(Bowling Green, KY – June 19, 2014) – LORD Corporation – a leader in vibration and motion control – completed the installation of new, innovative energy-efficient equipment, including a sustainable management control system, at the company’s Bowling Green facility. These improvements are part of an investment by LORD to increase the efficiency and sustainability of production processes, thus better serving the company’s customers and product end-users through reduced environmental impact.
The project included replacing an inefficient chiller with a new high efficiency 300-ton centrifugal chiller and pump system; replacing a steam generation system with a high efficiency boiler with enhanced burner controls, oxygen controls and a new deaerator tank; and installing an advanced rubber preheater metering and scheduling system with the ability to analyze and modify system operations for chilled water, compressed air and steam. The completed project will result in a reduction of 1,433 metric tons of carbon dioxide output and an annual utility savings of more than $170,000. The total investment in the turnkey installation and commissioning process will have a simple payback of five and a half years.
Due to the significance of this environmental upgrade, LORD received a $504,000 grant for the project from the Kentucky Department of Energy Development and Independence (DEDI). Selected through an extremely competitive process based on overall project energy savings, LORD is the only non-government entity thus far to receive this grant funding, due in large part to the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, in addition to the project’s innovative design. The grant, also sponsored by the Energy and Environment Cabinet Tennessee Valley Authority Clean Air Act Settlement grant program, provided 50 percent matching funds for the project. The project was completed in May 2014 with the assistance of DEDI and Harshaw Trane, an energy specialist company based in Louisville, Ky.
LORD chose to partner with Harshaw Trane, Kentucky’s largest energy services team, due to the company’s commitment to innovative technology to optimize client operational performance while reducing energy use and costs. Harshaw Trane’s unique design and implementation methods helped ensure that LORD would be able to make the improvements necessary to guarantee the current and future success of the Bowling Green facility.
LORD opened its Bowling Green facility for production in 1974. Since that time, the facility has strived to provide the highest quality products for the industrial market at competitive prices while conserving energy and other important resources. To enhance this commitment, LORD launched a corporate initiative to reduce overall facility and company energy consumption. The initiative spurred efforts to improve energy efficiency at the Bowling Green facility, securing the recent grant. Efficiency upgrades have made LORD a leader in energy efficiency in Kentucky, which supports Gov. Steve Beshear’s plan to develop reliable, affordable and clean energy sources for the 21st century.
About LORD Corporation
LORD Corporation is a diversified technology and manufacturing company developing highly reliable adhesives, coatings, motion management devices, and sensing technologies that significantly reduce risk and improve product performance. For 90 years, LORD has worked in collaboration with our customers to provide innovative aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial solutions. With world headquarters in Cary, N.C. and 2013 revenues in excess of $880 million, LORD has more than 3,000 employees in 26 countries and operates 16 manufacturing facilities and eight R&D centers worldwide. LORD actively promotes STEM education and many other community engagement initiatives. For more information, visit http://www.lord.com.
