John M Henderson has been highly commended at this year’s Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Awards, organised by the Carbon Trust in Scotland. The company received the commendation at the annual Scottish Engineering Annual Awards dinner at the Marriott Hotel, Glasgow, for its work in reducing its carbon footprint which will see the company reap projected annual savings of more than £25,000.
John M Henderson was spurred on to improve its energy efficiency through a desire to remain competitive in the current economic climate by reducing its overheads. By investing £60,000 to improve office, work shop lighting and installing a variable speed compressor, the company has estimated it will reduce its overall electricity bill by 38% and will recoup the initial investment cost in two and a half years.
John Stocks, manager of the Carbon Trust, said: “The work undertaken by John M Henderson & Co Ltd and the results they have achieved is an excellent example of how a business can help the environment by becoming energy efficient, but at the same time help themselves by reducing overheads. The measures undertaken by the company are relatively straightforward, including replacing existing lighting with environmentally friendly low energy lighting, but have had a profound impact on profitability and have cut the company’s overall carbon footprint.”
Managing Director of John M Henderson & Co Ltd, Alistair Lauchlan, added: “We are delighted that our work has been highly commended by the Carbon Trust. Whilst the main aim was to review and reduce overheads in order to ensure we remained competitive within the market place, the project exceeded all our expectations and has helped to raise awareness of environmental issues within the company.”
In the picture: Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of the Weir Group and Scottish & Southern Energy, Alex Falconer - the QHSE Manager from John M Henderson and John Stocks, Manager of the Carbon Trust
Now in its fourth year, the Carbon Trust Scottish Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Award aims to seek out and publicise energy efficiency projects that have made a significant and lasting impact on an organisation’s ongoing business performance. Whilst recognising that the best projects often occur where the host company already has good energy management practices, the award seeks to recognise the importance of both issues. Two sets of criteria are considered including the qualities and impact of a single project or group of linked projects which form the basis of the application, and the applicant’s ongoing energy management policies and practices.
