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62

BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – July/August 2017

It is well known that Indiana companies like

Subaru and Cummins are doing their part, but what

other Indiana organizations are leading the production

industry in environmental stewardship? More

importantly, what are they doing? How can your

organization learn from and reap the benefits?

By no means is this meant to downplay what our

state’s major players in sustainability are doing. Many of

those companies participate in the Indiana Department

of Environmental Management’s Environmental

Stewardship Program (ESP), which collectively reduced

water usage by 52.8 million gallons, enough to fill

nearly 80 Olympic-sized pools. Other reductions

include 1.6 billion BTUs of natural gas, five tons of

hazardous waste and diversion of 475 tons of trash from

landfills.

Many of these reductions also have continuous cost

savings. Profit is a key component of the sustainability

equation – People, Planet, Profit – and it takes a

collective approach including vendors, customers and

employees to achieve a sustainability goal.

Resin efficiency

Ryan Morrell-Peters, OPEX/lean leader for

Nyloncraft, an injection molding company located in

Mishawaka, emphasized the importance of taking a

collective approach by involving affected parties in its

resin recycling program. In this case, the key parties

were plant employees and the recycling vendor.

For Nyloncraft, Morrell-Peters says part of the

success is due to the “understanding of process flows

and flow of materials within the plant to maximize

efficiency.” This lean approach allows recycling

activities to be integrated into day-to-day operations.

First, Nyloncraft helped its recycling vendor better

understand resin types. To maximize handling and

recycling efficiency, the vendor needs to be able to

identify the resins upon pickup; therefore, Nyloncraft

must separate the materials.

Initially, a laborer was used to sort material, but a

more efficient method was to locate color-coded

containers and signage in the plant where operators

could place material, essentially integrating sorting

activities into the process. To do this, product mix and

process flows within the facility were analyzed to

maximize bin location without constraining space and

production.

The company also works to reduce raw material

usage by regrinding scrap into virgin material.

Originally, as part of a customer initiative, laser cutters

are used to cut out material to make the product more

lightweight. This activity requires continued testing and

communication with the customer to determine an

appropriate percentage of regrind for each product.

Equipment outcomes

What about when your company needs to buy new

equipment? For Kevin Birchmier, president of TOPP

Industries in Rochester, purchasing a new molding

machine in May 2016 was purely a financial decision to

increase productivity. In retrospect, the sustainable

impacts are now being realized.

Rather than spraying water on the tooling as part

of the cooling process, leaving water to be discharged

or evaporate, the new unit circulates a glycol water mix

through a closed loop inside the tooling components.

Additionally, the new unit is equipped with more

efficient components using less natural gas, and it is able

to contain all scrap to be reused in the process. This

move is poised to save TOPP several thousands of

dollars over the next few years in utilities, including

water and natural gas usage.

The return on investment (ROI) for Birchmier was

that the new unit could produce 1,928 parts per hour

compared to 156 parts per hours of the old machine,

but the ROI is even more appealing when you factor in

the cost savings of water, natural gas and reduction in

raw material.

Oil reduction

Another aspect Indiana companies are looking to

improve on is oil usage. Companies have little say on

the price of the oil they purchase, so reducing the usage

allows those fluctuations in prices to have less impact

on the bottom line. Mills across Indiana have hydraulic

equipment, many of which may have recurring leaks

due to age. One mill is working to limit equipment

leaks and extend the life of the hydraulic oil.

The first step is to reduce oil usage. To do this,

each unit is inspected and tagged. Each leak is then

sealed and evaluated during SPCC (Spill Prevention,

Control and Countermeasure) inspections to ensure

effectiveness. Since the equipment consistently leaks,

the current practice is to fill the equipment with new

oil as oil levels drop, but this limits the company’s

ability to maximize the life of the oil. By sealing the

leaks, the company can now have its vendor test and

clean the oil and have it eventually replaced at an

optimal time.

Indiana companies have shown managing their

environmental impacts is not only good for our

communities, but there is an economic benefit too. A

sustainable decision is one that positively impacts

people, planet and profit.

Tony DeMarco, MBA

AUTHOR:

Tony DeMarco,

MBA, is vice president of

consulting services for BCA

Environmental Consultants’

compliance group located in

South Bend. Learn more at

www.bcaconsultants.com

Making an Impact

Stewardship Provides Universal Benefits

At times, Indiana is labeled a “state that does not care about the environment.” But let’s

look at what is actually occurring at the plant level.

GUEST COLUMN