Winnipeg plant goes green

Canada is known throughout the world for its majestic mountains, wide-open spaces, wildlife and waters. MCI is doing its part to keep it that way.

For as long as the Winnipeg plant has been making best-selling coaches, it has been making improvements to its processes related to the health, safety and the environment. From implementing air-quality measures to replacing solvents and creating spill-contingency plans, MCI has been working hard to do its part when it comes to improving the environment.

"We're more proactive than we used to be," says Kevin Smith, MCI Loss Management Specialist and an environmental scientist. "We're now looking at all our processes more from an environmental, safety and an efficiency perspective."

The plant's most significant impact on the environment, specifically air quality, comes from welding operations. And it's a good example of how MCI has been adjusting to be more protective when it comes to the health of employees and others — inside and outside the plant.

Clearing the air
The first thing MCI did was measure its emissions. By creating a computer "air model" based on the sampling of welding-fume emissions from within the welding departments, MCI was able to produce a virtual emissions plume and then figure out how far it reached. "Part of managing environmental impact is getting accurate data," says Smith. "If you have proper measures in place, you can target processes for improvement."

Armed with the data, MCI has been able to come up with a detailed plan to significantly improve the capture of welding fumes on all of its welding stations. Another improvement is to reduce welding emissions with new metal fabrication equipment that eliminates several welding steps and bonding metal parts using adhesives. Smith and others also sit on MCI's air-quality management team, which gives environmental issues a bigger voice at every level.

Another example of an air-quality improvement has come from reducing dust emissions. As part of its Lean manufacturing process, the plant has held several "kaizen" events to improve the fit of parts to minimize or eliminate the need for trimming. Where coach assembly associates need to trim a part for fit, they use special tools that capture the dust at the source and contain it.

Sticking points
Smith and his team have advocated for replacing many solvent-based materials with water-based substitutes, such as the adhesives used to install coach carpeting, fabric and other trim. By eliminating solvent-based adhesives, MCI is eliminating a source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — which is healthier for employees, the community, and the planet in general. Since 2003 MCI has reduced its per-coach VOC emissions to the environment by 10 percent. MCI continues to evaluate new materials, helping to assure that it uses materials that meet performance requirements as well as minimize the impact on the environment as much as possible.

Changing coats
MCI has recently adopted a new type of paint. The new DuPont™ Imron® Elite paint system will require fewer coats of paint to be applied, will reduce the amount of overspray generated, and will reduce or eliminate baking cycles, which saves time, energy, money and natural resources. Smith says the plant has also switched to disposable liners in most of its paint guns. After painting is completed, the liners are removed from the paint gun and disposed of as a non-hazardous waste.  The amount of solvent and time used to clean the equipment is reduced, which results in less VOCs being released into the air and less hazardous waste generated. Over the next year, MCI is projecting a further 13-percent reduction in the amount of VOCs released to environment for every coach manufactured.  The new paint will also contribute to energy savings through a 50-percent reduction in the baking cycle time required to dry the paint.

Waste not
And speaking of waste, MCI is doing all it can to reduce it. As with the air model MCI created to measure what it was releasing into the air, the Winnipeg plant is about to undertake a more detailed evaluation of its waste streams. "We're looking at everything from paper to pallets," says Smith. Already, MCI is designing its processes to minimize the amount of scrap metal that is generated. MCI typically sells its scrap metal, and it’s trying to make sure everything gets collected and sorted, right down to empty metal containers and used rivet mandrels. "Over time, it adds up," says Smith.

MCI's relationships with suppliers are being constantly evaluated for environmental opportunities as well. "We have a very green supply chain," says Smith. Many transport containers are re-useable, and the company is looking into implementing further "green" purchasing guidelines. Finally, all incoming Winnipeg employees receive an environmental policy orientation.

Saving energy
MCI's Winnipeg plant has long used hydro-electric power for much of its machinery, which is generally thought to be more sustainable than most other common energy sources. The plant has additionally been working with Manitoba Hydro, the provincial power agency, to reduce usage. It's a win-win proposition: When MCI reduces peak loads, it reduces its power rates (rates are calculated according to peak usage); when heavy users like MCI use less energy, the utility can sell the excess to users in the United States.

Smith predicts that over the next few years, energy conservation will take the front seat. MCI is looking more closely at its energy usage and is currently working across the factory to replace outdated lighting with light sources that are better overall and are more energy efficient. From making sure that new equipment acquisitions are energy-efficient to refining current factory processes, there's plenty of room to do more for Winnipeg — and Canada. The plant's ultimate goal is to achieve ISO 1400 certification, which will position MCI as a manufacturing leader.

Yet perhaps the greenest thing about MCI is its product. "We're an industry that contributes to environmental sustainability," says Smith. "We're going further with a product that supports public transportation, which in turn helps everyone reduce their environmental footprint due to the individual use of less energy, a major factor in global greenhouse gas reductions. And that's a positive impact on the environment and everyone's quality of life."

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