Confidence gap persists in job market

With phrases like "skills gap" and "brain drain" often invoked to explain Michigan's lackluster economy and stagnant incomes, Gov. Rick Snyder led a two-day summit at Cobo Center in Detroit this week to wrestle with the talent dilemma.

After sitting through a few sessions of Day One, the problem seemed apparent to me. Call it a confidence gap, a lack of trust, a loss of faith ― or maybe just, as Cool Hand Luke once said, "a failure to communicate."

We often hear employers complain about inept job candidates or rail about clueless pointy-heads in the education establishment who know nothing about business. A subpar talent pool, they argue, is why Michigan can have a 9 percent jobless rate and more than 60,000 unfilled jobs at the same time.

But it was Scott Temple who turned the light bulb on for me Monday about how all key players in the talent game ― job-seekers, educators and employers ― have had their faith and trust in one another shaken to the core.

Temple, a 1997 graduate of Detroit Mumford High School and with a history degree from Wayne State University, has peddled pizza behind home plate at Tigers games, led museum and church tours, handled auto insurance and workers' compensation claims, and worked at now-defunct Borders Group for three years before jumping ship just ahead of his whole department being eliminated.

Snyder called up Temple and nine other articulate job-seekers in their 20s or early 30s ― all of whom professed a desire to stay in Michigan ― to the podium at Cobo on Monday morning.

The point: Michigan has lots of eager young talent. After their brief remarks, all 10 got hearty applause from the 700 people attending.

Afterward, though, a conversation with Temple left me wondering whether employers fully grasp what the economic upheaval of the early 21st century has done to the psyche of today's work force.

He was talking about his 44-year-old sister, switching careers from teaching to nursing. "She's seen the landscape change," he said, "and she's reinventing herself.

"That's just the way of the world now, because you'll be sitting at your desk, and then you'll hear the word 'cuts.' "And then, you hear the words 'You're safe.'" "And then, you think, 'How long?'"

"And then, you start (to) get that uncomfortable feeling when you see an empty office next to you or down the hall."

What I took away from my chat with Temple ― aside from a conviction that I'd hire him in a heartbeat if I had a job to offer ― was that the traditional unspoken contract between employer and worker has been shattered, and that everybody in his generation knows it.

If you come to work every day and perform well, we will take care of you.

That unspoken promise ― the one Temple's mother trusted through her 41-year career as a schoolteacher and principal in Detroit Public Schools ― is history. It's kaput, just like Borders and scores of other companies that have been vaporized in the age of digital technology and globalization.

Yes, I suppose there's a skills gap that today's teenagers can help close if more choose engineering and technology majors.

And, yes, a denser, cooler, more walkable Detroit might help ease the brain drain from Michigan to cities like Chicago or Boston.

And, yes, our educators can probably do more to understand the needs of businesses that are creating jobs today.

Equally important, though, is the need for business leaders and hiring managers to fully grasp that the old employment contract is kaput ― and that they'd better craft an attractive replacement rationale if they hope to recruit and retain the talent they need.

Selador LED fixtures installed at Netherlands' Ziggo Dome

The Netherlands’ brand new multi-use indoor arena Ziggo Dome has been fitted out with over 400 ETC Selador LED fixtures in a bid to make its house lighting among the best – and greenest – anywhere.

Traditionally, says ETC, arena house lighting has been harsh, using unpleasant sodium or fluorescent fixtures, which do little to reflect the stunning lighting often found on stage. But with 80 ETC Selador Desire Lustr+ LED fixtures above the main arena, and 370 ETC Selador Classic Vivid-R LED fixtures in the surrounding corridors and foyer areas, the Ziggo Dome is claimed to be very different.

Named after Dutch communications company Ziggo, the 17,000 seat venue in Amsterdam hosts a range of different types of events, from Peter Pan, Rihanna and Mumford & Sons, to the music from the BBC’s nature documentary Frozen Planet, the MTV European Music Awards and Top Gear Live.

“We were keen to include a lighting scheme which extended from simply on stage to the whole arena, making the house lights part of the show lights,” said Ziggo Dome’s facilities manager Ruud Bongers. “At the touch of a button, we can make the house lighting change colour, brighten or dim; and it can all be done from one of nine touch panels located around the building.”

One of the major issues when planning house lighting as this was ensuring that not only does the venue look good, but that it remains practical: guests need to be able to see their way to the seats and read their tickets, while maintaining a comfortable level of light. “We did a lot of testing,” said Bongers, “to make sure that everything looked right – and that the LEDs maintained a pleasant skin tone. Selador has some beautiful colour choices.”

The system is controlled by ETC Unison Mosaic, with the Tessera touch panels located around the building so that authorised staff can adjust the lighting in their area; Mosaic is able to supply an sACN signal to the ETC Gateways – which would then send DMX to the fixtures – without extra processing. “In the corridor which circles the building, where bars are located,” says Bongers, “we can have mood lighting which reflects the show. But we can also adjust it to reflect or affect the mood of the crowd: if people are getting a little rowdy, we can adjust the lighting to something a bit calmer.”

A main control panel in the lighting booth allows the operator to override the house lighting across the building. “When a band comes on, you’d want the lighting to fade out,” said production manager Rick Liesveld. “osaic can do more than just a simple 20 second fade: it can start from one end of the hall, and slowly move towards the other end. We call it ‘the blanket’. It’s amazing to hear the noise of the audience die out not as one as you’d expect, but slowly, gradually, from one end, as people realise the show’s about to start.”

“Similarly, at the end of the show, rather than have all the lighting come on at once, we can have the lighting come up in the VIP areas first, followed by the rest of the audience. The lighting is far more interesting and dynamic.”

LED Light For All

More and more governments are looking to use light emitting diodes (LEDs) in place of incandescent (Edison) and florescent lights. While florescent lights were a big step up from Edison lights, LEDs are even better. There are a few big companies worth looking at in this still emerging space as it inches toward the main stream consumer.

Old style incandescent lights are pretty simple: a wire with electricity going through it. The wire heats up and emits energy as both heat and light. Unfortunately, these bulbs aren't very energy efficient, producing more heat than light. This type of light is the heat source in an Easy Bake oven.

Florescent bulbs conduct electricity across a gas filled chamber, causing the gas to emit energy. That energy then causes a powder on the inside of the chamber to light up. This is much more efficient than incandescent lighting, but only recently has the technology been used to create bulbs that would fit Edison style sockets, which represent the vast majority of the “installed” lighting base. The biggest problem with these florescent bulbs, however, is their disposal, since the gas and powder inside can be dangerous. That said, the bulbs last much longer than their predecessor.

The new kid on the block is the LED light bulb. These bulbs are actually a collection of light emitting diodes crammed into a small space. Without getting into the scientific details, they use semiconductors to create light energy and are far more efficient than either of the other two options, producing more light and materially less heat. Still relatively new, they are far more expensive then incandescent or florescent bulbs.

Part of the cost issue with LEDs is because these lights are semiconductor based products, not just a wire being heated up or gas and a fine powder with a current going across it. LED light bulbs are pretty technically complex and the materials are simply more costly. That hasn't stopped their advance.

While the cost savings for individuals may not be enough for people to make the switch to LED lights for their homes; places with lots of lights are already shifting to LEDs. For example, the Holland Tunnel and George Washington Bridge are either using or in the process of switching to LED lights. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates that using LEDs in the Holland Tunnel alone will save more than $250,000 a year and reduce maintenance costs. No wonder the switch is being made.

Philips gets notable public relations marks for lighting the Times Square Ball. Thirty two thousand two hundred fifty six of the company's commercially-available LUXEON LED bulbs were used, which the company claims use 80% less energy than an Edison style bulb. Clearly, the company believes its lighting products are ready for the main stream and has made several acquisitions in recent years to bolster its technology and industry position. It recently realigned the lighting segment, among others, to better serve customers.

That said, Philips, based in the Netherlands, is far more than just a lighting company. It describes itself as a “diversified health and well-being company.” The company highlights its offerings is the health care, lighting, and consumer product areas. It is a large and well established company with a long history of quality products, particularly in the lighting space. With a recent dividend yield of nearly 3%, it is a fairly direct play on the future of lighting.

LED Packaging Report from Yole Developpement

Yole Developpement today announced its new report “LED Packaging.” Compared to the last edition in 2011, this updated version provides you with revised market metrics (packaged LEDs, equipment, materials); a highlight of 2012 light-emitting diode (LED) packaging trends (design, new technologies and materials per process step); and additional analysis (wafer bonding, thermal management at the LED module level).

Depending on the device type, packaging can represent 40% to 60% of an LED’s total cost. As such, packaging represents the single largest opportunity for cost reduction. However, this cost reduction doesn’t come from standardisation. The creativity of LED engineers and the specifics of each application have led to an infinite number of packaging types and formats, such as single or multiple chips, low and middle-power Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC), ceramic-based high-power LEDs, small and large arrays and Chip On Board (COB). This profusion of styles is inhibiting LED manufacturing cost reduction by multiplying the Stock Keeping Units (SKUs), thus preventing standardisation of the manufacturing process and associated economies of scale.

In this context, LED manufacturers are reacting by developing new manufacturing philosophies and concepts, such as:

Design for manufacturing, which consists of simplifying and standardising elements whenever possible, and push differentiation as far downstream as possible in the manufacturing process.

Design for cost, which consists of favouring cost of ownership or cost per lumen over end-performance.

In the end, LEDs will become mainstream but they are still not a mature commodity. This is actually good news for the entire industry, since design and materials innovation still provides opportunity for differentiation. All of this benefits the consumer, who receives budget friendly, environment friendly and increasingly credible LED-based alternatives for replacing traditional light sources.

Yole Developpement’s report represents an overview of all technological aspects of LED packaging. It describes each step of the packaging process flow, discusses the associated technological breakthroughs, provides a summary of key players and more.

The package substrate market will attain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% over the aforementioned period, growing to nearly $900 million USD by 2017. Despite strong price pressure, the LED phosphors’ associated market will also enjoy double-digit growth, with a CAGR of 20% during the period 2012-2017.

In the face of intensifying competition, players are trying to differentiate themselves by proposing an increasing variety of technology options for LED packaging. Substrate material options as well as assembly and interconnection techniques abound as many companies work around the limiting patents of the established players. New players from the general semiconductor markets are proposing new solutions based on their respective capabilities. Similar to integrated circuit (IC) packaging, new technologies for LED packaging mimic the existing ones, without completely phasing them out, and there is still a lot of room for innovation, which could lead to more added value. For such products, however, it remains paramount that the solution offer LED manufacturers an overall reduction in the cost of ownership ($ per lumen).

LED packagers are still using mostly retrofitted equipment from the IC industry and relying on existing technology solutions and materials to improve LED cost of ownership and performance. While this has allowed LED manufacturers to benefit from decades of research and development (R&D) and investments in the IC industry, it also limits the industry to a space defined by existing technology platforms that are not optimised to the specific needs of LEDs. However, the industry gained enough momentum in 2011/2012 to entice equipment and material providers into developing dedicated solutions for LED manufacturing.

Many dedicated solutions emerging from both existing and new players will allow significant reduction in LED manufacturing cost through improved yields, throughputs and material efficiency.

The report LED Packaging presents all materials and equipment used in LED packaging. It describes market size and volume, trends per process step, key suppliers and more.

DEP exhibit enlightens at farm show

If you are thinking about renovating your home or building a new one, you will find some good ideas at a new exhibit at the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's "DEP at Home" exhibit is an interactive, educational exhibit fashioned into a home structure that features practices and products promoting energy efficiency and sustainable building materials as well as environmentally friendly and Pennsylvania-produced products for the home.

"We are trying to show the impacts you can have on the environment by the decisions you make every day in your home," said Kerry Campbell from DEP's Office of Pollution Prevention and Energy Assistance. "If you have a more fuel efficient home, you will use less electricity and other fuels and have less impact on the environment."

"The exhibit is to show in interactive ways what residents can do to reduce energy and water use and how it impacts the environment," said Ann Roda of the agency's Office of Field Operations. "It shows people some easy things they can do at their home."

The three-room exhibit has a bathroom/laundry area, kitchen and living room that showcase decor, appliances and building materials that help improve energy efficiency, water conservation, radon awareness, air quality and other staples of environmental awareness. There is also an outdoor space that includes a dog house with green roofing and a bicycle.

For example, the bathroom features a dual flush toilet which reduces water consumption, low-flow showerheads and a faucet aerator and sink reduces water consumption. The kitchen has cork flooring, LED lighting over the cabinets, natural gas appliances and Ice Stone counter tops which are made with recycled glass and portland cement produced in Pennsylvania. The living room features a programmable thermostat, reclaimed wood and bamboo flooring and carpet squares which prevent excessive carpet replacement.

The display showcases water and energy efficient concepts that can be useful for the homeowner. "These are things that are good for the environment and the bottom line - you can save on water and energy costs," Roda said.

"There are ideas the homeowner can take home, for someone who may build a home there are green ideas here to implement in construction of your home or renovation of your home," Campbell said.

DEP will showcase the new exhibit, which was created through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program, at home shows, schools and other educational events to continue to promote the benefits of energy efficiency and sustainable building practices.

The exhibit goes hand-in-hand with a series of quarterly webinars, also called DEP at Home, produced by DEP to educate families about energy-efficient and environmentally friendly practices they can implement in their homes.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs through Saturday. Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free, and parking is $10. The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center is easily accessed from nearby Interstate 81.