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BEST PRACTICES Best Practices: Environmentally Green METAL CRAFT MACHINE & ENGINEERING, INC. by Dustin Norton This series is meant to provide you with the opportunity to read how selected MPMA members handle and manage various best practices within their company, giving you insight and information as a resource for your business on several topics throughout the year. Since 1978, Metal Craft Machine & Engineering, Inc. has been striving to offer exceptional quality, service and innovation to all of its customers as a leading machine and engineering shop. In the early-1990s, Metal Craft switched its focus from general machining to the medical device and implant industry. This switch proved to be a smart move and today Metal Craft is a national leader in the medical device industry. In 2007, their 25,000-squarefoot shop in Elk River, Minn., was running low on space, so they began the planning process for a new 83,000-square-foot shop right across town. The shop, which opened in 2009, was created with quality, efficiency, and the environment in mind. Throughout the planning process top management and shop workers thought of ways Metal Craft could maintain its high quality standards, while being efficient, employee friendly, and good for the environment. Quality was the primary focus when designing the new production floor. Everything in the shop centers on quality, which is why the quality department is located in the middle of the production floor. This makes it easier to get to the quality department from all areas of the shop, improving the time and flow of products through the shop. The quality department also is right in line with the building’s offices and front doors, making it easy to reach when customers come to visit. To increase its visibility, the production floor is surrounded by windows, making the shop much brighter during the day. This was also the first step in making the shop more energy efficient. Lighting a production floor of this size would be a challenge and a costly expense. The windowed rotunda design brought in natural light, which allowed the shop to rely less on its energy efficient T5 fluorescent light bulbs during the day. In addition, white walls and floors dramatically increased the brightness of the production floor, which created a noticeable change on the work environment. Since moving to the new shop, workers are more motivated and happy according to Rhonda Jorgenson, production floor manager at Metal Craft. In addition, she believes that it has led to better organization and cleanliness on the part of employees. With the shop being brighter, it has created the desire for workers to stay organized and keep their work stations clean and the shop looking pristine. These changes, along with the shop floor layout helped not only the quality of the products, but the flow throughout the shop. From the time a product enters the shop to when it leaves, it follows an easy flow through departments. Raw materials arrive at the west end of the shop; from there they go to their designated departments surrounding quality, and are shipped from the They maintained high industry standards and quality requirements; they built a shop designed for performance, while being as energy efficient as possible. east end of the building. This creates less confusion and congestion in the shop. The crew itself even has a flow as they enter for their day. Lockers and showers are located right by the employee entrance. From there they can enter the break room or go straight into the shop, which alleviates congestion during shift changes and breaks. With quality and efficiency covered, the next goal was to finish making the shop environmentally friendly. One of the biggest problems was the heat that was created due to the windows in the production floor. continued 24 | PRECISION MANUFACTURING September | October 2012
BEST PRACTICES To solve this, Metal Craft installed an energy efficient HVAC system which uses the shops duct work to push cool air from the floor up during the summer, as well as pull warm air down from the ceiling in the winter. This dramatically reduces heating and cooling costs throughout the year. In addition, Metal Craft was built with a white vinyl roof instead of a standard black roof. Founder of Metal Craft Jack Mowry said that it makes the roof about 55 degrees cooler than the temperature of a black roof. The production floor wasn’t the only area of the building with the environment in mind. The building was built with a reverse osmosis system, allowing employees to fill reusable water bottles instead of using disposable plastic bottles. The Being environmentally friendly is still as high a priority as serving their customers. carpet in the office also was selected with the environment in mind—30 percent is recycled carpet and 100 percent is recyclable in the future. Outside of the building, recycling and scraps are kept in dry storage to prevent runoff into the ground. They are kept in a dual door system so that the air temperature does not affect that of the production floor. Finally, a runoff pond was created behind the shop to allow rain water from the building to re-enter the water table. Metal Craft was able to create a new standard for production facilities. They maintained high industry standards and quality requirements; they built a shop designed for performance, while being as energy efficient as possible. Being environmentally friendly is still as high a priority as serving their customers. They have reduced cost and become energy-efficient all while serving their customers better every day. PM DUSTIN NORTON is the marketing/public relations intern for Metal Craft Machine & Engineering, Inc. He can be reached at drnorton@metal-craft.com. The more HAIMER, the better. Don’t Gamble With Your Business When you choose your advisors, you’re choosing the future of your business. BPK&Z – CPAs and Consultants can help you avoid unnecessary risks and prepare your business for growth. Great accountants and consultants save you money and help you consolidate your business around its strengths. We bring clarity and focus. Your future doesn’t need to be uncertain. Power Series Application Milling for advanced users Rigidity High Spindle speed Maximum Vibrations Minimal Balancing grade g 2.5 @ 25,000 RPM Accuracy < 0.00012’’ Application range Universal More www.haimer-usa.com Haimer USA, LLC | 134 E. Hill Street | Villa Park, IL 60181 | USA Phone +1-630-833-1500 | haimer@haimer-usa.com | www.haimer-usa.com Tool Holders Shrinking Technology Balancing Machines Measuring Instruments Tool Management Choose BPK&Z – CPAs and Consultants. Going beyond what MUST be done ...... to what CAN be done® in any economy. BPK&Z September | October 2012 PRECISION MANUFACTURING | 25
Page 1 and 2: SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012 THE FUTURE
Page 3 and 4: FEDERATED® Your Association Does!
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS September | October 2012 8
Page 7 and 8: MPMA EVENTS: SEPTEMBER Sept. 20 - 1
Page 9 and 10: COVER STORY Dream It. Do It. is a n
Page 11 and 12: MANUFACTURING MARVELS Election Ferv
Page 13 and 14: Bill Kuban: Legend and Legacy desig
Page 15 and 16: MADE IN MINNESOTA Tower Solutions S
Page 17 and 18: SHOP PROFILE “If you schedule reg
Page 19 and 20: INDUSTRY PROFILE: ENGINEERED FINISH
Page 21 and 22: WHEN NUMBERS MATTER: 6 NEW JOBS. 2
Page 23: FEATURE STORY Remember, MTConnect i
Page 27 and 28: MANUFACTURERS’ MARKETPLACE A few
Page 29 and 30: MEMBER DIRECTORY Blanski Peter Kron
Page 31 and 32: MEMBER DIRECTORY IFS-Industrial Fab
Page 33 and 34: MEMBER DIRECTORY Stone Machinery, I
Page 35 and 36: AFFORDABLE PORTABLE CMM 1-Align 2-I

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