polishing. So here Iwanik, we have the capability to meet the quality and specification standards for these chemicals, so chip manufacturers like that. Before you go, on November 5th, U.S. citizens will participate in various local, state, and national elections. Voters can find registration and election information specific to their states at their official state websites, or by using national resources like Vote411.org or Vote.org for guidance. Finally, Iwanik, Canada is commemorating this year's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a video featuring Phyllis Webstadt, founder of the Orange Shirt Society and a survivor of the First Nations Residential School System. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed on September 30th in Canada and honors the lost children and survivors of forced assimilation in Indian residential schools as well as their families and communities. And that's the news. I'm Adam Brunner. Thank you for spending some time with us today on The Avonik Minute. ♪♪♪ Iwanik, leading beyond chemistry.
