A New Environment for Spring Manufacturers: Some Ideas for Going Green and Saving Money
Most of us are aware of the environmental issues we face today. Sometimes we are not sure what to believe about the global warming issue and its true impact on the Earth. However, all you need to do is walk around your community and you can see that pollution and waste in all forms is a growing problem. An effort is underway to work on this problem. It is known as “Going Green” or you may know it as “Sustainability.”
We as spring manufacturers need to do our part to help with these environmental challenges. The Kirk-Habicht Company has been working with the Regional Manufacturers Institute of Maryland, and the Community College of Baltimore County in efforts to educate manufactureers on simple “grass roots” solutions to this problem.
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We all have a responsibility to take care of the environment. The good news is that doing things to help the environment doesn’t have to cost a fortune and will probably save your company energy and money. |
Mike Rothmeier of Simple Solutions works with these organization’s and recently came to Kirk-Habicht to review our company’s latest efforts. Surprisingly, Mike and our employees discovered that our company was actually doing far more than we thought. Obvious things included the recycling of paper, plastic and glass. But other areas, that might not be as obvious, involved the use of lighting, equipment upgrades, waste water systems, and using ovens and fans to our advantage, whether it’s summer or winter.
For example, at Kirk-Habicht we use ceiling fans in the winter to force hot air, which rises to the ceiling, back down into the room. Also in the winter we take advantage of our ovens to help heat the room. We accomplish this by venting hot air into the room during cool down. You also want to keep ovens at a lower temperature if possible between batches. In the summer we use floor fans, along with ventilation equipment to move around the air which keeps areas cooler and saves on the air conditioning.
We do some passivation and black oxide at our facility. Our waste water system is a closed system, which means water is recirculated through an anion and cation tank system. When the tanks themselves need cleansing, they are taken to a facility which recharges them. Any spent material from other operations which needs to be disposed of is taken away by an outside vendor.
There are probably similar things you are currently doing, but it is important for you to do a walkthrough evaluation or “Waste Walk” to determine what more your company could do. You will definitely surprise yourself.
There is also a movement to incorporate lean manufacturing processes into Going Green. The EPA defines lean manufacturing as “a business model and collection of methods that help eliminate waste while delivering quality products on time and at least cost.”
Using the Lean Toolbox, available at the EPA website, to reduce or eliminate process waste is a valuable way to help become a greener manufacturing facility and save money while you’re “doing the right thing.”
To see how lean might help you and your bottom line, there is more information on the EPA website as well as toolkits to assist you. These toolkits and other information can be found at the following links: www.epa.gov/lean or www.greensuppliers.gov
You can also contact:
Mike Rothmeier, Scientist Industrial Engineer, Simple Solutions, (410) 935-1011rothmeier@comcast.net
Laura Pyzik, EPA Life, (202) 566-2843, pyzik.laura@epa.gov
Gordon Lord is the operations manager for Kirk-Habicht Spring Company located in Baltimore, Md. You can contact him at (410) 686-9100, or email: khcoffice@aol.com
