February 2007 Edition

COATINGS/FINISHING/DEBURRING

Office Furniture Manufacturer Seeks Excellence, Not Compliance

Environmental responsibility isn’t always costly. A Michigan firm found a way to go green that contributed more green to its bottom line.

Call it The Law of Conservation of Filth: You can’t make something clean without making something else dirty. In the case of izzydesign, Spring Lake, MI, an office work-surface and furniture maker, getting components cleaned and prepared for painting and coating, it wanted to get its components clean while minimizing making something else dirty.

Most companies would be satisfied with waste discharge compliance, but izzydesign saw it as a first step on the way to environmental responsibility.

“We seek excellence, not just compliance,” Chuck Saylor, izzydesign president and founder, said. “We founded izzydesign on key principles that guide everything we do. One of those principles is to help create a better world for future generations by having minimal impact on the environment. Simply being compliant with environmental guidelines, when we know we can do better, falls short of fulfilling our principles.”

izzydesign was founded in 1988 by JSJ Corp. and employs about 210, with the workforce roughly divided between the Michigan furniture manufacturing facility and a Belton, TX, office-chair manufacturing plant. In 2001, izzydesign launched its own brand of offi ce furniture and seating.

The search for improvements in the company’s metal furniture pre-paint cleaning system took izzydesign’s environmental coordinators and an OEM program manager to an industry trade show.

At the Houghton Metal Finishing Co. booth, the Houghton staff listened to izzydesign’s requirements and suggested a reduced-phosphate cleaning solution and metal pre-treat product. Houghton Metal Finishing, Valley Forge, PA, is a division of Houghton International, a global developer and producer of specialty chemicals, oils, and lubricants.

Lowering the Pollutant Bar
izzydesign became the first in the office furniture industry and in Michigan to test Houghton’s cleaning solution, Houghto-Prep ZP. “The new wash system has everything we wanted,” Anne Saliers, izzydesign product manager, said, “low phosphate emissions to reduce pollution, low energy use because of reduced tank water heating, and higher efficiency since less labor is required to maintain and clean the tanks.”

Houghto-Prep ZP reduces the volume of waste during the conversion coating process when compared to traditional technologies. It displaces surface dirt and oils for better paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. It also offers less pollutants than other surface-prep cleaners.

The pre-treat cleans across a low temperature band from ambient to 115° F, has a long bath life, and requires minimal rinsing.

“It’s working great. Our manufacturing engineers are very happy with it,” Saliers said. “Before we began using the Houghton product, we had to dump and clean the finishing system tanks three times a year. Now there’s hardly any maintenance. With the reduced levels of phosphate, the tanks require cleaning only once a year.”

Costs and energy consumption are lower, she said

. “With the product we were using, we needed to heat the treatment tank water to 140° F. The Houghto-Prep ZP delivers excellent results at temperatures between 80° F and 100° F. That’s a huge energy savings.”

The company estimates those energy cost savings at $20,000 to $25,000 per year. izzydesign expects further savings from the reduction in labor needed to clean the finishing system tanks.

The conversion also eliminated costs associated with wastewater monitoring and reporting. With the conversion, the Grand Haven-Spring Lake Sewer Authority released the company from twice-yearly self-monitoring water quality reporting. It had been working under a self-reporting permit for its wastewater discharge, which required environmental coordinators to document phosphorus emissions from the metal furniture finishing system.

The State of Michigan also exempted izzydesign from its storm water permit requirements. The retention pond in front of izzydesign's headquarters naturally filters water back into the water table while helping to sustain a habitat abundant with wildlife.

Be Small but Have a Big Impact
Saliers said that izzydesign takes special pride in the fact that a company of its size can be a leader in such an important area.

“It shows that you don’t have to be a large company to make a difference, to be focused on what’s better for the environment,” she said.

“izzydesign’s culture is creative. Our design philosophies are very human-centered. That’s why we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to inspire people, to help them create cool and affordable places to work. For us, business is all about people, about creating a better workplace for future generations.”

Besides financial benefits, the switch to a more environmentally kind cleaner has had emotional benefits as well, Saliers said.

“Environmental awareness and efforts are very important to our customers – primarily architects, interior designers, and facility managers,” she said.

“It’s actually becoming part of their criteria when selecting materials and products for residential and commercial design projects. We’re not only doing the right thing, but our environmental action contributes to the bottom line.”

Houghton Metal Finishing www.rsleads.com/702mn-203

What do you think?
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