Legrand announced that it has made an investment in its West Hartford, Conn., manufacturing facility. The company is installing a new powder coat line, replacing a paint line which has been in operation since 1989.
The new powder coat line represents the largest capital improvement in manufacturing for the West Hartford campus in 30 years. The line and process will enable increased capacity and a wider range of paint colors and finishes to be deployed; all while saving an estimated 1.5 million gallons of water annually.
“Our previous paint line had been with us for thirty years and paint technology has changed and improved drastically over that time,” says Bill Luchon, senior manufacturing engineer and environmental management representative, Legrand North and Central America. “This is a significant investment, but it will allow us to deliver a much wider range of advanced product finishes, increase our throughput, and save water and energy, generating a major cost savings.”
The previous system featured a 35,000-gallon paint tank that required agitation pumps and a chiller running at all times. If the power went out, a generator was needed to keep the agitation pumps operational so the paint would stay in solution.
The new powder coat line will cut the total water usage for the West Hartford facility in half. And because the energy savings will be high, Legrand was able to partner with Energize Connecticut to take advantage of subsidies for local companies undertaking energy reduction programs.
In total, it is estimated that the powder coat line will result in a high cost savings annually. The updated system will be operational in Q2 of 2019.