Filtration systems and parts manufacturer Donaldson Company has announced the winners of the company’s 8th Annual Inventor Awards given to employees whose work on various technology innovations have contributed to Donaldson’s continued success as a leader in filtration technology.
Frank A Donaldson Award
The Frank A. Donaldson Award is given to individuals who have minimum 10-year tenure with the company and have demonstrated outstanding, long-term engineering achievement, which has made a positive impact on Donaldson products and technologies.
Winner: Doug Crofoot, Corporate Technology, Director-Process Science
Richard M. Negri Manufacturing Excellence Awards
The Richard M. Negri Manufacturing Excellence Award is given to Donaldson employees who have created and implemented significant process technology and/or product improvements for the Company’s manufacturing operations.
Winner: Greg Reichter, Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Principal Engineer
Technology Achievement Award
The Technology Achievement Award is given to an employee who has developed a material, product, process or method that has made an extraordinary contribution to Donaldson’s long-term success.
Winners: Gary Gillingham, Aerospace & Defense Engineering, Director, Fred Wahlquist, Defense Engineering, Project Engineer and Dan Risch, Corporate Technology, Project Engineer
Product: M1A1 Pulse Jet Air Cleaner
Winners: Tom Raether, Industrial Air Filtration, Sr. Project Engineer, Kris Kosmider, Corporate Technology, Principal Engineer and Steve Johnson, Compressed Air & Gas, Engineering Manager
Product: Downflo Oval Dust Collector
Emerging Innovator
The Emerging Innovator Award recognizes innovative technical leadership from those with fewer than 10 years of experience at Donaldson.
Winners: Arnold Nivelle, Engine Product Management, Material Engineer, Paul Way, Corporate Technology, Laboratory Test Systems Manager and Wenzhong Zhang, Exhaust Emissions, Sr. Principal Engineer
Technology Champion Award
The Technology Champion Award is given to the individual who advances a technology or process “against popular demand” but that later is recognized as a thought-leader by his/her peers as an early-adopter, out-of-the-box thinker within Donaldson.
Winner: Jim Hill, Supply Chain, Planning Manager
“Our technology and operations staff around the world have been instrumental in keeping us on the cutting edge of filtration technology for almost 100 years,” said Donaldson CEO Bill Cook in a press release. “Their efforts have allowed us to continually offer our Customers the best filtration products and value. These awards are an important way for us to recognize those individuals who have helped us to achieve this. Their innovation and dedication is greatly appreciated, and I congratulate them on their success.”
