HIGH POINT, NC—Furniture Brands International has completed the American Home Furnishings Alliance’s environmental management system at all of its domestic facilities, including plants, warehouses and offices. Under the system, facilities must improve management of resources and raw materials, reduce energy and water consumption, and reduce waste disposal and associated costs.
CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen is aiming to reduce its worldwide energy consumption by 25 percent and triple the renewable energy it uses by 2018, part of a program called Think Blue.
MOUNTAIN HOME, AR—Eaton Corp. is investing $222,000 in its assembly plant here to reduce the facility’s environmental footprint and improve its energy efficiency.
In April, electronics assembler Mack Technologies completed work on a substantial installation of money-saving technology at its factory in Westford, MA. The company didn’t get a new paste printer, reflow oven or pick-and-place machine. In fact, the plant’s slick new technology had nothing to do with assembly.
WASHINGTON—Total energy consumption in the manufacturing sector decreased by 17 percent from 2002 to 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The decline in energy intensity reflects both improvements in energy efficiency and changes in the manufacturing output mix.
BOWLING GREEN, KY—GM’s Corvette assembly plant here is one of 54 facilities to meet a voluntary energy-reduction challenge set by the Environmental Protection Agency, cutting its energy intensity by 26 percent in less than one year.
DEARBORN, MI—The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $292,000 to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to create university-based programs that will help local manufacturers conserve energy.