Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, became a two-time recipient of the gold-level award in the Ohio EPA’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) program. The award recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship at Crown’s electronics assembly plant in New Bremen, Ohio, where Ohio EPA Assistant Director Laura Factor took part in a ceremony today celebrating the achievement.
The company’s New Knoxville plant was the first facility in the state to receive the award last year. The E3 program acknowledges Ohio businesses for environmentally beneficial activities, and the gold-level award recognizes organizations that exceed regulatory obligations and commit to long-term strategies to reduce waste, lower emissions and improve environmental performance. This most recent gold-level award recognizes Crown’s electronics assembly plant’s environmental management system and sustainability efforts, which helped the facility achieve ISO 14001 compliance and zero landfill status.
“It’s quite an accomplishment to have a second plant earn gold status in our E3 program. Crown continues to demonstrate that its commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability is part of being a good corporate citizen,” said Assistant Director Factor.
Employees at the facility manufacture and assemble the circuit boards and control modules for Crown forklifts. The 29,000-square-foot facility is undergoing an expansion expected to double its size this year as the company continues to meet growing global demand. A number of the facility’s employees comprise a cross-functional team dedicated to supporting and enhancing the plant’s environmental management system by developing objectives and informing strategy around helping to reduce the facility’s environmental impact.
The electronics assembly plant is ISO 14001 compliant and has achieved zero landfill status. Crown also made a number of employee-initiated improvements to the facility that affect environmental impact and energy efficiency, including:
– Replaced a solvent-based cleaning system with a closed-loop steam system, eliminating chemical use while responsibly using and reusing water.
– Replacing the original HVAC system with new energy efficient HVAC units and a new filtration and humidity control system.
– Ongoing installation of T-5 lighting fixtures throughout the building, which is expected to reduce energy consumption by 48,672 kilowatt-hours per year when completed.
– Reducing paper waste by 80 percent through a variety of programs.
“Crown Equipment’s dedication to environmental sustainability and stewardship reflects the wishes and values of our customers and our employees, and has been institutionalized through our ecologic™ program,” said Jim Dicke III, president, Crown Equipment. “Those values are at the core of our longstanding environmental management programs intended to minimize our impact and improve the environment while meeting the needs and expectations of our customers.”
More broadly, the facility’s electronics manufacturing and assembly work supports Crown’s vertical integration philosophy. While many manufacturers outsource this type of work, Crown keeps these functions in-house to enhance quality control and ensure best practices in design, manufacturing and environmental management.
