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– Focus on sustainability, efficiency leads to manufacturing expansion –
Chattanooga, TN – Heil Environmental, an international leader in the manufacturing of refuse and recycling collection vehicles, has announced it will expand its manufacturing capabilities by offering compressed natural gas (CNG) conversions at its Fort Payne, Alabama facility. Heil officials say the move allows the company to improve operational efficiencies and helps grow and promote green energy initiatives for its customer base.
“The demand for cleaner burning, environmentally-friendlier refuse collection trucks has grown rapidly over the past few years,” said Randy Brown, Heil’s Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing. “The decision to offer our customers a single source for equipment manufacturing and CNG conversion will improve our ability to more quickly deliver on an order once it is placed. It also helps us to increase our customers’ overall efficiency as we regularly look for ways to reduce the logistical complexity of orders while, at the same time, improving the quality of our trucks.”
When a CNG chassis arrives at the Fort Payne facility, Heil engineers are prepared with customized truck bodies to accommodate the engine’s unique wiring, fuel line and storage system configurations. Because Heil trucks vary in body style and function, each model requires its own CNG-customized conversion. Previously, customers were forced to coordinate shipping vehicles to a third-party contractor for CNG conversions, which increased production time, transportation costs, energy wastage, and carbon emissions.
Customers across the U.S. are increasingly seeking healthier and more efficient vehicles, thanks in large part to the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), which provides municipalities and businesses up to $300 million in incentives to reduce diesel emissions by purchasing energy efficient vehicles. CNG vehicles significantly reduce CO2, NOx, particulate matter and other emissions that impact air quality.
In addition to helping clients reduce their carbon footprint, Heil is also committed to using sustainable business practices in its day-to-day operations. From its corporate offices to its manufacturing facilities, the company has resolved to function in a way that is eco-friendlier, such as recycling, reducing paper consumption and designing vehicles that can help customers maximize efficiencies and reduce waste. At the 2009 Waste Expo convention in Las Vegas, the Waste Industry’s largest trade show, Heil’s booth will be built using recycled and recyclable materials and will be recycled once again at the end of the show. Artificial grass used in the booth will be donated to the city of Las Vegas for installation at a playground for underprivileged children.
“Just as it’s important that we assist our clients in meeting their needs with regard to the environment, we too are focusing on sustainability in the way we conduct business,” said Chris Dutton, Heil’s Marketing Communications Manager. “Everything from the kind of paper we use to increasing operational efficiency by expanding our manufacturing capabilities play a role in reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Evidence clearly shows that environmental sustainability equals business sustainability.”
The company’s expanded CNG operations are not the first move designed to increase Heil’s operational efficiencies. Earlier this year, a painting facility, utilizing low volatile organic compound paints was also added to the Fort Payne manufacturing plant. Heil executives credit the desire to more quickly meet customer demand and improve delivery time for orders as motivating factors for streamlining the production process. Increased production efficiencies also reflect the company’s commitment to environmental awareness and sustainability.
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