Sustainability Initiatives

Going Green Is Good Business

Our corporate commitment to sustainability is supported by a multidimensional, integrated approach that extends across all areas of our business and operations. As a result, we have significantly reduced our environmental footprint through reductions in CO₂ emissions and energy consumption. Today, our focus on continuous improvement combined with new technologies is enabling us to move into the future with a unified focus on sustainability.

A company-wide commitment advances our focus on sustainable efforts, impacting several pinpointed areas of operation. Our 3-pronged strategy for manufacturing sustainability includes:

• Developing proprietary technology,
• Identifying energy savings, and
• Making operational improvements.

Bright Ideas in New Technology

PMT takes pride in creating innovative technologies addressing the demands of sustainable manufacturing. We developed Shopwatch™, a proprietary control system that monitors machine run-time in real time. Shopwatch™ shuts off pump motors left unattended or in standby mode, saving energy by cutting waste.

We also developed a novel grinder control system that regulates the energy use of the plant’s plastic grinding machines. That system significantly reduces grinder idling time without compromising functionality, dropping grinder energy consumption by 95 percent and saving 891,395 kWh a year.

To keep the plant running in the most efficient manner, PMT uses the fully integrated ERP and MES software solution EnterpriseIQ from IQMS.  Shopwatch™ and our other proprietary technology solutions interface with EnterpriseIQ to provide real-time data and production monitoring.

Automation in our insert molding process has resulted in higher quality components and achievement of lean manufacturing objectives. Strategic automation of molding presses has also enabled us to reduce waste.

Energized to Produce Savings

Through our partnership with the El Paso Electric Company, we conducted a rigorous audit that revealed numerous opportunities for energy efficiency. We took advantage of those opportunities and also made capital investments in energy-saving improvements, including:

• New all-electric presses, saving approximately 398,000 kWh a year
• Energy-efficient T5/T8 lighting, saving over 96,000 kWh annually
• A variable-speed air compressor, reducing compressed air discharge by 20 psi and saving 185,167 kWh a year

Our sustainability initiative has resulted in a savings of 1.8 million kWh of energy per year — and we’re continuing to look for ways to improve.

Cutting Operational Waste

Lean manufacturing is one of the cornerstones of our commitment continuous improvement. That’s why we chose to be the first business in the Paso del Norte region to participate in E3: Economy-Energy-Environment—Supporting Manufacturing Leadership Through Sustainability, a program developed by the EPA’s El Paso Border Office, Texas Manufacturing Assistance Centers (TMAC), New Mexico State University, and the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

Lean & Green, the E3 onsite training program, identifies and eliminates waste through continuous improvement. By participating in E3, we lessened our environmental footprint by reducing:

• Energy usage by 187,725 kWh
• Solid waste by 56 tons
• CO₂ by 126 tons
• Water by 80,000 gallons

A Sustained Commitment to the Environment

Sustainability is a core value that is woven into the fabric of the PMT culture. For example:

• Recyclable plastic and reground plastic blended into new material eliminate the need for 380,000 pounds of virgin plastic in new components
• Our EZ H₂O bottle filling station keeps plastic bottles out of landfills
• A plant-wide recycling program sends 10,000 pounds of paper to the recycling plant each year

PMT also participates in Operation Clean Sweep, an international program designed to help avoid resin pellet loss and keep pellets out of the environment. Through good housekeeping and pellet containment practices, PMT aims for zero pellet loss to reduce raw material waste.

In 2014, our commitment to sustainability was recognized nationally by the Manufacturing Leadership Council, who presented PMT with two Manufacturing Leadership Awards for its commitment to sustainability and operational improvements.