XPart smashes green warehousing targets

Parts specialist XPart has exceeded the sustainability targets set by its parent company Caterpillar Inc for the fourthyear running. The company has already exceeded its recycling target by 20 per cent, and by the end of December expects to have beaten its water consumption and carbon emissions reduction targets by 10 percent and 14 percent respectively. Its warehouse facility in Desford, Leicestershire has recently won a Green Apple Award for its commitment to sustainable practices and was also named as a finalist in the National Recycling Awards.

 
"XPart is firmly committed to reducing its carbon footprint and cutting its water and energy consumption," explains Craig Cooper, general manager, XPart. "The success we've had on site is largely due to creative energy-saving strategies and the active participation of staff in supporting the new measures. In addition to helping to reduce our impact on the environment, we're also cutting down on running costs."  
 
Logistics professionals at XPart's warehouse have installed energy efficient, motion sensor lighting throughout its 600,000 square foot facility, in a significant move away from keeping neon lights switched on for lengthy shifts. The change has brought about a 70 percent reduction in electricity usage and emissions in some areas.The company has also reduced its gas consumption by 1.5 million kwh/year by using a high efficiency heating control system. The heating automatically switches off if a door is left open.
 
"Our warehouse staff quickly adapted to the new heating control system as soon as they realised the penalty for neglecting to close doors!" continues Cooper. "Optimising the efficiency of our heating system has been particularly beneficial in the recent cold snap."
 
XPart's Desford site has also achieved 'zero landfill' status, with 100 per cent of its waste being recycled. This includes packaging, plastics, metal, wood, oil and fluids. Among the innovative uses for recycling its waste, the company has even invited Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service on site to help train its firefighters to understand fire behaviour and is using the site's waste wood to create the fires.
 
Scrap avoidance and obsolescence programmes are also in place at XPart's central warehouse, with the remanufacture of parts such as engines and rotating electrics proving a cost effective alternative to discarding end-of-life components.