September 2020 MiMfg Magazine 25
“Our joint efforts have
resulted in a smart solution that
delivers faster passenger comfort
and automatically adjusts based on
occupant temperature preferences
and profiles,” said Phil Eyler,
Gentherm’s President & CEO.
“Gentherm’s ClimateSense
technology delivers significant energy
savings and is designed for optimal
efficiency and thermal comfort.”
Lear and Gentherm first
announced the partnership in
January 2019 to drive the future
of passenger thermal seating
solutions. The INTU Thermal
Comfort with ClimateSense
technology is the first marketready
result of the collaboration.
Learn more at lear.com.
Steelcase Teams with
MIT Researchers to
Create Safer Workplaces
Steelcase, an MMA member
since 1932, announced its collaboration
with MIT professor and
disease transmission specialist Dr.
Lydia Bourouiba, of MIT’s
Bourouiba Research Group, to
conduct laboratory testing on
furniture configurations and
materials to determine the best
combinations for reducing the
spread of aerosols.
“The workplace is essential to
drive growth, build culture and
fuel innovation. So, getting people
back into the workplace is critical
to help jump start the economy,”
said Allan Smith, Vice President of
Global Marketing for Steelcase.
“Organizations want to bring
people back to offices that are
compelling but also safe. Our work
with Dr. Bourouiba is critical to
understanding how pathogens travel
through enclosed environments
like the workplace and how we
can design spaces that mitigate
the spread of disease, helping
people to be safer at work.”
The work will occur in phases,
beginning with evaluating current
configurations to determine how
changing the number of people
and furniture arrangement as
well as and adding boundaries or
barriers can create safer spaces.
“Our mission is to apply our
scientific discoveries to positively
impact public health,” says Dr.
Bourouiba. “The opportunity to
work with Steelcase, the global
leader in workplace solutions, is
exciting because it allows us to
amplify our work to mitigate the
spread of disease at a larger scale
and maximize the number of safe
workspaces around the world.”
Steelcase and Dr. Bourouiba
hope to publish their initial
findings later this year.
Learn more at steelcase.com.
CRI’s High-Tech Mobile
Air Filtration System
Grand Rapids-based Clean
Rooms International (CRI), a
10-year MMA member, has
developed Guardiair, a mobile air
filtration system that minimizes
airborne contagions and particles
with 99.99 percent efficiency, in
hopes of curbing the airborne
spread of COVID-19.
“As businesses across the globe
begin to cautiously call employees
back to work, it’s essential to
reassure staff, customers and
other guests that the air they’re
breathing is as safe as possible,”
said Tim Werkema, president
and CEO of CRI.
As transmission of COVID-19
can spread through airborne
respiratory droplets and aerosols,
the Guardiair technology incorporates
a UV-C lamp and ULPA filter to
help boost the level of filtration
and make it a viable solution for
schools, health care settings,
corporate environments,
restaurants and retail.
“Adjusting our surroundings
in response to COVID-19 is
essential to mitigating risk and
offering peace of mind,” said Bret
Asper, COO of CRI.
Visit online to learn more:
cleanroomsint.com.
Newly appointed Amigo President &
CEO Beth Thieme with company
founder (and husband) Al Thieme.
Amigo Mobility Names
Beth Thieme as First
Female President
Amigo Mobility International,
Inc. announced CEO Beth Thieme
as the company’s first female
President. A recipient of the John G.
Thodis Michigan Manufacturer
of the Year Award, Thieme joined
Amigo Mobility in 1975 and has had
a role in nearly every department.
From purchasing to human
resources to sales, working with her
husband Al Thieme, founder and
inventor of the Amigo cart, she has
had a pivotal role in Amigo’s history
by growing the retail sales division.
“Beth has been leading this
company for decades, we are proud
to make it official with the title of
President and know that Amigo
is in good hands with her leading
our team,” said Al Thieme, a 2019
MFG Lifetime Achievement
award recipient.
Endlessly passionate about
Amigo Mobility and the local Great
Lakes Bay community, Beth serves
on the Advisory Board for the
Saginaw Valley State University
College of Business & Management.
She is also the Board Vice Chair
of the Saginaw County Chamber
of Commerce.
“It is an honor to become the
President of the company,” said
Beth. “I am excited to develop and
work with the team who will lead
Amigo into the future. There is
nothing more rewarding than
watching the success of someone
you helped along the way.”
Learn more at myamigo.com. 6