Global Fastener News

SPS Earns UK Envirowise Award for Reducing Water Bill

John Wolz

An SPS Technologies plant in England cut its water bill by 15% and made back its investment 34 times over, according a UK newspaper, Leicester Mercury.
The SPS plant, which manufactures aircraft components, received the UK”s Envirowise award for minimizing water use and saving money. SPS is part of the fastener manufacturer SPS Technologies owned by Portland, OR-based Precision Castparts Corp.

SPS had already initiated water-saving programs when the UK government funded Envirowise”s “Big Splash” campaign began to help companies identify additional water savings.
SPS began monitoring flow and coolant temperatures to identify the optimum flow rate of the mains cooling water for its heat treating furnace.
Keith Mayne, SPS continuous improvement engineer, reported the company has saved about Euro 3,400.

Julie Adams, Envirowise manger for the East Midlands, told the Leicester Mercuyr that Envirowise “has calculated that if every business in the East Midlands leaves just one tap dripping for a day, a staggering 3.6 million litres of water would be wasted.” That can add up to Euro 1 million (US$1.2 million) annually for the region’s businesses. “Many businesses just don’t realise that simple no-cost or low-cost water conservation techniques could cut their annual water consumption,” Adams said. Web: envirowise.gov.uk Editor”s Note: Articles in Media Spotlight are excerpts from publications which show the industry what the public is reading about fastener companies. �2005 FastenerNews.com