Hitchiner's Environmental Stewardship and Green Manufacturing Actions
Hitchiner Manufacturing is Green Manufacturing
As companies around the globe look to becoming greener and cleaner, green manufacturing is one way they are achieving efficiency goals. A greener path to the future begins with fuel-efficient, low-emissions technologies in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Hitchiner Manufacturing is helping these industries achieve these goals by providing high-performance, light-weight components made quickly, cost-effectively, and in the right volume to keep products in their customers' supply chain. From design to application, Hitchiner's operations are answering the call for efficient parts better, faster, and in the most optimal volumes more than any other manufacturing method on the planet.
Green Manufacturing at Hitchiner
Investment casting is not a new technology, but Hitchiner's exclusive countergravity casting services offer not only a better quality product but also a greener option for producing parts thanks to its lower carbon footprint per part than traditional investment casting. By using countergravity casting services, Hitchiner is uniquely qualified to meet the technical needs our customers demand, while also reducing waste and energy consumption. In addition, customers get lightweight, durable components that function reliably in high-temperature environments, increasing the fuel-efficiency of the products built by the aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial gas turbine companies we partner with.
Learn About Hitchiner’s History In Ferrous Investment Castings
Hitchiner has made other process improvements and innovations such as our exclusive SLIC (several layer investment casting) process that can slash mold-heating energy use over 87% and cut shell material use 70%. In 2009, Hitchiner shrank carbon emissions generated from our U.S. operations electrical use by over 14%. That same year, Hitchiner installed a waste heat recovery system at its Mexico Operations HITSA plant, recapturing 150,000 BTUs per hour, 24 hours per day, six days per week, year-round.
Always Looking to Improve
Being green is not just a catchphrase for us. We are always looking for new ways to increase efficiency and become a greener manufacturing facility. It's a philosophy that's paid off. Finding continuous energy conservation, operations efficiencies, and process improvements at all operations sites have dramatically reduced pollution emissions, conserved energy, and reduced material usage. Hitchiner's Mexico Operations has also upheld the international ISO 14000 family of standards for continuous improvement of environmental performance for a number of years. By making this commitment to the environment, it enables us to achieve steady and dramatic environmental gains.
Green Manufacturing Begins at Home
We believe it's essential to respond to tomorrows urgency today. Through Hitchiner's policies and practices, we strive to ensure the excellent health and safety of all persons, creatures, ecosystems, and communities we touch. That means fulfilling the environmental requirements of local, state, national, and international authorities.
In addition, Hitchiner completed a seven-year initiative to eliminate thousands of tons of volatile organic compound emissions (VOC), industrial wastewater, and hazardous waste in 2007, vastly improving our environmental standing. Company-wide, Hitchiner also employs a rigorous and comprehensive recycling program for other process materials.
Sustainability is a Priority
Green manufacturing shouldn't stop at the door to the manufacturing floor. Hitchiner is committed to environmental sustainability throughout all our facilities and in our communities. Conservation and preservation is a significant part of our commitment to the environment. Part of this effort was Hitchiner's donation of the 194-acre Hitchiner Town Forest to the Town of Milford, NH. This is a highly valued New England wild space with trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The forest also, “provides prime habitat for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, red and gray squirrels, ruffed grouse, weasels, mink, fisher cats, snowshoe rabbit, red fox, and porcupine. The variety of forest types and age classes provides a multitude of habitat and ‘edge,’ or interface, between two types of ecosystems," according to the Town of Milford, NH Conservation Plan.
Hitchiner is committed to setting a new standard for green manufacturing that looks to the long-term sustainability of our industry, and our communities. Click here for more information about our commitment to the environment.