Assembly Plant of the Year: A Lean, Green Printing Machine

The Xerox Worldwide Production Systems Manufacturing Plant (Webster, NY), recipient of the 2005 Assembly Plant of the Year award sponsored by ASSEMBLY magazine, builds the greenest machine in the commercial printing industry. Indeed, up to 97 percent of the components used in the iGen3 110 digital production press are recyclable or remanufacturable. For instance, screws are used to attach some components, which allows for easy disassembly.

From its earliest concept phases in the mid-1990s, the machine was developed with both the environment and customers in mind. In addition to components being recyclable or remanufacturable:

More than 80 percent, by weight, of the waste generated by the machine-including consumables such as dry ink (toner), packaging and parts--can be returned, reused or recycled.
The dry inks are nontoxic and have a transfer efficiency rate approaching 100 percent, meaning less waste is generated.
The design strictly controls emissions, such as ozone, dust and volatile organic compounds, to the same levels achieved by smaller Xerox office products, and well below levels established by regulations.

"It takes real engineering ingenuity and craftsmanship to create a printing press of this size, complexity and quality, while making sure it meets or exceeds the tough environmental standards we set," claims Ursula Burns, president of Xerox business group operations. "Producing ‘waste-free products from waste-free factories' has been a Xerox direction since 1991. Our most significant product in the past decade embodies the best of our earth-friendly manufacturing and design techniques."

The Worldwide Production Systems Manufacturing Plant is ISO 14001 certified and has passed all external and internal audits by regulatory agencies with zero violations. "In addition, we have quarterly power down and recycling audits," says Joao Borges, vice president of worldwide production systems manufacturing.

"Our design strategy is to support multiple lifetimes and minimize waste," adds Borges. "A majority of the components and all of our products are recyclable or remanufacturable. In addition, 87.9 percent of our manufacturing waste is recycled, a significant achievement for our business."

Austin has been senior editor for ASSEMBLY Magazine since September 1999. He has more than 21 years of b-to-b publishing experience and has written about a wide variety of manufacturing and engineering topics. Austin is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

The ASSEMBLY Show South

ASSEMBLY is thrilled to return to the Music City Center in Nashville, TN for The ASSEMBLY Show SOUTH on May 1-2, 2024. This is a booming time for manufacturing and the U.S. South is right in the heart of the action. According to ASSEMBLY’s most recent annual capital spending survey, the South is projected to account for 31 percent of total spending this year, marking the fifth straight year this region has accounted for at least 30 percent of capital spending in the U.S.

In this session, manufacturers will learn how Quality function deployment (QFD) can transform consumers’ qualitative demands into quantitative parameters that will shape the design of their product and, ultimately, their manufacturing process.

Sponsored by: