“Good Neighbors” Dramatically Cut Energy Waste for the Long Haul
Privately-held, family-owned Columbia Machine has been designing and manufacturing industrial machines in Clark County for more than 75 years. “Our team has always believed in being a good neighbor,” explains Bryan Goodman, Vice President of Manufacturing Operations. That means caring for its employees and its resources for both the present and future.
How Clark Public Utilities Helped:
- Finding incentives and the right lighting for complete lighting retrofit
- Identifying, cutting, and tracking other areas of energy waste
The Challenge
Columbia Machine works to make employee safety top-notch, and a top priority; refine operating and manufacturing processes to conserve resources; and sustain the business to ensure the community continues to benefit from its growth. Building on their commitment to continuous improvement, the company worked with Clark Public Utilities to isolate areas of obvious energy waste, where the company could decrease electricity use, improve the work environment and reduce energy bills.
“Clark Public Utilities helped us find incentives and the right lighting to replace every light inside and outside. The difference was dramatic, and they helped us really kick-start the process of looking at energy waste more seriously.”
– Bryan Goodman
Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, Columbia Machine
The Solution
“Lighting was definitely a ‘no brainer,’” Goodman shares. “Clark Public Utilities helped us find incentives and the right lighting to replace every light inside and outside across the company’s 320,000 square ft facility in Vancouver. The difference was dramatic, and the Clark Public Utilities team helped us really kick-start the process of looking at energy waste more seriously.”
The lighting retrofit saves the company more than $75,000 annually in lighting costs. Even more importantly, it has materially improved working conditions, furthering Columbia Machine’s mission to promote a safe workplace.
Through Clark Public Utilities, Columbia Machine also worked with the BPA Energy Smart Industrial (ESI) program to find and eliminate waste in other areas, including the company’s air compressor systems Then the company added energy savings tracking to its management performance reporting. After establishing a baseline two years ago, the company can now see its progress on an ongoing monthly basis. “Our leadership sees these efforts to cut down on energy waste as part of a larger commitment to being a viable business for the long haul,” Goodman says.
Contact a Key Accounts Manager
Every commercial or industrial customer has an assigned key accounts manager who can help identify ways to cut energy waste and lower operating costs. Send us a message or call 360-992-3000.
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