By Jonathan Ellis and Cody Winchester, USA TODAY
A growing number of people are investing in small electricity generating wind turbines for residential use, despite the bad economy, and backers of wind power say they expect advances in technology and manufacturing to make them even more popular.
Nearly 10,000 units were sold nationally in 2009, the latest available data, according to the American Wind Energy Association. In 2001, only 2,100 units were sold. Continue reading
Interview with Alternative Energy Magazine and Lavon Winkler, Milbank President and CEO
Tell our readers a little about your company. What’s your main line of business?
Milbank has been manufacturing metering equipment for the electrical distribution industry for nearly 85 years. In 2009, Milbank entered the renewable energy market in order to align its goals with the growing green movement and provide sustainable energy options to the residential, commercial, industrial, utility and transportation sectors.
Lavon Winkler, Milbank Manufacturing Co.
What is the nature of your distribution?
Milbank continues to build a national network of dealers who sell and install Milbank PowerGenTM wind turbines ranging from 1kW to 100kW. Our well-trained dealer partners ensure that the turbines are installed and maintained to the highest standard of safety.
Reprinted from NBC Action News website.
Towering over Milbank Manufacturing’s training center on Gardner Road is a 120 ft wind turbine. The company has installed KCMO’s first wind turbine.
Click to view video.
“We need to be taking every opportunity that we have to be using renewable sources, whether it be wind, solar, geothermal,” said Milbank President Lavon Winkler.
The wind turbine produces enough energy to power 75-percent of the company’s 65,000 square foot training center. The company is saving money off the machine, but they’re mostly making money off turbines. Milbank started selling wind turbines about a year ago.
Reprinted from Electrical Wholesaling Magazine.
MEVSE-RS Pedestal
Milbank teams with AeroVironment to add EV charging systems to its PowerGen™ line
Milbank Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo., announced an agreement with AeroVironment Inc. (AV), Monrovia, Calif., under which Milbank will market AeroVironment’s line of electric-vehicle charging systems under the Milbank PowerGen™ brand through its network of independent manufacturers’ reps and electrical distributors.
The move is part of a broader effort by Milbank to flesh out its PowerGen™ lineup to cover a wide range of renewable power systems and the controls to make them work, says Lavon Winkler, Milbank’s president and chief executive officer. Milbank is doing this through a combination of partnerships with niche manufacturers and product development firms.
Milbank launched its Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging station earlier this month at the DistribuTECH conference in San Diego, Calif. Ben Lack of the Daily Energy Report interviewed Milbank’s COO and Sr. VP of Operations, Eric Krichbaum, as he discussed a new strategic partnership with AeroVironment to manufacture and market an electric vehicle charging station and the impact that EV charging stations will have on the smart grid.
Click here to view the video.
SAN DIEGO, Calif., DistribuTECH, Feb. 1, 2011 — Milbank Manufacturing Co. of Kansas City, Mo., announced today that it has selected AeroVironment, Inc. (AV)(NASDAQ: AVAV) of Monrovia, Calif., to provide AV’s electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to its customers – including utilities, developers, contractors, businesses, and consumers – through Milbank’s nationwide distribution network. The partnership enhances Milbank’s PowerGen™ line of renewable power solutions and furthers the expansion of EV charging infrastructure throughout the United States.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In another step in providing a comprehensive line of renewable energy solutions, Milbank PowerGen™ has partnered with St.Augustine, Fla.-based Solar Stik to offer compact, portable solar generators.
“These solar generators are ideal for remote applications, outdoor recreation,construction sites and sites with noise restrictions,” Milbank PowerGen™ General Manager Chris Nicholson said. “Milbank is excited to partner with Solar Stik to provide an effective product to meet these needs.”
The new Lite-Series solar generators feature two solar panels and a Power Pak battery pack that can provide up to one kilowatt-hour (80 amp-hours) per day, enough to power laptops, televisions, lighting, tools and more. The system is lightweight, compact and can be set up by one person in five minute or less.
What a busy few months we’ve had here at Milbank PowerGen! On a chilly morning in late November, the PowerGen team and key Milbank personnel were accompanied by North Kansas City Electric to break ground on the installation of our 50kW E-Series wind turbine at Milbank’s Gardner location. This is the first and only turbine in Kansas City proper, and we are thrilled to be able to offset traditional energy costs with this new addition. Not only will this prove to be a long-term financial asset, the turbine will also be used as a training tool along with the newly renovated Milbank National Training Center (MNTC) which is also located at the Gardner facility.
Reprinted from the Kansas City Business Journal
When talking about 83-year-old companies, you’re much more likely to hear descriptors like “institution” than “innovator.” Really, both apply to Milbank Manufacturing.
Milbank has been a trusted supplier of meter sockets and various electrical supplies for decades. This is no small feat.
Equally impressive is a recent move by the company to continue to adapt to the times.
In 2007, the company began to re-examine its processes to look for ways to become more efficient. It found avenues to reduce lead time by more than 50 percent and save millions by making big cuts in inventory of in-process and finished goods. It also was able to shrink its space needs.
But Milbank officials didn’t just pat themselves on the back and pocket the savings. They came up with a plan to use some of the savings and extra space to get into the alternative energy solutions business.
Reprinted from the Kansas City Business Journal, article by James Dornbrook.
Milbank Manufacturing hopes to energize its growth potential by branching into alternative energy solutions.
The 83-year-old Kansas City-based manufacturer is widely recognized as a leading provider of the electric metering sockets seen on virtually every home and business. In the past three years, Milbank also plugged into the retail market for electrical sockets, becoming the sole provider to Lowe’s Home Improvement. Now, Milbank has signed several agreements with alternative energy providers and is investing in training and facilities for that new business.
“We want to leverage our brand recognition and work with providers of alternative energy who have products but maybe not the access to the marketplace,” COO Eric Krichbaum said.
Milbank plans to be a consultant, installer and service provider for those products. Milbank will discuss what types of solutions clients seek — anything from a need for continuous, uninterrupted power to full independence from the power grid, and everything in between.