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San Diego State
University's Industrial Assessment Center facilitates productivity
improvements of small and medium-sized manufacturing facilities in San
Diego through increased energy efficiency, waste minimization and
operations efficiency. |
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Confidentiality |
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During
and prior to our visit to a plant, we collect some data that will
help us in calculating cost savings of recommended ideas. All such
data are treated as confidential information. As a result, we do not
associate a company's name with the data in any discussions or
vendors without permission from the plant. The company's name will
not appear in the report. However, to insure continued high quality
service, all our reports are reviewed by the United States
Department of Energy's (DOE) field manager who funds this project.
The field manager has reviewed our reports for over ten years, more
than 275 assessments with no confidentiality problems. Some data is
entered into a national database available for public access on the
Internet at http://oipea-www.rutgers.edu/.
The name remains anonymous in the database, and the database doesn't
associate plant names with any specific plant information:
production, operation, or cost. This database is a valuable tool for
manufacturers and researchers who want to know the savings of
various types of projects.
Our work at a particular plant may be a
good subject for a future case study to be published or posted at
our web site. However, such a case study will be subject to the
plant's review and approval. In addition, DOE or DOE's field manager
may request a full or partial list of plants we have served,
primarily for a follow-up interview. The list will not associate
plant names with report numbers or any company data and information.
If a company is selected for further contact, the field manager will
call the contact person to conduct a brief interview about the
program. The interview is for verification or for follow-up
purposes, to justify continued funding of the program. |
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