The renovation of the Guardian Industries plant at Kingsburg in California has taken more than 100 days, USD 90 million and the hands-on expertise of teams from around the world.
The upgrades to equi…
The renovation of the Guardian Industries plant at Kingsburg in California has taken more than 100 days, USD 90 million and the hands-on expertise of teams from around the world. The upgrades to equipment at Guardian“s Kingsburg factory will enable the company to increase its daily output by 40% to 700 tons and cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%. The major overhaul allows the company to remain competitive while meeting stricter air emission standards. Don Tullman, the general manager of Guardian“s Western US region, said the renovation has been costly but that it means the 300-employee company will remain in California“s central San Joaquin Valley for many years. Guardian had looked at moving to another state that offered a lower cost of doing business. But Mr. Tullman said two of the main factors that prompted Guardian to stay in Kingsburg were the region“s work force and proximity to customers, many of them in southern California. The company produces glass for companies that make everything from residential windows to solar panels. “It just made good economic sense to stay here”, Mr. Tullman said. “And we wanted to show that we are making a commitment to California and the region”. Guardian also wanted to stay competitive in an industry that has seen a strong challenge from China. “Thirty years ago, no one was buying glass from China, and now they are one of our biggest competitors on the West Coast”, said Jim Pardy, raw glass manager. The changes allow Guardian to improve efficiency without losing any workers and set the standard for reducing air emissions, said Martin Bergman, plant engineer. Of the USD 90 million, USD 10 million was used to reduce the plant“s carbon footprint, including switching from an oil-fired furnace to natural gas. Kingsburg was chosen 30 years ago for its central location and because it was part of the fast-growing West Coast. Its plant was the first to be built outside of Guardian“s Michigan headquarters. Today, the company has operations in 21 countries, most recently opening factories in Russia, Brazil and India. Guardian“s global reach can be seen at its Kingsburg plant. For the renovation, the company purchased equipment from countries including Italy, Belgium and Israel. Engineers and technicians from those countries have spent several months installing the equipment. Mr. Tullman estimated that more than 300 workers were needed to renovate the plant, including a team from Tennessee that built the 4,000-square-foot (371 square meter) furnace. On 29 May 2008, technicians continued making adjustments on the massive glass line, which is nearly one-third of a mile (530 meters) long. At one end of the line, Pablo Cavallera, of Turin, Italy, worked on an Italian-made glass cutting machine, while at the other Yaron Anaki, of Israel, worked on a robotic piece of equipment that can lift wall-size sheets of glass off a conveyor belt. Mr. Pardy said the robotic equipment saves time and increases worker safety. As sheets of glass continued to roll down the line, the sound of breaking glass could be heard. “The bugs will work themselves out”, Mr. Pardy said. “And you kind of get used to the sound of breaking glass”.