What is SITTM Technologies? Today, business manager Dennis Murphy drops in to talk about what they do and their plans for the future in Sault Ste. Marie

A Sault Ste. Marie company, SITTM Technologies Inc., is developing a small-scale, fully automated biodiesel production system.

Norm Jaehrling, Dr. Luc Duchesne and John Barbeau are hoping Number 7 will be lucky for Stick it To The Man (SITTM) Technologies Inc. SITTM is currently building prototype Number 7 in its line of high-efficiency, low-volume biodiesel production units.

A biofuel co-operative and sustainable biomass production zone project is moving forward with a financial boost from city council. Council approved funding the project to the tune of $30,000 from the economic development fund Monday.

The Grand Theatre was shining with bright stars on Wednesday June 10, 2009 when the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) held their fourth annual SSMARt (Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Region) Innovation Awards. Formerly known as the SSMARt IT Awards, the gala ceremony honours and recognizes local talent in the science and IT sectors.

A one-year pilot project to determine how biodiesel affects the city’s transit buses has been deemed successful. Two regular buses and a parabus were tested for a year and results indicate emissions were low, engine wear improved but cost savings were minimal. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources, such as vegetable oils and waste oil products.

The Government of Canada is committed to improving the economic vitality of Northern Ontario by investing in projects that support community economic development, information and communications technology (ICT), innovation and youth. SITTM Technologies has recieved a FedNor investment of $105,000 to develop an automated, small-scale commercial device, with the capacity to produce high quality, low-cost, environmentally-friendly biodiesel fuel.

Sault Ste. Marie-based SITTM Technologies Inc. is one of 12 Canadian companies that has been selected to receive funding from a pool of $1.9 million aimed at helping small companies bring their intelligent systems products to market faster in spite of uncertain economic times.

The Community Capacity Building Award is presented to an organization that has demonstrated an exceptional ability to compete globally through innovation, telecommunications or trade. Together, both companies are focused on the development of a unique, compact, portable scalable bio-refinery that responds to the growing global demand for production of renewable energy at the local level and small scale.

The continued success of a trial using biodiesel supplied and produced by SITTM Technologies to the City of Sault Ste. Marie will result in the expansion of the project. Additional vehicles will now be added to the trial further reducing the harmful emissions being released locally and moving the fleet towards the complete integration of biodiesel into their fuel supply.