Discover the Secrets in the World of Sustainable Manufacturing! Featuring Peter Cirak of Seal Dynamics

When people think of manufacturing, they often envision environmental problems. Did you know that companies are becoming more sustainable and practicing responsible capitalism? Today, we’re featuring Peter Cirak, Director of Quality Assurance with Seal Dynamics. Located in Tampa, FL, this global distributor reverse engineers aircraft parts to maintenance repair facilities worldwide and even airlines like Delta and Southwest! They have stocking locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Dubai, and Singapore. 

A massive, global company comes with big responsibilities for the planet. How does a large manufacturer like this handle sustainability issues and plan a more environmentally-friendly future? Peter Cirak tells us about Seal Dynamics’ sustainability concerns, current initiatives, and plans for a greener tomorrow!

What sustainability issues or concerns does Seal Dynamics have?

Like any other manufacturing facility, there are huge amounts of waste being produced everyday, especially if there are special processes that involve chemicals. Manufacturing companies, like Seal Dynamics, have to receive and ship products using boxes and palettes. All that cardboard generates tons of waste! However, Peter tells us the secret his company does to solve that issue.

Left: Deborah Kozdras (USF Stavros Center) Middle: Peter Cirak (Seal Dynamics) Right: Marilyn Barger (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence)

He says, “We take all that cardboard and shred it in such a way to be used as dunnage.” Dunnage is a material used to secure products during the shipment process. “We take that leftover cardboard and use shredders that recycle that cardboard to use as dunnage.” This tactic is much more sustainable than using something like styrofoam, which is tough to recycle and is actually the worst type of plastic!

What are your sustainable initiatives? 

Source: https://www.ck12.org

Seal dynamics uses large robotic measuring equipment that can begin to wear down after several years of use. Instead of sending them off somewhere and eventually having it end up in a landfill, they take the equipment apart and resell the working components to companies that need them. 

“Finding new uses for things that become obsolete is something that we can even do at home! We take full advantage of this at our facility,” says Peter. Seal Dynamics is living up to the three R’s of the environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. How can you find new uses for items at home?

What sustainable plans does Seal Dynamics have for the future?

One of the largest costs of Seal Dynamics is energy consumption, and they plan to find new ways to cut down on using less electricity. The company is aiming to move and make some upgrades in the future. Peter says he will push to create a more sustainable energy source! He says, “The nice thing about sustainable energy initiatives is that the infrastructure can be placed in such a way where it can handle hurricanes, and this way, you’ve got your own energy source during power outages.” Sustainability is indeed a double-edged sword in a good way!

Peter concluded the interview with an important message for students. He says, “For students going through education right now, people like myself are looking for you to come into the workforce with a passion for sustainable efforts.” Sustainable education is truly the pathway for the future!

Now it is your turn! Conduct some research to learn more about sustainable forms of energy. You can start with some of the resources from our workshop on sustainable energy. What are some energy-saving ideas you could give to Peter? What are some future solutions that Seal Dynamics could implement? 

In the #ReThink Tank

Now that you have learned about the forward-thinking moves that Seal Dynamics has made in terms of becoming more sustainable, conduct some research online. Consider ways that businesses and industry can rethink their processes to become even more sustainable with paper, packaging, and printing. Here are some rethink tank question starters:

1. How can we reduce . . .
2. How can we reuse . . .
3. How can we recycle . . .
4. How can we redesign . . .
5. How can we repurpose . . .

Test your knowledge!

After reading about Peter Cirak's work or watching the videos, take this quiz and find out if you've got what it takes to be a sustainable superhero! If the quiz does work on this page, you can also take it here.