Dallas, TX – April 24, 2018 – Use of energy is inevitable in the manufacturing industry. However, Dal-Tile Corporation has taken action to reduce the amount of energy used by their production facilities to make a positive impact not only in the towns where their factories are located, but also for the planet.
“To ensure our manufacturing is as energy-efficient as possible, we utilize internal and external experts to conduct intensive evaluations with the goal of finding areas of improvement in our facilities,” said Robert Hurt, director of environmental, health, and sustainability services for Dal-Tile Corporation. “By connecting with local suppliers, we organize ‘energy treasure hunts’ that seek out areas where we can bring change to our day-to-day activity that may be overlooked. These treasure hunts are a team effort from start to finish and require our employees, alongside energy professionals, to look for solutions that reduce our carbon footprint.”
In up to a four-day event, these treasure hunts consist of small groups of the company’s employees from different parts of the plant alongside energy professionals scouring a designated area, keeping their eyes peeled for air leaks, scrap sources, or equipment running without product, for example. These energy audits have produced significant results, such as the over one million dollars in annual savings that was realized at the company’s Sunnyvale, Texas facility.
“Projects from lighting improvement, compressed air work and other improvement plans are well underway because of this initiative,” added Hurt. “We are proud to say this is just the beginning. Energy professionals now have ongoing scheduled visits to our plants to look for additional areas in need of improvement, as variables change from day-to-day.”
Energy treasure hunts are just one example of the company’s sustainability efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
# # #
Editorial Director and Senior Writer for TileLetter and TileLetter ARTISAN
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor. Other interests include the soft, purring marvels known as cats, labyrinth walking, drumming and percussion, and a range of spiritual, musical and artistic pursuits.
