Planning for Efficiency

Every effort was made to make sure that the new plant reflected the company’s values in each step of the process, begin­ning with the selection of a site within a designated Green Park/Eco-industrial area in the owners’ hometown of Turtle Lake. Before construction began in 2011, the Jansens worked closely with their architect and builder to design a building envelope with high-performance energy efficiency, including a heating/cooling sys­tem using high-efficiency heat pumps. The 60,000-sq.-ft. plant was designed to be flexible, able to be reconfigured to meet the needs of individual projects. Every compo­nent, material, and system was carefully evaluated for long-term outcomes. While the company’s clients weren’t requesting the level of sustainability that the company built into its operations, the owners firmly believe that these investments will offer a competitive edge in the future. The factory is organized around a sophisticated storage and retrieval system designed to reduce material waste and loss. When materials arrive, the system stores them, keeping track of the storage location. The machine then retrieves the material needed for a job (even predicting the day’s cut-list), delivering it to operators at one of three stations for processing: a saw station for simple cuts, a nested-based machine for complex processing, or a third station with a portable cart, for materials needed elsewhere in the plant (for modeling or car­tooning, for example). The automation eliminates the need for forklifts and manual heavy lifting reducing waste due to damage and allowing staff to focus on skilled tasks. At all times, staff know exactly how many materials of any given type they have, how many they are using, and where they are located.
The ability to send materials either to a saw station or to a nested-based machine not only reduces material waste, but also minimizes operations that don’t add value to the final material. Remaining scraps are made into briquettes, and the company is currently considering furnace systems that can use them. Cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass are all collected and recycled.
The building is equipped with motion­ sensing lighting that provides excep­tional illumination, but only in occupied zones. Kevin Jansen noted that the com­pany’s permanent staff, plus a handful of part-timers, moves around frequently; lights come on as they are needed, both on the plant floor and in offices. Outside, the lights and signage are LED-illuminated, an upfront investment that the Jansens expect to contribute to long-term savings.
Developing a state-of-the-art facility with high-tech production equipment demanded a team approach. The Jansens tapped their circle of friends for the exper­tise they needed to plan and build the fac­tory. Now they feel a strong connection to their community and hope their work with the local high school, community college, and university will help fill new positions as the company grows.
Near-future initiatives include photovol­taic panels to further offset the company’s energy needs, as well as carbon sequestra­tion in the native prairie to restore over 10 acres surrounding the plant (which will also minimize the need for lawn mowing, Kevin Jansen explained). The company is also pursuing lean manufacturing initia­tives (upstream and downstream), as well as locally sourced bio-based materials, such as a soy-based board for possible use in place of plywood and particleboard.
It’s remarkable for me as a manufac­turing veteran to observe first-hand an example of what makes this country great: A family business built in the heartland and staffed with local talent taking a lead­ership role in a highly competitive indus­try and global marketplace. Infinity Retail Services meets the challenges of inter­national competition head on by leverag­ing global best practices. To quote urban planner and sociologist Patrick Geddes, the company’s leaders “think globally, act locally.” Infinity Retail Services shows us how it can be done.

Stephan Waltman

VP of marketing communications for Stiles Machinery Inc., the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based division of Homag Group.