Sustainable Manufacturing
Sponsored by Arup
Manufacturing efficiency has always been essential. How can you make it even more advantageous?
Due to increasing public concern, legislative change, and governmental interest, sustainability in manufacturing is an issue of growing importance to any company. However, sustainability can also provide competitive advantage and make sound economic sense for your company. By assessing your processes in the Sustainable Manufacturing module you can adapt your business and increase both commercial appeal and profitability.
This section has been compiled in collaboration with Arup’s Industrial Sustainability Team and WMG. Your answers, together with the information provided in other sections of the audit, should enable assessors to determine the progress your business has made towards becoming more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
Congratulations to the 2011 winner Agfa Graphics
Since then they have worked relentlessly to raise standards and repair morale. A key area of improvement has been in sustainability which the Leeds employees actively support. The biodiversity on site is impressive and staff are encouraged to plant wildflowers and learn about bee keeping!
The plant sent its last skip of general waste to landfill in June 2010. Having previously produced 6,000 tonnes of waste, this is a sizeable achievement. They have also successfully drilled a pilot water borehole and have received consent to drill a production water borehole to source its own water in December 2011.
A heat exchanger system was installed in 2010 which reduces gas consumption by recycling waste process heat to provide heating for the factory while external temperatures remain above 4 degrees (some gas is still used when the temperature falls below 4 degrees).
Graham Cooper, Director Agfa Graphics Ltd said: “We are extremely proud of our achievements in the sustainability arena. We could not have achieved so much without the committed support of all of our employees. Being winners in the prestigious Institution of Mechanical Engineers Manufacturing Excellence programme, recognises the efforts of the whole Leeds team.”
