CleanAIR Systems Moves, Remodels to Tune of $1.2 Million
The New Mexican - February 16, 2009
Bob Quick
Santa Fe manufacturer of emission-control devices, CleanAIR Systems, Inc. is not only celebrating its 15th birthday this year, the company has moved into a recently renovated 30,000-square-foot facility on the edge of Valdes Business Park.
CleanAIR was previously in three buildings on Center Place, off Airport Road.
For their new offices and factory, Michael and Louise Roach, chief executive officer and marketing manager, respectively, bought an existing building at 2600 Camino Entrada that in the mid-1970s was a Levi Strauss jeans factory.
It was later occupied by Eberline, a Santa Fe manufacturer of radiation-detection devices, then by Santa Fe Community College and finally by Josie's Best Tortilla Factory.
The couple spent two years and $1.2 million remodeling the building utilizing what Louise Roach said are "green building concepts."
Among the environmental improvements are:
- the removal of asbestos floor tiles;
- installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems;
- adding energy-efficient electrical fixtures;
- installing a solar-powered gate opener;
- xeriscaping;
- and natural lighting through the use of skylights.
"CleanAIR is also considering future installation of solar or wind power to subsidize the electrical needs of the company," Louise Roach said, adding that the plan is to use a solar film on the roof — not solar panels, which are harder to install.
The Roaches talked about their business in a newly painted conference room, which is also used as a training area.
CleanAIR moved its administrative and engineering offices, emissions-testing facility, catalyst production and steel fabrication to the new facility in October. That resulted in a doubling of the size of their former location, to around 30,000 square feet.
The new facility allows each worker to have his own electric power and compressed-air source, rather than sharing with colleagues, as was the case before. "It's a lot less cramped," Michael Roach said.
CleanAIR still manufactures at its old Center Place site. "We're keeping two of the three buildings on Center Place," Michael Roach said. "That's where we do a lot of our large production."
"It's very busy over there," Louise Roach added.
The company employs 32 people, more in summer, when business picks up.
Because of the slowdown in the economy and widespread layoffs, "a lot of people have been coming to us looking for work," Louise Roach said. "Companies have been laying them off."
As for CleanAIR, "we're not laying people off, but we're not hiring. It's difficult because we don't want to overstaff. We're going to wait and see what happens," Louise Roach said.
CleanAIR is part of Santa Fe's small manufacturing sector, which as of November 2008 employed 900 people, according to the Department of Workforce Solutions' Labor Market Review.
From December of 2007 to the same month of 2008, 200 manufacturing jobs were lost, the review indicated. Five other industry sectors also saw job declines.
February has been a slow month for the company, which is not unusual, Michael Roach said. "Production is catching up with sales."
Helping sales is the fact that CleanAIR has recently introduced two new products. The E-POD is a hybrid technology for large diesel and natural gas stationary engines. It was recently installed on engines in the oil and gas fields of Wyoming.
"You can take an engine made between 1995 to 2000, for example," Michael Roach said, "and by installing E-POD, you can make it completely compliant. It takes emission levels where the Environmental Protection Agency wants them to be."
The other new product, BlueFIRE, an active filter system for diesel off-road vehicles, is being tested on SnowCat vehicles in Tahoe, Nev.
CleanAIR continues to benefit from a contract with Caterpillar. Caterpillar in mid-2006 chose CleanAIR as a strategic alliance partner for emission-control products.
Under the terms of the contract, Clean AIR's reduction technology is installed on existing Caterpilar commercial engines to reduce diesel particulate and other emissions. CleanAIR works with 52 Caterpillar dealers in the U.S. and more overseas.
Until the agreement with CleanAIR, Caterpillar had no one servicing the retrofit market, Louise Roach said previously. "They thought about that end of the business but decided they didn't want to do it."
As a result of the recession, Caterpillar laid off 20,000 workers, a move that Michael Roach called "unsettling" but unlikely to affect the contract with CleanAIR.
CleanAIR sells emission-control devices around the world, with sales representatives in Sweden, South America, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Michael Roach recently returned from a trip to Denmark, where he visited a Caterpillar dealer planning to bid on a job that would place emission-control devices on European tugboats.
"It would be such a huge job," Louise Roach said, adding the proposal is still in the discussion stage. For more information, visit http://www.cleanairsys.com/.
Click here to see original article.
Bob Quick
Santa Fe manufacturer of emission-control devices, CleanAIR Systems, Inc. is not only celebrating its 15th birthday this year, the company has moved into a recently renovated 30,000-square-foot facility on the edge of Valdes Business Park.
CleanAIR was previously in three buildings on Center Place, off Airport Road.
For their new offices and factory, Michael and Louise Roach, chief executive officer and marketing manager, respectively, bought an existing building at 2600 Camino Entrada that in the mid-1970s was a Levi Strauss jeans factory.
It was later occupied by Eberline, a Santa Fe manufacturer of radiation-detection devices, then by Santa Fe Community College and finally by Josie's Best Tortilla Factory.
The couple spent two years and $1.2 million remodeling the building utilizing what Louise Roach said are "green building concepts."
Among the environmental improvements are:
- the removal of asbestos floor tiles;
- installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems;
- adding energy-efficient electrical fixtures;
- installing a solar-powered gate opener;
- xeriscaping;
- and natural lighting through the use of skylights.
"CleanAIR is also considering future installation of solar or wind power to subsidize the electrical needs of the company," Louise Roach said, adding that the plan is to use a solar film on the roof — not solar panels, which are harder to install.
The Roaches talked about their business in a newly painted conference room, which is also used as a training area.
CleanAIR moved its administrative and engineering offices, emissions-testing facility, catalyst production and steel fabrication to the new facility in October. That resulted in a doubling of the size of their former location, to around 30,000 square feet.
The new facility allows each worker to have his own electric power and compressed-air source, rather than sharing with colleagues, as was the case before. "It's a lot less cramped," Michael Roach said.
CleanAIR still manufactures at its old Center Place site. "We're keeping two of the three buildings on Center Place," Michael Roach said. "That's where we do a lot of our large production."
"It's very busy over there," Louise Roach added.
The company employs 32 people, more in summer, when business picks up.
Because of the slowdown in the economy and widespread layoffs, "a lot of people have been coming to us looking for work," Louise Roach said. "Companies have been laying them off."
As for CleanAIR, "we're not laying people off, but we're not hiring. It's difficult because we don't want to overstaff. We're going to wait and see what happens," Louise Roach said.
CleanAIR is part of Santa Fe's small manufacturing sector, which as of November 2008 employed 900 people, according to the Department of Workforce Solutions' Labor Market Review.
From December of 2007 to the same month of 2008, 200 manufacturing jobs were lost, the review indicated. Five other industry sectors also saw job declines.
February has been a slow month for the company, which is not unusual, Michael Roach said. "Production is catching up with sales."
Helping sales is the fact that CleanAIR has recently introduced two new products. The E-POD is a hybrid technology for large diesel and natural gas stationary engines. It was recently installed on engines in the oil and gas fields of Wyoming.
"You can take an engine made between 1995 to 2000, for example," Michael Roach said, "and by installing E-POD, you can make it completely compliant. It takes emission levels where the Environmental Protection Agency wants them to be."
The other new product, BlueFIRE, an active filter system for diesel off-road vehicles, is being tested on SnowCat vehicles in Tahoe, Nev.
CleanAIR continues to benefit from a contract with Caterpillar. Caterpillar in mid-2006 chose CleanAIR as a strategic alliance partner for emission-control products.
Under the terms of the contract, Clean AIR's reduction technology is installed on existing Caterpilar commercial engines to reduce diesel particulate and other emissions. CleanAIR works with 52 Caterpillar dealers in the U.S. and more overseas.
Until the agreement with CleanAIR, Caterpillar had no one servicing the retrofit market, Louise Roach said previously. "They thought about that end of the business but decided they didn't want to do it."
As a result of the recession, Caterpillar laid off 20,000 workers, a move that Michael Roach called "unsettling" but unlikely to affect the contract with CleanAIR.
CleanAIR sells emission-control devices around the world, with sales representatives in Sweden, South America, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Michael Roach recently returned from a trip to Denmark, where he visited a Caterpillar dealer planning to bid on a job that would place emission-control devices on European tugboats.
"It would be such a huge job," Louise Roach said, adding the proposal is still in the discussion stage. For more information, visit http://www.cleanairsys.com/.
Click here to see original article.
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