Bridgman IBC is committed to a culture of sustainability and business practices that can make the company more efficient.
Significant investment has been made over recent years with the aim of drastically reducing our carbon footprint.
We are Iso14001, FSC & PEFC accredited (environmental management & forestry stewardship) and our staff have undergone educational training programmes to understand sustainability and how we can all contribute to this.
Working closely with Decerna and other local contractors in the area we have been able to log and report on potential carbon savings over the last year.
Notable reductions to date have been made in the following areas:
- Replacing diesel forklift trucks with electric Toyota models. Enabling us not only to stop purchasing and using diesel, but also helped us reduce our energy costs as they are much more efficient and don’t need charging as much as previously thought.
- Installing a diverter valve on one of our wood dust extraction lines has enabled us to switch off a large fan set on the backshift. This has effectively cut our extraction fan usage by 33% on the shift, saving kW hours in the process.
- A variable speed compressor has been installed to replace our old fixed speed model. This enables us to fully automate and regulate our pneumatic pressures that feed all our machines and hand tools. This new compressor varies the speed of the motor depending on demand in the factory, so during quiet periods or backshift, it will slow down. This helps to save a huge amount of energy that was previously lost by the old fixed speed model, which worked at 100% all the time.
- New LED lighting throughout our manufacturing facility have replaced inefficient sodium lighting systems.
- Transitioned from gas overhead heating to a wood burning Talbot system and localised infrared systems.
Over the course of the next few years we will reaffirm our commitment to sustainability by implementing the following:
- Replacing our dust extraction plant fans with direct drive variable speed capability controlled via pressure monitoring and dampers on machines.
- More LED lighting controls – Lux level sensors to switch lighting off inside the factory when not required.
- Conveyor lines control so they are not running when not used for a specific time period.
- Exploring new ways to reduce waste in the business with regards to pallets and offcuts.