Minneapolis, MINN–August 22, 2011–Diversified Plastics, Inc. cuts energy use and saves their customers money. “By reducing our energy consumption, we are reducing our overhead costs,” said Jim Dow, president of Diversified Plastics. “With energy being a significant part of our overhead expense and our competitive quotes governed by our overhead, energy savings translates into more competitive market pricing, which ultimately benefits the customer.”
Diversified Plastics, like many other companies, is looking at energy savings as a way to reduce their operational budget and overall environmental impact. They worked with their local power company to identify potential energy savings. The power company conducted an audit, which resulted in a list of recommendations for Diversified Plastics.
After reviewing all the recommendations, Diversified Plastics determined which actions would produce the best return on investment. The first project involved replacing their manufacturing plantʼs metal halide shop lights with fluorescent lights and the office fluorescents with more energy-efficient models. As an incentive, their power company offered a program which subsidized the replacement cost of new, more efficient lighting. “The cost savings from updating the lighting exceeded our expectations and that success led us to look for other ways to reduce energy consumption,” said Dow. “We knew these changes would be small improvements, but when put together with other energy-saving projects, they could really make a difference over time.”
Employees are updated on the companyʼs energy-saving efforts at monthly meetings. They have suggested many ideas for reducing energy use, some seemed like minor changes at the time, but they produced big results. Suggestions included adding light switches to illuminate smaller warehouse zones rather than turning on banks of lights throughout the warehouse.
Another recommendation was the installation of set-back thermostats for better control of heating and air conditioning during off hours. Even office equipment is now plugged into power strips where employees can ensure all their equipment is turned off with a single switch.
Diversified Plasticʼs energy-savings program is an ongoing effort. Their current project is focused on repairing leaks in the manufacturing plantʼs compressed air system. The company uses a large amount of compressed air during production and if the system has any leaks, the compressor runs more frequently to maintain air pressure.
Energy use also plays a part in Diversified Plasticsʼ equipment buying decisions. “When we purchased an electric press for specific, high-precision applications; energy and cost of operation were key considerations,” Dow points out. “These machines use about one-third less energy than traditional hydraulic presses and require less overall maintenance.”
About Diversified Plastics, Inc.
Diversified Plastics is an injection molder of high-precision, close tolerance, small- to medium-sized injection molded components for medical device, filtration, aerospace and a variety of other industrial markets. The 34-year-old company is a full-service injection molder, from design assistance and mold construction, to intricate molding and clean room assembly. Diversified Plastics is ISO 9001:2008 and 13485:2003 certified, and UL registered.
