Facilities and Operations

We have a global portfolio of Hypertherm facilities for which we are responsible. Our blended approach to facilities includes a mix of Research and Development, testing laboratories reliability laboratories, manufacturing, assembly and support services. Although our facilities consume large amounts of electricity and water we are making significant strides to improve our carbon footprint. We have ample opportunity across many areas of our company to improve decisions we make on a broad or narrow focus in order to reduce our environmental impact. The education process and resulting culture change in regard to our facilities is underway and invigorating.

Web-based, real-time electricity monitoring capabilities, closely watched metrics anchored around kilowatt hours (KWH) used, and engaged manufacturing, engineering, and facilities teams has already led to dramatic reduction in our electricity usage. Simple changes such as off-hours setbacks and better zone management have reduced our electricity by 7%. Through a corporate-wide efficiency lighting upgrade, we realized a 0.9 year payback on our investment.

We purchase Green Seal cleaning products to reduce the chemical impact in our work environment.

Our operations have had a decade long dedication to Lean Six Sigma. This results in a deep commitment to reducing wastes of all kinds in our operations. Much of this focus has had a positive impact on our environment and we are now purposefully prioritizing these results in our decisions. Our machines use canola oil as their coolant and lubricant. This canola oil is then run through an in-house filtration and reuse system that has dropped the hazardous waste from these processes down to near zero. A full-scale recycling program of paper and plastics, all our wood, cardboard, and computer waste is currently a standard part of our work practice.

The National Wildlife Federation has certified our main facility here in Hanover, NH as a Wildlife Habitat. We are stewards of land with food sources such as wild berries, nuts, apple trees, and flowers; with water sources such as ponds, streams, and natural springs; with ample cover for wildlife in wooded areas, caves, and dense thickets; and with places to raise young among our forests, meadows, wetlands, and ponds.