Mack Trucks’ Macungie Cab and Vehicle Assembly operation in Macungie, Pennsylvania is the first U.S. manufacturing facility to receive platinum-level certification, according to the American National Standards Institute.
The plant received Superior Energy Performance (SEP) certification in the Mature Energy Pathway category.
The plant demonstrated an energy performance improvement of 41.94% between 2002 and 2012, far exceeding the 15% required for certification.
The Macungie facility also received international ISO 50001 certification, the only globally recognized verification process for energy efficiency standards in industrial facilities.
The SEP verification process is built on the ISO 50001 standard, but choosing the Mature Energy Pathway goes a step beyond. The process allows facilities that have a long track record of aggressive energy performance improvements to get credit for those improvements during a 10-year period.
SEP protocol was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing.
“Mack is proud to be the first in the nation to earn the SEP platinum Mature Energy Pathway recognition during our ISO 50001 certification process,” said Roger Johnston, vice president and general manager of Macungie Cab & Vehicle Assembly. “The platinum-level achievement clearly demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship and is the result of our employees actively working to reduce our energy consumption for more than a decade.”
As part of the ISO 50001 certification, Macungie Cab and Vehicle Assembly employees received training in Energy Management Standards to better understand how to improve energy performance. Employees were also encouraged to form teams and submit energy savings ideas and recognition was given for best idea and most achievable idea.
Plant investments resulting in improved energy performance included lighting upgrades and controls, a building automation system, air compressor management, changes in heat recovery during the manufacturing process and HVAC system efficiency upgrades. The Macungie facility is also certified to the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems.
Macungie Cab & Vehicle Assembly also demonstrates energy leadership through its pledge to reduce its energy intensity by 25% during a 10-year period as part of the DOE Better Plants program. Macungie is also involved in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers program with a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
“We are extremely proud of the certifications that our Mack Trucks assembly facility has achieved, and we want to congratulate the dedicated Mack employees who helped make this happen,” said John Walsh, Mack vice president of marketing. “Mack is known for superior fuel economy and alternative fuel technology leadership, and we feel it’s just as important that the facility where our trucks are assembled is leading manufacturing facilities across the U.S. in energy performance.”.