Schmiede
Corporation
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Schmiede Corporation, Tullahoma, Tennessee |
| PRODUCT: |
Precision machining |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
31 |
EMPLOYEES:
ANNUAL SALES: |
130
$10 million |
| SITUATION: |
Schmiede Corporation, a woman-owned precision machining company, wanted
to increase the useful life of machining coolants and reduce the hazardous
waste discharged by the plant. Looking for technical assistance with the
situation, the company contacted the University of Tennessee Center for
Industrial Services, and was referred to the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing
Technology. |
| PROJECT: |
An engineer from ORCMT visited Schmiede, observed the operations, and
recommended changes in the handling of both coolant and waste streams.
The company had been mixing hazardous waste from painting and plating operations
with nonhazardous waste thereby making the entire waste stream hazardous.
On the recommendation of the ORCMT engineer, the company started using
a process to recycle the machining coolant and extending its useful life
from about three months to nearly 2 years, and separated the hazardous
waste from the nonhazardous waste and then handling hazardous waste separately
thereby substantially reducing the size of the hazardous waste stream. |
| RESULTS: |
Erwin Pross, vice president of operations and general manager, said
the company went from being "a large hazardous waste generator to being
a small hazardous waste generator in just one year." In the process,
the company has saved $20,000 in reduced production costs and has achieved
as much as $100,000 in cost avoidance since the changes were made.
The company also received a letter of commendation from the Environmental
Protection Agency for its efforts. |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
|
