Global Growth Through Sustainability It sounds like bad math: Two existing facilities plus 22 percent additional square footage, plus the latest in technology equals a decrease in energy consumption. Many would say someone added incorrectly. However, for the employees of LORD Corporation, it makes perfect sense. This equation of innovation while reducing environmental impact is deeply rooted in LORD’s values. “LORD strives to be a great company and a great corporate citizen,” says Mark Rose, a 29-year employee of LORD and current director of aerospace operations and supply chain. According to Rose, LORD does this by providing high-quality products to their customers while also providing positive benefits in the community through daily goals of safety, quality and customer service. In 2011, this commitment was tested when LORD was faced with a seemingly impossible task — merge its two Erie facilities into a larger facility while reducing its environmental footprint. The Situation LORD’s first building was constructed in the late 1930s on the heels of the Great Depression. As the company expanded over the next 75 years, the original 23,000-squarefoot building located on West 12th Street and Greengarden Boulevard in Erie was augmented with 34 additions, quickly becoming landlocked. “By the time we moved, the facility was inefficient — both in production and in energy consumption. We knew that the mothership had served us well for 75 years, but she had seen her useful life,” Rose says. By the mid-2000s, the need for a new facility was eminent. The relocation project gained steam in December 2011 when LORD purchased the former Bush Industries plant on Robison Road, a 1.1 million-square-foot facility on
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87 acres. The new building would mean a 22-percent increase in LORD-occupied square footage not only providing opportunities for current and future space needs but also posing the threat of an increased impact on the environment. The Process A 20-person team comprised of LORD’s leading process experts was assembled. For two years, the team traded their positions and office space for a full-time spot on the relocation team and work space inside a trailer. “The team was essentially handed a blank page and told to design a layout that would improve efficiencies both in energy and production,” Rose says. The primary goal facing the team was to combine and synergize the two Erie facilities — its aerospace manufacturing plant on 12th Street and its West Grandview facility, which housed LORD’s engineering, chemical labs and support services. They focused on several objectives that would merge the two facilities and plan for the future by incorporating LORD’s commitment to sustainability, including “develop a worldclass facility” and “improve efficiencies.” “Our old operations had incredibly talented employees working in facilities that didn’t say
‘high-tech aerospace’. We wanted to build a facility our employees could be proud of and that was a physical demonstration of our commitment to quality, technology and sustainability for our customers,” Rose says. After two years of planning and construction and a yearlong transition, in January 2015, both sites had been successfully merged and were fully operational within the Robison Road facility. It was time to measure results. More Does Equal Less According to Ben Jones, facility manager, despite increasing the facility’s size by 22 percent, the energy usage per square foot plummeted 20 percent, negating any increase in energy use associated with increases in space utilization. He attributes the decrease to a list of more than 40 areas including changes in production, controlled LED lighting, a centralized building management system, the latest energy-efficient features in HVAC, and additional insulation on roofs, walls and doors. One of the most impactful changes, according to Rose, was climate control, which benefited both production and employee satisfaction. “The manufacturing process we employ is