Much of that energy is still obtained from the very fossil fuels accused of severely affecting the environment and climate. Opinions may differ on this, but it’s hard to hear constant news of wildfires, floods, and storms and not wonder if something is going on.

Mostly prompted by concerned citizens – from schoolchildren to leading scientists – governments around the world have also taken notice of the wildfires and other natural disasters in their countries. And over time they have tried to encourage companies and businesses, including those in the manufacturing industry, to make their processes more environmentally friendly or “green.” With varying success, it may be noted.

In a Forbes article, Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, a non-profit organization that works to accelerate climate actions, talks about government trends to encourage and incentivize companies to develop greener practices.

“Governments’ economic stimulus plans will likely provide the biggest injection of cash we will see in the next 10 years, so we must make sure it is directed into the right areas,” says Clarkson. “Practically, the investment needs to create jobs and security, but it must also give people hope for a safer, brighter tomorrow.”

Setting a standard

With increasing funds potentially becoming available to support companies that want to transform their processes, some companies are taking it upon themselves to enforce new sustainability standards. That’s nothing but a positive trend.

Known as voluntary sustainability standards, these prompt companies to develop and modify their products to meet specific economic, social, and environmentally sustainable targets. These standards may define all the steps that go into creating a product, from raw materials to manufacturing to quality. The process may well cover the transportation of the product, depending on which standards are followed.

And while potential “beneficial stimulus” from the government sounds good, there are some other additional, powerful, and immediate advantages to voluntarily applying sustainability standards to production processes and products.

A driving force behind sustainability standards is the market itself. Consumers are becoming much more conscious about the products they buy. In particular, they look more closely at how products are made and at any negative impact on the environment, or economic impact on people.

The Economist has reported on these changing patterns evidenced in how people shop: “New shoppers are not just value-conscious, but also increasingly project their ethical and political values onto their decisions about what they buy. So for example they select firms on the basis of their environmental credentials and supply-chain standards.”

By making changes to their processes, companies not only can help the environment, but they can also generate a little positive PR while they’re at it.

Data comes into its own

Not only does applying voluntary standards to the manufacturing process make sense from a market viewpoint, but a company can also catch small problems and get ahead of them before they become bigger problems. That’s because an important source behind implementing sustainability standards is data.

Making changes means collecting and processing data which often uncovers waste and inefficiencies that may add up to significant costs over time. So as companies move toward sustainability and reduce their resource footprint, they may get part of the way there by improving performance and reducing inefficiencies.

How does it look in the broader landscape? Manufacturers are not silos, but connected and reliant on suppliers and power providers.

Companies, and entire industries, will have to change their operations as sustainability becomes even more of a driver for doing business. Auto companies, for instance, are investing heavily in developing and manufacturing electric vehicles, incentivized by governmental policy.

But for this to yield the desired environmental wins, we also need utilities and energy companies to make the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. And to connect all the dots, these programs will need to be measured and coordinated.

Sustainability for smaller companies

A side note here for start-ups and mid-sized companies: while the effort of incorporating sustainability standards may be more daunting for companies with a smaller budget, the results may provide a way to stand out from the competition. And though the expenditures may be more challenging to absorb than for some of the bigger players, starting early on the path to sustainability can establish a company’s reputation with consumers at an early point in the process.

Inc. Magazine notes the following about some advantages that smaller companies may have with this transition. “Since smaller companies are generally accountable to fewer third parties, the tasks of adapting which issues are managed and modifying subsequent disclosures in line with stakeholders’ specific expectations are comparatively more manageable.”

Something which may not immediately spring to mind when you’re thinking about the environment is automation.

While providing some clear advantages to manufacturing, automation also has beneficial consequences for the environment. Since first being introduced to factory floors (and given a push by U.S. car manufacturers in the 1980s racing to automate production and scale up), automation has gone through several evolutions.

Now smart machines come together in every aspect of the manufacturing process to deliver more efficiencies and production power than was possible before. And as mentioned, data is collected from the machines to make adjustments quickly and efficiently and course-correct all the parts of the manufacturing process.

The machines communicate exactly what needs attention and how to optimize output – all at a speed that would be impossible for humans to emulate.

Add to this AI and cloud monitoring, and there are multiple ways to not only achieve higher sustainability standards but also improve the bottom line. In particular, it’s power and water that are the main components of most manufacturing processes. Through constant data monitoring, the savings that come from these will not only make for a smaller environmental footprint but also improve fiscal performance.

Automation’s bad rap

Something else to consider here as the biggest strike against automation is that it is often thought to reduce jobs. But some of these fears may have been exaggerated.

The Economist reported on a 2021 paper prepared for the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that tested how predictions related to automation played out.

“Countries facing what they call higher ‘automation risk’ in 2021 saw stronger employment growth, consistent with the idea that technology adoption leads to higher productivity. It is striking that Japan, Singapore, and South Korea all have world-beating rates of robot adoption, and yet also lower unemployment. It may be that the labor market will continue to adapt to the rise of automation, but not mass displacement of workers.”

We talked about potential government stimulus and, while the carrot is preferable, governments may also use the stick.

As Forbes reports, “More and more governments are stepping up with goals to help combat climate change. It is inevitable that formal standards and measurement requirements will follow these goals, and companies’ networks of suppliers, manufacturers, partners and logistics will need to change operations in order to comply – regardless of where they operate.”

So while not the best way to motivate, there is something to be said of staying ahead of the curve to prevent any disruptions to the manufacturing process that may come from new government regulations.

There are several reasons to consider taking on voluntary sustainability standards. The good news here is that companies may also experience robust benefits by doing so. And while there’s no way to sugar-coat some of the challenges that are tied into making changes to the manufacturing process, the long-term returns may be well worth the investment.

The post For the Greater Good, and the Bottom Line<p class="company">Sustainability Makes Sense</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

For nearly seventy-five years, Albany Packaging has been providing affordable, highly-customized paperboard boxes for clients across the continent. Its decades in business have provided the experience needed to work closely with clients to provide custom packaging solutions. Now, the company is taking steps to make its packaging more sustainable and lessen its environmental impact while maintaining its high customer service standards.

Demonstrating its reach and versatility, Albany’s paperboard packaging can be found in grocery chains, bakeries, and clothing retailers throughout the United States and Canada. With a rapid support network and over 270 box types in its production line, the company meets any customer need.

In addition to its wide product line, Albany applies its experience and customer service skills to creating custom bakery boxes, donut boxes, cupcake boxes, and other packaging solutions in paperboard or materials such as metalized polyester laminate. Its design department works closely with clients, examining prototypes or existing packaging and making recommendations to add or remove features as needed. The result is packaging designed to fulfill client requirements while remaining budget-conscious.

Albany is proud to be under its third generation of family ownership and management. Sales and Project Manager Daniel Engelberg, who grew up around the company, says both staff and customers enjoy the small-business feel. “I think there’s something to that,” says Engelberg, whose grandfather bought the company back in the 1980s. “We’re small enough; we’re nimble enough that they enjoy it.” Many of the manufacturing and office staff have been with Albany for over twenty years. “The family feel of the company has helped shape that,” he remarks.

Despite its small size and approach, the business has enjoyed rapid growth, particularly in the past ten years. “The growth that we have seen is exponential. We’ve been able to expand our product offerings, our capabilities, and our technology,” says Engelberg. Albany’s small size and family ownership help keep business operations consolidated, ensuring rapid response times. “The fact that we’re family-owned makes us more approachable and more adaptable to customers and customer needs,” he explains. “There’s a lack of layers of bureaucracy that definitely helps us with our customers.”

But more than this, the long history with its clients and the resulting reputation it has built over nearly seventy-five years sets it apart and is responsible for this growth. Engelberg notes that some vendors and some clients stretch back twenty or thirty years, and the company has developed a close working relationship with them over time.

“We hang our hat on the relationships that we’ve had with these vendors over the years,” he says. The company’s reputation has also made it the prime packaging provider to a new generation of bakeries and foodservice providers, particularly with the rise of pandemic-induced takeout and meal delivery services. “We’ve been fortunate enough to provide great service and grow with them,” he says.

As an example of these close relationships, a client importing water bottle packaging sleeves asked how to reduce packaging costs, as the sleeves required labour-intensive gluing and often arrived late due to shipping difficulties. The client sent a sample sleeve to Albany’s packaging team, which closely analyzed potential challenges and recommended solutions. In the end, the team was able to create a new packaging sleeve with inverted folds, allowing for far easier gluing which solved the client’s problem.

Further contributing to growth is the distancing requirements of the pandemic, which have enabled Albany to land contracts far beyond its size thanks to online expositions. Engelberg highlights a virtual trade show in which several large international chains were present. In a traditional physical show, these large companies would have been swarmed, leaving no room for smaller companies. But in the intimacy and equality of a virtual space, Albany could meet with these much larger clients and gain some new contracts it likely would not have otherwise.

“This was just so efficient and cost-effective, and I think it was more productive,” Engelberg says of the experience. “The way this was structured, you were able to really focus.”

Throughout its history, Albany has balanced steady growth with its ability to remain agile. While its manufacturing and shipping capabilities have grown steadily, its core office staff members are still the highly experienced professionals with whom customers have dealt for decades. “There’s a lack of red tape, and that makes customers much more appreciative,” he says. “They can put a face to a name, and that really helps with relationships.”

Within this small structure, customers know they are more than a number. “As far as the customer is concerned, they still can contact me or our other sales manager, so there’s still that feeling of nimbleness.”

Albany is well aware of the move away from plastic packaging and is working to ensure that its paperboard containers are biodegradable. “We are seeing a lot of our customers moving away from plastic packaging,” Engelberg says, “and a lot of need for windowed packaging.” Using mostly paper or paperboard with only a small window of transparent plastic, windowed packaging allows consumers to see food items before they buy but minimizes plastic manufacturing and its resulting environmental impacts.

Due to its small size and adaptable nature, Albany has been able to quickly allocate resources to this new surge in sustainable packaging demands. It has used its relationships with both vendors and customers to keep up to date with customer trends and requirements. “We’re constantly learning about what the need is in the marketplace and then trying to teach them about how we can fit that need,” he says. The company’s own plant has installed environmentally-conscious features such as smart HVAC, lighting systems, thermostats, and variable-speed compressors on its machines, helping reduce energy usage.

However, the biggest impediment to sustainable packaging is its cost-effectiveness. “There’s only so much we can do,” Engelberg admits, noting that roughly fifty percent of Albany’s sale price is the price of paperboard itself. The company can lean heavily on its vendors, purchasing in mass quantities to keep the price manageable but paperboard as a commodity is subject to market fluctuations. “We’ve seen a handful of price increases from paperboard mills over the last two years,” he says.

But Albany and its clients are adapting to price increases by making packaging more efficient and minimalist. “We’re striving to use as little paperboard as possible, to keep the price to the customer as low as possible,” he says, explaining that the custom packaging team works with clients to create and distribute packaging free from unnecessary design features. “We try to be as transparent as possible with our customers on what they need.”

He recognizes that as talented as the staff may be, labour attrition resulting from retirement is inevitable. To prepare for vacancies, the company is working closely with local technical schools to recruit skilled graduates. Internally, it is also cross-training its younger staff in a variety of machine operating skills, to ensure its workforce remains as versatile as possible. While pandemic-induced immigration slowdowns have limited recruitment of the skilled workers Albany needs, these multiple labour pipelines ensure that the company will have a strong and sustainable future.

Albany continues to grow and address these challenges and faces the challenge of retaining its small-business charm while also expanding its production capabilities. Engelberg sums up the dilemma of increasing output while keeping labour costs manageable. “We are seeing so much demand from customers new and existing, and we want to take all this business,” he says. “How do we grow so fast?” To achieve this, the company is investing significant capital in automation, to help blunt the dual impact of a labour shortage and aging labour force.

As Albany Packaging approaches its seventy-fifth birthday, the company looks forward to the years to come. Already well-versed in shifting food packaging towards a more sustainable medium, Albany is the natural choice for environmentally-conscious food providers to help feed a hungry world.

The post Sustainability Backed by 75 Years of Experience<p class="company">Albany Packaging </p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Packaging Systems provides packaging solutions with efficient and sustainable shipping costs, while Small Quantity Boxes manufactures custom and stock packaging using high-quality raw materials. Both companies excel at building strong customer and employee relationships.

The recent acquisition of Small Quantity Boxes, which is now a brand of Packaging Systems, is part of the “House of Brands” approach where Packaging Systems is cognizant of the power and value of maintaining goodwill and identity established over a period of years. Keeping powerful and recognized brand names helps with loyalty and maintaining customer comfort and peace of mind about the changes. The two businesses are working to offer stronger, more efficient service to combined clients, a move both Pat Tharp, President of Packaging Systems, and Dennis TeGrootenhuis, President of Small Quantity Boxes (SQB) applaud.

TeGrootenhuis was a packaging designer before deciding to go out on his own. He immediately showed his business chops, growing his business, hiring employees, and achieving impressive success: Small Quantity Boxes recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.

While the SQB niche is smaller quantities, the company’s powerful work ethic and drive for customer satisfaction translates into exactly what needs to be done to keep clients coming back and referring even their competitor friends who also need high quality, low quantity special corrugated boxes for specialty and trial new product developments.

“A number of years ago, right before our Christmas party, Kimberly-Clark wanted 2,000 boxes the next day. We all came in after the party and got them done. Kimberly-Clark was thrilled with us and is still a good customer… One of our main focuses was and still is running those quantities of 50 to 500,” says TeGrootenhuis. “I think what’s propelled us even more in this industry is the larger corrugated manufacturing companies now look at the minimums of 1,000 for quantity, so that’s raised our level more where we’re running 600 or 700 quantities to be competitive in that field.”

For example, Small Quantity Boxes can digitally print 200 boxes without a print plate, and die-cut boxes without a die board, allowing printing of multiple colors and pictures without the typical “set-up charges” assessed by high volume production facilities. When people need high volume then Packaging Systems picks up the job and proceeds to deliver high quality packaging by the truckload and more! The merging of Packaging Systems and Small Quantity Boxes can serve the full range of packaging volume needs for their current and new customers.

Prior to the merger, TeGrootenhuis received numerous calls from business brokers but was not interested in selling his company to investors. He and Pat Tharp of Packaging Systems, however, were connected through a mutual friend.

“Over the past five years, when people asked me, ‘what are you going to do – are you going to sell down the road?’ I said, ‘I’ll know it’s right when it’s right,’ and I knew this was right,” says TeGrootenhuis. “It’s because our morals, values, how we treat employees, and some of the vision all lined up. It was fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than meeting Pat and Kasey and merging the two companies.”

Kasey Clevenger, Vice President, Sales for Packaging Systems, agrees. “The thing that excited Pat and me so much about Dennis’s business is he listened to the market and to his customers, and he found a way to solve their problems.”

That’s also at the root of what Packaging Systems tries to do every day, Clevenger says.

“What we saw, for one, was a company that aligned with how we go to market. Secondly, the upside was that he had control of a product that would allow us to broaden our options to a combined 4,000 customers between the two companies. And it just seemed like a natural fit culturally. It’s that compatible culture that cemented the merger.”

“That was the driving point,” agrees Tharp. “When you get into acquisitions, the cultural fit has to be synonymous for both companies to work. We saw a culture at Dennis’s company that was very similar to ours at Packaging Systems.”

Even with multiple locations, Packaging Systems considers itself a small family-owned business that treats employees with respect and kindness.

“I think the average tenure at our company is well over 20, or even 25 years, and the same thing with Dennis’s employees,” says Tharp. “That longevity tells you a lot. We have the same synergies with our employees, and most of the time when an employee comes on board with us they feel like they’re part of the team.”

While both businesses have certain procedures they follow, they also have a flexibility that allows for employee and customer individuality, expression, health and well-being.

“Every day, we do what it takes to make our employees comfortable and happy to be a part of our team,” says Tharp. “We also really take care of our customers who are the lifeblood in our organization.”

While companies need to make a profit to stay in business, it’s important to keep customer needs a priority and always do what’s right. You can do both.

“Helping customers and always doing the little things that we can help them with goes a long way,” says TeGrootenhuis. “I know that it’s the same way with Packaging Systems. That’s what really drew me to them in our general conversations.”

That’s not to say Tharp and TeGrootenhuis always agree, but it’s how they disagree that counts, adds Tharp.

One thing they do agree on, however, is the importance of automation, and their ability to help companies with deficiencies or challenges they’re facing, especially right now. To that end, they’ve partnered with a robotics company that helps drive out a lot of waste.

“Our clients have been asking for help during COVID – this past two years… it’s been tough,” says Tharp. “I’ve heard throughout our plants that 30 percent of labor doesn’t show up on a daily basis. The amount of stress that brings is tough. People are tired right now. I’ve never seen so many managers out on floors working.”

Packaging Systems’ ability to put vital automation in place has been a dominant feature recently, with the implementation of about 15 robotic applications offering solutions that are “paramount.” The company also submits a Continuous Improvement Packaging Plan (CIPP) after a thorough review and analysis of all levels of packaging, to find products to reduce the total cost of doing business.

“We come in and also look at automation needs and our ability to drive out waste and bring in solutions to sustainability,” says Tharp.

Sustainability is at the forefront of both companies, which is where Packaging Systems’ sister company Hoosier Recycling plays a vital role.

“What makes us unique in the marketplace is we have the capabilities to prescribe environmentally acceptable packaging to our clients. We are very in tune with what is acceptable in the packaging arena, with keen awareness of environmental standards. We have helped several companies get to ZERO LANDFILL by our team approach and initiation of effective recycling programs,” says Tharp.

“It is imperative, for a long term sustainable plan, to have the recycling process done at the point of waste generation. For example: we sell a ‘stretch film mini-baler’ that takes the air out of the film after it is pulled off a load and the operator just sticks the film in the machine instead of a trash can. In the end there is a compressed block of ready-to-recycle stretch film with great value and less cost to accumulate than anything heretofore.”

Most of the recycling that happens within plants is in the packaging arena. Packaging Systems helps customers set up a working system, often selling them the equipment required for an effective recycling plan.

“Our motto is: Lowest Cost Per Load Effectively & Environmentally Shipped. For example, Packaging Systems recently sold a stretch-wrapping system to a client that will reduce the amount of film used on each load. The customer was hand-wrapping every unit in the facility with about one pound of wrap. This not only caused huge amounts of labor but created enormous waste and inefficiency. Hand-wrapping pallets not only added a pound’s worth of film to each, but that pound of stretch film was going out into the environment. Packaging Systems’ solution reduced that amount to a third of a pound,” says Tharp.

“The same customer is on the west coast, so they’re a green company looking for initiatives to promote those causes,” says Kasey Clevenger. “Packaging Systems strategically sited both a corrugated baler and two stretch-film mini-balers within the facility so whenever any type of plastic is removed, it immediately goes into that baler. Any leftover boxes go into the corrugated baler, essentially creating a closed loop. Everything then leaves their facility in a manner that parallels their corporate goals.”

“Corporate recycling initiatives are in the quality control documents, the ISO 9001, and they now physically have to do things to show to their shareholders and employees that they are in compliance,” Tharp says. “Recycling initiatives have really picked up over the last two years.”

TeGrootenhuis agrees. “Our customers are the same. They’re looking at going green, so any way we can help we do, even with just getting materials. You’ll find much of the corrugated board is 100 percent recycled.”

Although the past few years have been challenging, particularly about the supply chain and rising prices, both companies have made innovation a priority for themselves and their customers.

“We just don’t come in and say here’s your price increase,” says Tharp. “We’re always trying to come in and say, there is an alternative, don’t you want to take a look? I think we do a pretty good job of that.”

Striving for good, solid partnerships with customers and vendors is at the forefront of the companies’ operations – and has been for years – and is something both companies pride themselves on achieving. They represent over 300 different manufacturers in the packaging world.

“The partnerships we’ve formed with vendors all this time gave us a leg up,” says Clevenger. “When people see cost increases, they remember those 30 years and how we treated them throughout that time; that we weren’t just somebody trying to buy a product, mark it up and sell it in the marketplace. We were truly trying to form relationships throughout the business cycle.”

Moving forward now means keeping those relationships strong while celebrating a large and positive transformation.

While the merger is an accomplishment, growth is the milestone that matters. The future looks good and growth has been steady for 30 years for both Packaging Systems and Small Quantity Boxes.

“The blending of the two companies has been really neat to watch,” says Tharp. “So has the long tenure already of almost everybody at the two companies, especially considering the state of today’s marketplace.”

“You just have to be creative,” says TeGrootenhuis. “If there’s an issue or problem with employees or vendors, then we’re not happy. So how can we make this work and make it pleasant for everybody; retain our employees; have a great environment?”

Answering the question from TeGrootenhuis, it’s clear that a great environment will persist for the foreseeable future thanks to the happy blending of like-minded businesses that both owners anticipate will thrive for years to come.

Those years of knowledge, experience, and positive company culture are hard to beat.

“It makes us a very hard company to compete against,” says Tharp.

The post Boxing Match – A Merger That Makes Sense<p class="company">Packaging Systems & Small Quantity Boxes</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

This is North America’s biggest textile waste and by-product re-processor, and it specializes in landfill diversion. The materials it collects consist of an amazing variety of fibers, from wool and rayon to polyester, cotton, and much more. Their uses are just as diverse, including end products like acoustic padding, insulation, building materials like concrete and barriers, automotive liners, landscaping materials, couches, water filters, and equestrian arena surfaces.

The company’s head office and manufacturing facility are based at an over one-million-square-foot facility in Wellford, South Carolina, along interstate I-85. Wherever there is post-manufacture fiber waste that would previously be carted off to landfill sites, Leigh Fibers steps in to break the chain of disposal. Materials are collected from mattress and furniture factories and other manufacturers and taken to the company’s industrial facility, where they are separated into base fibers.

“We create products in a green, circular, [sustainable] manner out of what would essentially [have been] garbage. There are very few [companies] out there that do what we do,” says Bryan Tickle, key account executive. Even more interesting is that oftentimes, the products are then returned to the very customers from whom they were collected to be reused for their original or a range of new purposes.

Leigh Fibers added another creative aspect to its business when it recently partnered with Tidal Vision after more than a year of discussions. Based in Bellingham, Washington, the new sister company manufactures chitosan as part of its Tidal-Tex bio-based textile range. Derived from the exoskeletons of marine crustaceans, this versatile and interesting fibrous substance is a form of sugar that is “biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic, and up-cycled from byproducts of the seafood industry,” according to the firm’s brochure.

Chitosan’s qualities are astonishing, with the material offering anti-microbial properties that answer to some of the country’s highest industry standards, excellent flame retardance, and several other benefits. In addition, Tidal Vision is coming to market with a product manufactured at a percentage of the usual price. Moreover, it is the only commercial chitosan fabricator in America and offers complete tailor-made solutions to suit every manufacturing user simply and easily.

“They partner with us. We’re part owners of the company, and they’re operating from our facility in Wilfred, South Carolina, as their southeast distribution and production center,” says Tickle. Tidal Vision also supplies Leigh Fibers with several new markets, such as water purification and treatment providers amongst others. The Leigh Fiber partnership now allows the company to spread its presence to the world of textiles.

The properties of chitosan mean that Leigh Fibers can now add anti-microbial properties and fire retardance to its materials in a way that is not harmful to the environment at any point in the final material’s lifecycle. “A lot of the competitive products out there are derived from silver or nickel, and so, when you put that waste product into the ground, you know exactly what that does. Chitosan does not have that effect on the ground or the environment,” Tickle states.

Leigh Fibers as we know it today was started by Hans Lehner, who bought the company during the depressed economy that followed the influenza epidemic of 1918. Lehner’s son Phillip joined his father in 1945, taking over the leadership position in 1965. As the winds of change swept through the American textile trade in the early sixties, Leigh Fibers moved its plants down the coast from New England to South Carolina.

The Lehners created a set of guidelines by which they wanted the firm to operate, which, apart from minimal exceptions where modern times have made some requests obsolete, are being upheld to this very day. “We buy and trade waste, and we find outlets for that fiber,” says Tickle. “We have hundreds and hundreds of different blends. So we customize any of our fibers to fit our customers’ needs.”

Today, this common-sense approach still permeates every part of the organization, right down to its president’s expertise. “Our president, Daniel Mason, began working in the factory when he was in high school, if not before. He knows how to work every machine in the building, and that’s very unique,” says Tickle, describing what an incredible advantage it is to have a president capable of laying out all the products and processes in great detail for clients in a way that makes sense to them. “There are not a lot of industries out there that can say that,” he adds.

Touching on how the firm weathered COVID-19 and all the challenges that came with it, Tickle’s praise for all the support that the team received from the family is high. “We had a lot of support from the family and the board who stuck with us as we changed, as everyone did. We provide a service to many industries that need fiber,” he says. Tickle also notes that Leigh Fibers turned toward fabricators like furniture and pet toy and bed creators as well as casket manufacturers and others in need of more fiber when giants like the automotive industry saw a drop in business as a result of COVID-19.

Such a high level of support during difficult times is just one of the reasons why the firm has a large number of long-term employees. It has “a great group of people. I have been in sales my whole life. I have never met so many people working for the same company for over thirty and forty years. We must have ten or twelve people who have been here over forty years,” says Tickle. One of the company’s senior salespeople has worked here just four years short of half a century. “He has retired three times,” Tickle adds with a smile.

This is a company that operates with its ear to the ground. As a result, while millions of businesses across the globe found themselves in a tailspin during the initial shelter-in-place period, Leigh Fibers hired new salespeople shortly before. “They kept us on, which says a lot about that family. There was a clear line of communication of what was happening.”

Tickle also highlights that, rather than becoming nervous, as many companies did, Leigh Fibers carried on regardless of the challenges that awaited it. “We were very fortunate to work for a group of people who simply did not panic,” he says.

Its take on doing business, together with its drive to be environmentally responsible, has earned Leigh Fibers an impressive number of awards over the years. Much of its achievement centers on doing good for the people of its region. That includes making donations to local hospitals, humane societies, and several other types of charitable organizations.

As with everything it does, Leigh Fibers looks toward the future with a combination of nimbleness, enthusiasm, and the wisdom of the ages. It is still counting its blessings for having business partners, staff, and a board of directors who helped see it through the challenges of the past two years.

That said, the company is ready to hit its next phase of intentional, controlled growth in specific new regions with the same tenacity and drive that has been so essential to getting it to where it is today. “We’re procuring new machinery to get into other parts of our industry. We’re growing while other people are shrinking,” Tickle says.

The post Custom Fiber Blends in a Greener World<p class="company">Leigh Fibers </p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Creating a better world requires environmental care and green efficiency in all businesses, especially when confronting methane emissions. Unfortunately, it’s an ever-present by-product of energy-business operations, with thousands of tons of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) methane released into the atmosphere every day.

The substance in question – which has 80 times the warming capacity of CO₂ in the first two decades after entering the atmosphere – must be removed from a pressurized system before a pig launcher is opened at a natural gas processing facility, or before an isolated section of pipeline is removed and replaced.

This usually means flaring or venting of the gas which releases methane and other greenhouse gases (GHG) directly into the atmosphere.

The fix is ready

WeldFit has a fix with ReCAP, a gas recovery system that ensures a constant transfer rate, allowing for quick and easy gas recapture and making ESG targets attainable. Environmental audits reveal that the ReCAP Emissions Recovery System reduces methane emissions by up to 99.99 percent when compared to venting or flaring.

“Sustainability to us in the gas industry is moving product from wellhead to consumer,” says Adam Murray, Vice President, WeldFit Performance Products.

Traditionally, when companies must take down a line or a piece of equipment, they lose a bit of product, that being natural gas. “By using the company’s ReCAP emissions reduction system, it allows them to capture even the remaining percentage of gas, recompressing that and keeping it in the system.”

ReCAP employs technology that does one simple but critical task in support of ESG-driven methane emission reduction goals: During routine pipeline operations, it reduces the need for voluntary natural gas flaring or venting commonly associated with blowdowns.

“ReCAP, at its core fundamental design and function, allows our customers to reach their sustainability goals,” says Eric Heinle, President, Pigging and Performance Products. “It safely and efficiently prevents voluntary venting of emissions into the atmosphere.”

For a lot of WeldFit customers, those emissions reductions and goals are part of their long-term and near-term/current strategy, and ReCAP allows them to achieve those.

Focus on the pipeline

“WeldFit, in general, is focused on the pipeline, so our mission statement is we want to make pipelines more productive,” says Heinle. “We also pride ourselves on being reliable and ready to serve as well as being very innovative.”

By recapturing gas from pipeline sections that have been isolated for depressurization, and quickly transferring it to a nearby pressurized system, pipeline operators can safely and easily minimize methane emissions.

Additionally, thanks to ReCAP’s Straight-Line Performance – a patent-pending technology from WeldFit that generates a near constant and predictable depressurization rate from start to finish – the crucial work that follows can be started on time.

“Every emission occurrence we can eliminate has a meaningful impact because methane is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere,” says Murray. “This also enhances the safety and well-being of the people that live nearby and of our operators. It’s important for us to be environmental stewards, but it also helps with moving forward our license to operate.”

To date, the company has saved more than 18,000 metric tons of CO₂e, or more than 42 million standard cubic feet of natural gas, an amount that will grow exponentially in the next few months, making a significant impact.

“Over the past 30 years, oil demand has gone up 66 percent, and natural gas production is up 96 percent. In that same time methane intensity dropped almost 20 percent,” says Murray. “A drop like that during stagnant production would be great, but to do it with such gains has been just incredible. As bad as the industry gets picked apart, what we’ve done is remarkable.”

Sustainability is a vital part of the company’s mandate, one built into its core and one it continues to impress on its clients.

“We’re about the six Cs, and common sense and customer-focused are two of them. Our customers are certainly wanting to move into the more environmentally friendly space,” says Murray. “With a lot of our products we do have some inherent environmental advantages built in to that and ReCAP only enhances all of those.”

A changing world

That environmental awareness is being seen across the industry as changes are implemented daily.

“There are new rules to curb methane emissions in particular,” says Murray. “At the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, 100 countries took the Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emissions. That’s pretty significant.”

In fact, the U.S. led that initiative aimed at reducing methane emissions by 30 percent in nine years, mostly through tougher legislation governing methane leaks from oil and gas operations. Many of the techniques are aimed at averting large-scale leaks.

“The Build Back Better Bill, whether it passes or not, has carbon fees and methane-emission fees built into it that could severely impact the economics of methane emissions,” Murray adds. “It’s just a matter of following the technology that we already have. I think our industry has a mandate to make a meaningful impact on the environment.”

Another big challenge WeldFit faces is creating awareness and helping to bring its customers’ operations in compliance with regulatory requirements in the industry as the market evolves at a rapid pace.

“I’m sure more and more of those regulations are going to come out and as companies are now being mandated by local and state jurisdictions, obviously it would be great to have federal regulations emerge. But, state by state, they’re starting to release these regulations which will allow ReCAP to do that,” says Heinle.

WeldFit spent an incredible amount of time on awareness early on when commercializing ReCAP, which launched in September 2021, says Murray. Much was given to letting people know about ReCAP’s abilities and how it can be used to keep the gas in the pipeline.

“We spend a lot of time trying to help our customers navigate these new regulations and understand how this can apply to their current operations with minimal disruption,” adds Heinle.

Hard value, easy choice

“In some regards, this is viewed not only as perception but, in reality, as a cost or time matter. We’re trying to make sure they understand not only the social responsibility value of recovering the gas but the actual hard value of not venting or flaring that gas, of keeping it in the pipeline, and also doing it in a way that doesn’t slow down their operations and still allows them to be very efficient,” says Heinle.

ReCAP’s innovations and abilities have recently been recognized: It won the Innovation Award at the PPIM (Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management) conference this year. The fight to create awareness isn’t done yet, however.

“Because every state has different rules and regulations, keeping up with those ever-changing targets is tough,” Murray says, and WeldFit is taking its task seriously.

Chief Strategy Officer Todd Sale recently became a certified ESG expert and sustainability officer. “He graduated from the Energy Workforce and Technology Council ESG certification program,” says Murray. “So, we’re not only committed to helping the environment where we can, we’re investing in it with our products and with our people. We mustn’t be just saying this stuff; we’re doing it and we’re acting on it.”

The key is the people, Murray adds. “We care. Everyone in the industry is outdoorsy and active. It’s a culture we go by and that’s what sets us apart. It’s all about the right people in the right place.”

And the people are up for the challenge of facing the industry and the ESG movement’s rapid change which makes it so demanding to keep up and stay ahead.

“The good news is WeldFit is privately owned and very people-focused,” says Murray. “They allowed Todd to get his ESG certification, and they allow my engineering group to help create products that make an immediate impact, rather than these big glacial companies that move very slowly.”

Much more to be done

The result is a big impact in a short time, he says, but there’s still a lot more to be done. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA) still vents or flares almost 1.5 billion cubic feet per day.

There’s good news, however: Every day companies are seeing the importance, and the benefits, of reducing methane – the same companies that WeldFit talked to maybe two months ago, and are talking to again today, says Heinle.

“They’re evolving every day and becoming more inquisitive and more receptive to the technology, whether it’s because they’re being told to or just because they’re adopting it. We’re seeing more and more acceptance across the board, which is good.”

WeldFit will continue to partner with its clients to understand their needs and challenges, developing solutions to help them achieve environmental goals with minimal disruption to operations while continuing to be profitable and effective.

“Creating that awareness is key, making sure folks understand that the solution and the technology are there and that the process is something that should be recorded and celebrated positively, versus it being just another thing they have to do,” says Heinle.

The ReCAP technology, Murray adds, is very innovative, safe, fast, efficient, and effective. People have been searching for a solution like this, and almost every day WeldFit comes upon a new application by which this technology can help the environment.

“I do think our solution is resonating,” says Heinle. “ReCAP specifically is resonating in the market because of those points. We partner with our clients, and our technology is differentiated in that it allows them to be more efficient while they’re doing all of these things. It’s pretty exciting stuff.”

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The United Nations defines this as development that meets the needs of the world at present without compromising the ability for future generations to do the same. There has also never been a greater need for greener practices than right now. In a press release by the American Chemical Society, it is purported that the United States industrial sector accounts for about one third of all energy used in that country with approximately 32 quadrillion Btu of energy consumed and around 1680 million metric tons of carbon dioxide produced as a result.

There is a much greater importance placed today on making processes and products more ecologically friendly or, at very least, more in line with the effort and materials used to create, sustain, or ultimately dispose of them. A company or brand that makes commitments to sustainability can also see benefits in both its results and public image, as greater amounts of customers demand a degree of environmental responsibility from such brands. The incentive is there for the move to sustainable manufacturing but there is a degree of uncertainty on what exactly it entails.

A piece published on the website for Essentra Components puts forward more benefits of sustainable manufacturing practices: “Packaging is kept to a minimum, is easily disassembled and uses standard materials compatible with established recycling processes. Shipping finished goods in smaller, more form-fitting packaging also eliminates the need for filling materials such as polystyrene blocks or packing peanuts, both of which are increasingly being phased out in favour of more biodegradable alternatives.”

In an article for Efficient Manufacturing, Nageswara Posinasetti details that a tenet of sustainable manufacturing is to adhere to four environmentally friendly activities across a supply chain, which are: the reduction of energy use, water usage, emissions, and waste generation. The cost of machining, environmental impact, and concern around the health of operators is driving sustainability researchers to find alternatives to harmful or hazardous processes.

One of these alternatives is called Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL), used in place of machining processes which utilize oil. MQL uses much smaller quantities of fluids to feed to the machine in a bid to save energy. These processes are also beginning to experiment with the use of biodegradable vegetable oils, which are also far more renewable. These fluids lack harmful additives which can help to cut down on disposal costs along with several other fringe production benefits.

Sustainable methods of production and manufacturing are one thing, but it can only go so far without the need for materials that are just as environmentally friendly. As far as sustainable materials, there are three different types available in today’s marketplace: Natural, that which is grown or naturally occurring; renewable, that which can be naturally replenished rather than consumed to a definite end; and harmless/non-toxic. Among these categories, sustainable materials that can be used across myriad industries include bamboo, adobe, bioplastics, stainless steel, aluminum, and straw. For now, let’s focus on three that are cited as especially environmentally friendly, renewable, and varied in use.

Bioplastic materials stand out as one of the more exciting prospects for sustainable materials, as the properties achievable are often similar to petro-chemical plastics. An article for Fast Radius details that bioplastic material can be a much more environmentally viable alternative to common plastics. These bioplastics can be made from all kinds of resources including corn, seaweed, sugarcane, shrimp shells, and more. These materials are, in turn, biodegradable and can encourage lower operating costs and energy expenses through their use; in cases where petroleum-based plastics are still in need, there are sustainable methods associated with bioplastics that can be used to reduce the carbon footprint of plastic production overall.

An example of a bioplastic would be polylactic acid, a material derived from plants that can be made into shopping bags, 3D printing material, and more. According to an information packet supplied by European Bioplastics, a plastic material is defined specifically as bioplastic if it is bio-based (made at least partly from biological matter), biodegradable (able to break down naturally in a reasonable timeframe), or a mixture of both.

However, bioplastics as a material is not a magic solution to environmental woes. Many experts in the field believe that simply swapping plastics with bioplastics will not be enough to reverse or halt emissions or energy consumption on its own; instead, focus should be placed on tackling consumption and the global reliance on plastics should be deemphasized for materials like bioplastic to have a chance at reducing fossil fuel emissions and various other purported effects of their usage.

Of the previously cited sustainable materials used across manufacturing, aluminum has one of the more striking cases for being a renewable and environmentally friendly resource. As a lightweight and durable material, aluminum is purported to be infinitely recyclable, with aluminum production being less than half as carbon intensive as it was 30 years ago, thanks to the advent of renewable hydropower in regions that produce it (as put forth by The Aluminum Association ).

From vehicles to buildings to even consumables, aluminum can be recycled continuously without degrading its inherent value. According to data from The Aluminum Association, nearly 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. The aluminum industry is working toward greater sustainability year after year, so as not to rest on its laurels with what the material has accomplished so far.

In the search for viable and renewable materials for manufacturing and other purposes, sometimes the old ways still have much to teach us. A material still called on for its carbon neutrality is straw, traditionally used in the making of simple structures and weaving into goods. These uses are still relevant, albeit in fewer numbers than in centuries past, but straw has further uses not yet fully explored. The website EcoNation reports that, as a carbon-neutral energy source, bales of straw can be substituted for coal in plant operation. Straw can even be used as an environmentally friendly packing material, given its resistance to being crushed and ability to biodegrade. From rope to construction material and more, materials like straw are proof that much can still be made from even the oldest solutions.

A truth of sustainable manufacturing, or other green practices, is that technologies developed for these purposes will require further advancement in the materials themselves. Very few of these materials or methods of production are ready-to-go imminently and need further refinement in one area or another. The American Chemical Society further purports that the ability to make these improvements is limited by the physical properties of such construction materials. Going forward, these materials will need to be more tolerant to temperature changes, as well as more resistant to corrosion and less costly.

It will take further research and testing, not to mention acceptance by both consumers and industries worldwide, but the choices for sustainable manufacturing techniques and materials are more numerous than ever. Industry thrives on innovation and risk-taking, two values that sustainable manufacturing practices have to offer early adopters and environmentally-minded trailblazers alike.

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