Efficiency is its own reward

The manufacturing sector in this country has been diminishing due to a mixture of finding cheaper labor elsewhere and containerized shipping. The driving trend is now to get the highest quality product for the cheapest cost without regards to where it is manufactured. Many U.S. companies have found the solution to this is by moving their manufacturing projects to Asia. However, other companies have found that manufacturing can still be successful in this country by reducing capital through energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. One such example is the new Texas Instruments factory in Dallas. The TI factory designers started the capital-cutting project by first making the entire factory cheaper to build. The next step was slashing operating costs. For example, the designers spent time examining better ways to cool the factory since cooling costs are very significant in the hot Texas weather. The designers decided to install a white plastic cover over the roof of the structure that reflects 85% of incoming radiation. Other examples are more efficient windows, motion-activated lighting and irrigation from collected rain water. Every project that makes the factory more efficient will end up saving on costs, which can add up to significant savings.  Read full article at Mechanical Engineering.

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