DaimlerChrysler Honors Employee Teams for Environmental Protection Efforts
5 October 1999
DaimlerChrysler Honors Employee Teams for Environmental Protection Efforts
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. and STUTTGART, Germany, Oct. 5 --
DaimlerChrysler has honored seven teams of employees and their
extended enterprise colleagues for efforts to reduce or eliminate sources of
pollution in the company's daily operations worldwide.
The winners of the 1999 DaimlerChrysler Continuously Honors Environmental
Excellence with Recognition (CHEER) awards were selected from 98 nominated
teams with more than 850 members, the most in the six-year history of the
program. Each team includes one or more DaimlerChrysler employee and has been
instrumental in contributing to pollution prevention or environmental
improvements for DaimlerChrysler.
"The pollution prevention efforts of these teams have eliminated more than
875 million pounds of waste from the air, water, and soil, and at the same
time they have added business value by saving the company money," said James
A. Carlson, Director of Pollution Prevention and Remediation for
DaimlerChrysler Corporation. "These awards demonstrate that DaimlerChrysler
takes seriously its commitment to environmental management and is continually
looking for ways to reduce or eliminate sources of pollution."
The CARE CAR project was initiated by the Vehicle Recycling Programs,
Materials Engineering, and Pollution Prevention and Remediation departments.
The project identified design for environment, end of life vehicle
recyclability and recycle content ideas which can be incorporated into
production within five years. The project resulted in elimination of seven
resin families in DaimlerChrysler products and reduced vehicle weight by
approximately seven pounds, without increases in cost.
Phytoremediation was used at the decommissioned Detroit Forge Plant to
clean up approximately 5,800 cubic years of lead-impacted soil.
Phytoremediation is a process which uses plants to extract contaminants from
the soil into the plant stems and leaves. Two plantings were completed, the
first using sunflowers and the second mustard plants. Following treatment,
analysis indicated soil lead concentrations were below the target clean-up
criteria. The project resulted in an estimated savings of $1,100,000 over
hazardous waste disposal.
The Indianapolis Foundry uses 1,200 tons of new sand per day to support
the production of engine blocks. The use of sand for core and mold
manufacturing is an essential process at the foundry, and there is no known
replacement. A team at the Foundry developed a marketing program for the sand
and helped generate legislation that allowed for the reuse. As a result, in
1998 the Foundry recycled more than 132,000 tons of sand that in previous
years went to landfill, at an annual savings of $594,000.
Small Car Platform Exterior Systems Engineering found that high gloss
front and rear fascias are technically feasible for the 2000 Neon. This
allowed for reductions in emissions associated with the painting process such
as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released to the atmosphere, heat energy
consumption, and difficult recyclability of the painted substrate. The mold-
in-color high gloss fascias have pigment included in the nylon/surlyn plastic
substrate. Scrap parts are easily reground for reprocessing. Additional
environmental savings result from co-locating the fascia plant at the assembly
plant, thus reducing transportation costs. Total cost savings are expected to
be $200,000 per year and 125,645 pounds of VOCs.
International Manufacturing introduced a state of the art "power prime"
technology for electro-deposition of primer on e-coated vehicle bodies in
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Previously, automotive bodies were sprayed with full body
powder or liquid primers after E-Coat to achieve UV delamination and chip
protection. The new process is more effective and more environmentally
friendly, totally eliminates waste, offers equal or better UV and chip
protection, and has significant cost savings. This technology has been
acclaimed as a breakthrough in automotive painting.
DaimlerChrysler won a National Award for Sustainability for the
"brownfield" redevelopment of the former Old Mack Stamping Plant into the Mack
Avenue Engine Plants. Working closely with the City of Detroit, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Michigan, DaimlerChrysler's
Pollution Prevention and Remediation Department deactivated the former
facility while addressing human health and environmental risks in order to
make the property safe for the new development. "Design for the Environment"
initiatives were incorporated into the design of the new plants to prevent
future environmental problems. Siting of the new plants at the Mack Avenue
property instead of "greenfield" sites resulted in savings of more than
$23 million and 72 million pounds of recycled steel.
The Pillette Road Truck Assembly Plant in Windsor, Canada, has reduced VOC
emissions from surface coating activities. Initiatives taken include
introduction of pre-moistened naphtha wipes, improved waste capture system,
and topcoat reductions through improved paints and transfer efficiency. The
use of booth cleaning solvents was also reduced through education, training,
and use of equipment covers. The plant reduced paint shop VOC emissions by 50
percent.