H I G H P E R F O R M I N G B U I L D I N G S W i n t e r 20117 0 W i n t e r 2011 H I G H P E R F O R M I N G B U I L D I N G S 7 1

H O N D A E A S T L I B E R T Y , M A R Y S V I L L E A U T O P L A N T SC A S E S T U D Y

electricity and natural gas con-sumption, which account for about 96% of total CO2 emissions. Major areas of energy use in Marysville and East Liberty include electricity for motors driving pumps and fans, robots used in welding, painting, assembly, conveyor systems, chill-ers and compressed air systems.

At the East Liberty plant, electri-cally powered automatic-guided vehicles (AGVs) deliver parts from the receiving docks to the assembly or production line. Natural gas is consumed for building and water heating, for conditioning fresh air to supply paint booths, and for paint curing ovens and emission control equipment.

Today, Honda is working on a broad range of initiatives to reduce the environmen-tal footprint of its manu-

facturing operations. These “Green Factory” initiatives focus on reducing CO2 emissions through energy effi-ciency measures, eliminating waste from automotive manufacturing pro-cesses, conserving natural resources and promoting land stewardship. Honda also works closely with parts suppliers to conserve fuel use by streamlining parts delivery.

As a key part of Honda’s global Green Factory initiative to reduce the environmental impact of pro-duction, the company’s two auto-mobile assembly plants in central Ohio have worked to reduce energy consumption, eliminate waste and cut emissions from the manufactur-ing process.

Honda operates four plants in cen-tral Ohio, including Honda’s first two U.S. auto plants in Marysville and East Liberty.

Honda of America Mfg.’s Green Factory efforts include the first automobile factory in North America to use waterborne basecoat paint (East Liberty in 1989), and the first plant in North America to operate with zero waste to landfill (Lincoln, Ala. in 2002).

Walking through either Ohio auto plant is a different experience than touring one of the gleaming edifices that this magazine usually show-cases. But looks aren’t everything.

Honda’s two Ohio automobile fac-tories have many examples of the company’s ongoing investment in new tools, new processes, and more energy-efficient equipment that are helping the company to realize its ultimate goal — to manufacture products with the lowest possible in-use CO2 emissions at factories with the lowest possible emissions and energy intensity.

The Marysville and/or East Liberty plants have many of the same technologies found in newer buildings, such as high-efficiency T8 and T5 lamps and compact fluo-rescent or LED fixtures in office and break areas, and metal halide lamps with centralized controls in assem-bly areas. High-bay lighting needs are evaluated regularly, and lamps are removed in areas where changes to processes or the plant layout have made them unnecessary.

Associates’ (employees’) efforts to improve energy efficiency in all areas of operations are evident in the use of high-efficiency electric motors, variable speed drives on gas and liq-uid flow systems, and high-pressure blowers instead of compressed air in blow-off (cooling of casting dies and removal of metal fragments from stamping) and cooling applications.

Reducing Energy UseThese initiatives help the company increase energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide. Other greenhouse gases including meth-ane and nitrous oxide are emitted during fuel combustion and through the use of certain refrigerants.

The main sources of CO2 emis-sions in manufacturing are

B U I L D I N G S AT A G L A N C E

Names East Liberty Auto Plant Marysville Auto Plant

Location East Liberty, Ohio (approx. 47 miles

northwest of Columbus, Ohio) Marysville, Ohio (approx. 32 miles northwest of Columbus, Ohio)

Owner Honda of America Mfg., Inc., a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, Ltd.

Principal Use Automobile assembly

Employees East Liberty 2,400 Marysville 4,400

Conditioned space East Liberty 1.9 million ft2

Marysville 3.6 million ft2

Substantial Completion East Liberty 1989 Marysville 1982

Distinctions East Liberty ENERGY STAR (100) Marysville ENERGY STAR (84)Both plants have received the ENERGY STAR annually since 2006, the first year that the award was given.

Opposite  The Marysville Auto Plant opened in 1982 and has the capacity to produce 440,000 vehicles a year. The plant reduced landfill waste by 297 MT, or 27%, between 2007 and 2009.

Automobile maker Honda has a long history of environmental innovation.

The Honda Civic CVCC was the first car to meet the 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act

standards on engine performance alone. Honda made the first mass-produced

car to break the 50 mpg fuel-economy mark in 1986, and in 2000 the car-

maker introduced the first gas-electric vehicle to America.

DRIVING FOR GREENB Y K A R E N H E YO B

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Honda set global goals for the reduction in CO2 emissions from its products and factories in May 2006, including a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions from automobile produc-tion from 2001 levels by 2011. For four years, beginning with the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2005, Honda’s North American factories reduced annual energy use per unit of automobile production by an average 3.2%, going from 7.1 GJ/auto (6,729 kBtu/auto) in 2005 to a

In auto production plants, all machines and processes must run regardless of the volume of pro-duction. So despite its production energy efficiency improvements, lower production volumes ulti-mately resulted in a lower per-unit efficiency measurement.

Energy Efficiency StrategiesWith a focus on CO2 emissions reductions over the past decade, Honda’s Ohio factories have reduced the energy intensity of automobile production by operat-ing equipment with less variability, by ensuring that process energy requirements are met and not exceeded, and by designing equip-ment that can be easily shut down when not in use.

Efficient Use of Compressed Air. Generating compressed air accounts for more than 12% of total electric-ity consumption, or more than 5% of total energy use. Steps to reduce compressed air generation energy have focused on better management of compressed air systems to pro-vide the right pressure to the right areas at the right times.

10-year low of 6.2 GJ/auto (5,877 kBtu/auto) in 2008.

However, Honda’s production volumes declined 20% during the following two years as a result of the recession. While reduced production led to a significant decrease in total energy use during the period, the energy intensity of automobile pro-duction rose 9.7%. On a global basis average energy use for each auto-mobile produced has been reduced 12.6% over the past five years.

nonproduction times on weekends and between shifts. The systems also help identify energy efficiency

Real-time Power Metering. Real-time metering of operations at the East Liberty Auto Plant allows Honda associates to monitor energy use and meet non-production energy use targets by verifying that equipment is shut down during

This includes optimizing compres-sor operation (running the most efficient units first); leak prevention programs; reducing overall pres-sure; weekend pressure reductions; installing smaller systems to serve areas more efficiently; implement-ing cool-air intakes; and replacing compressed air with high pressure blow-off fans where possible.

Motor Efficiency. Installation of highly efficient variable frequency motor drives has optimized the management and flow of pumped fluids (liquids and gases) during changing conditions. In areas where pumps or fans are oversized, impel-lers are trimmed to more accu-rately match energy available with energy needed.

Energy Use Intensity/Site Energy (Per Auto Produced)East Liberty 5.14 GJ (4,872 kBtu) Electricity 1.87 GJ (1,772 kBtu) Natural Gas 3.27 GJ (3,099 kBtu)Marysville 5.29 GJ (5,014 kBtu) Electricity 2.03 GJ (1,924 kBtu) Natural Gas 3.26 GJ (3,089 kBtu)

Source Energy (Per Auto Produced) East Liberty 9.7 GJ (9,163 kBtu) Marysville 10.2 GJ (9,660 kBtu)

E N E R G Y AT A G L A N C E

The East Liberty Auto Plant, which opened in 1989, developed the flexibility to manufac-ture both cars and light trucks on the same assembly line in 2002. It uses low-emission waterborne paint and recycled wastewater to flush toilets. 

Left  A Honda associate checks the con-trols for the air-conditioning units for the Intelligent Paint Booth, which was developed by Honda of America Mfg. in conjunction with the mechanical engineering depart-ment at The Ohio State University. The tech-nology was first introduced at the Marysville Auto Plant in 2008 and has been implented at all of Honda’s major automobile opera-tions in North America.

Below  The paint booth at East Liberty Auto Plant reduces CO2 emissions and energy consumption by using a predictive algori-thim to automatically regulate air tempera-ture and humidity.

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improvement opportunities and to measure the impact of installing new systems.

Building Heating. The elimination of central boiler houses for the deliv-ery of steam for heating and process uses improves energy efficiency by improving equipment efficiency and eliminating heat loss. Individual heating units, typically powered by natural gas, are generally more efficient and eliminate the heat and water loss associated with central-ized steam production and distribu-tion through pipes. Also, individual units can run as needed to meet actual requirements instead of continuous operation at a minimum level, whether needed or not.

Over a two-year period, the East Liberty plant replaced steam in eight major processes with more energy-efficient “at-the-spot” tech-nology. Direct injection burners

M A R Y S V I L L E , E A S T L I B E R T Y W A S T E A N D R E S O U R C E R E D U C T I O N S

2007 Baseline 2009 Reduction Percent Reduced

Landfill Waste

Marysville 1,113.13 MT 816.15 MT 296.98 MT 26.7%

East Liberty 610.5 MT  458.04 MT 152.46 MT 25%

Electricity Use

Marysville   225,774,134 kWh   206,752,726 kWh  19,021,408 kWh 8.4%

East Liberty 122,050,761 kWh 106,863,697 kWh  15,187,064 kWh 12.4%

Natural Gas

Marysville 1,281,710 kcf    1,103,698 kcf  178,012 kcf 13.9%

East Liberty 725,619 kcf       589,069 kcf 136,550 kcf 18.8%

Groundwater

Marysville 189,848,865 gal   175,195,255 gal 14,653,610 gal 7.7%

East Liberty 116,765,125 gal  106,571,009 gal  10,194,116 gal 8.7%

O H I O E PA R E C O G N I Z E S H O N D A P L A N T S

Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency recognized the environmental efforts of Honda’s Ohio plants with its Environmental Stewardship Award in 2009. The Ohio EPA took note of the following:

Honda reduced waste sent to landfills by 34%; reduced electricity use by 62.5 million kWh; reduced natural gas use by more than 417 million cubic ft in one year; and reduced groundwater use by 43 million gallons per year.

By using two ponds covering seven acres to capture rainwater, the company avoided using more than 95 million gallons of groundwater over two years.

At the company’s East Liberty Auto Plant, a spinning operation was added to remove oil and solvents from used rags. The rags are then remanufactured into auto parts.

At the Anna (Ohio) Engine Plant, the company reused 7.7 million lb of sand from casting operation in soil and mulch products.

Right  Electrically powered automated guided vehicles transport parts throughout the East Liberty Auto Plant.

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replaced steam-to-water heat exchangers; an economizer was installed to capture waste heat from emissions control equipment and replaced a steam-to-water heat exchanger; and cool-fog misting sys-tems replaced steam humidification systems in painting operations.

The Marysville plant initiated work to eliminate its central boiler house in 2009 and expected to com-plete the replacement of steam by the end of 2010.

Paint Booth Technology. Body paint-ing is typically the most energy intensive process in an automobile factory, requiring large amounts of energy to regulate booth air condi-tions to achieve the desired product appearance and finish quality. In collaboration with the mechani-cal engineering department at The Ohio State University, Honda of

C R E AT I N G A N E N E R G Y B E N C H M A R K

The U.S. industrial sector accounts for about 30% of the country’s energy use. But until a few years ago, industrial manufacturers had no tool to benchmark their plants’ energy consumption against other plants in their industries.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program devel-oped an Energy Performance Indicator for auto assembly plants in 2005. The indica-tor normalizes plants’ energy use, allow-ing for a comparison across the industry.

As with the ENERGY STAR program for buildings, auto assembly plants that receive a rating of 50 reflect average energy use. A score of 75 or higher indicates top per-formance and makes the plants eligible to receive ENERGY STAR recognition.

The EPA also invited the energy managers from auto manufacturers with operations in the U.S. to gather for a focus group meet-ing where they discussed best practices.

“We brought all of the energy manag-ers together in the same room. That had never happened before,” said Walt Tunnessen, National Program Manager for ENERGY STAR.

Some manufacturers were skeptical that more could be done to significantly improve

the energy efficiency of their manufactur-ing processes. But those manufacturers’ perspectives changed after benchmarking and when they learned that their competi-tors had made these improvements years earlier and were reaping millions of dollars in savings, Tunnessen said.

The automotive manufacturer energy managers continue to meet annually to discuss and explore new ways to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.

Automotive assembly plants reduced fossil fuel use per vehicle manufactured by 12% from 2000 to 2005 and reduced CO2 emis-sions by an estimated 1,462 million lb as a result of energy efficiency improvements, according to a 2010 report by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. The report also found that those manufacturers that were trailing in energy performance were making prog-ress in catching up with industry leaders.

The automotive assembly industry was the first industry for which the EPA created an Energy Performance Indicator. The agency has developed or is developing energy per-formance indicators for more than 20 indus-tries, including pharmaceutical, cement, and cookie and cracker manufacturing.

Flexible and Efficient Robots. The flexible New Manufacturing System was implemented in Honda manufacturing plants the late 1990s. The system is designed to provide all Honda factories in the region with greater flexibility to produce different types of prod-ucts — both cars and trucks, for instance — in a single factory. It also offers the capability to move products between factories accord-ing to market conditions, doing so quickly with minimal investment in new tooling.

The single biggest component of this new system was the replace-ment of hydraulic robots—which use pressure generated by hydrau-lic pumps—with robots using electric servo motors in each factory’s weld department. These

America Mfg. developed a new paint booth air-conditioning system that reduces energy consumption and related CO2 emissions as much as 25% through the continuous, automatic control of air temperature and humidity using a predictive algorithm.

Since the first deployment of its patented “intelligent paint booth” technology at the Marysville Auto Plant in 2008, the company has implemented the new control sys-tem at all of its major automobile paint operations in North America. In addition, the East Liberty and Marysville plants use variable speed drives for blower fan motors to reduce airflow during shift changes and other downtimes, and variable rate burners for the heating and humidification of air.

M A N U FA C T U R I N G

V S . D R I V I N G E M I S S I O N S

The average auto emits 1.1 lb of CO2 per mile traveled. Honda’s average CO2 emissions per auto manufactured within its North American plants for the last two years is 1,656 lb/auto (not includ-ing emissions from supplier operations). Therefore, 1,656 lb/auto is equivalent to about 1,500 miles traveled.

So, the amount of CO2 released by manufacturing an auto equals the amount released from running one auto 1,500 miles. Most consumers put roughly 15,000 miles per year on a car, so the amount of CO2 produced in man-ufacturing equals about 10% of the CO2 emitted from operating a car for a year.

E N E R G Y U S E AT H O N D A M A N U FA C T U R I N G FA C I L I T I E S I N N O R T H A M E R I C A

The average energy used per auto produced (including automobile engine and transmission production) at Honda Manufacturing facilities in North America was 8.21 GJ ( 7,782 kBtu) in 2010. The East Liberty Auto Plant used an average of 5.14 GJ (4,872 kBtu) per auto produced in 2010, while Marysville Auto Plant used an average of 5.29 GJ (5,014 kBtu) per auto produced. 

A cool-fog system replaced steam humidi-fication systems in 2010 at the Marysville Auto Plant. The cool fog maintains specified humidity levels while using less energy than the steam systems.

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Waste ReductionHonda also is seeking to eliminate waste from production operations and minimize waste throughout the entire manufacturing process. This starts with designing production processes, parts logistics, energy management systems and other operations in ways that reduce their impact on the environment. Honda encourages plants to work toward the goal of creating manufacturing operations that produce no down-stream waste, either reusing or recy-cling scrap or waste material.

The company is aiming to discon-tinue sending any waste to landfills for all 14 of its plants in North America by April 1, 2011. A simple example is paper. Before Honda set up its office waste recycling program, waste paper was sent to landfills. Now paper is recycled at an off-site recycling facility. Ideally, waste paper would be eliminated by encouraging associates to replace paper records with electronic records, limit printing and similar measures.

The Marysville and East Liberty plants are working to eliminate the few remaining waste streams, includ-ing cafeteria waste. Four of the plant cafeterias recently converted from disposable paper and plastic prod-ucts to washable dishware. •

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low-maintenance robots can be easily reprogrammed to handle dif-ferent types and sizes of parts and require significantly less energy to operate.

Just as important, the system allows Honda to optimally match its local and global production capacity to prevailing market demand, which results in a more stable manufactur-ing environment and more efficient use of energy across all Honda factories.

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Karen Heyob is associate chief engi-neer in the Company Facilities and Environment Department for Honda of America Manufacturing and is coordina-tor of Honda’s Green Factory initiative for all of its manufacturing operations in North America.

L E S S O N S L E A R N E D

Associate involvement is key. Honda mini-mizes hierarchy and emphasizes collabora-tion at all levels. Associates (employees) are encouraged to regularly share their best ideas. Company founder Soichiro Honda said that “all engineers are equal in the presence of technology,” which epito-mizes not only the company’s belief in the ability of technology to address societal problems, but that anyone can have a great idea regardless of their rank or position.

Many of Honda’s best ideas for improv-ing efficiency have come from associates working on the line. The company works constantly to engage its associates in realizing efficiency gains, both small and large. Associates can even profit by sub-mitting suggestions and implementing improvement themes through its Voluntary Improvement Program.

Set clear and quantifiable targets. In working to minimize the environmental impact of manufacturing operations, Honda sets clear and quantifiable targets that are incorporated into its three-year business planning process and communicated to all associates. Through a management pro-cess known as “PDCA” (Plan Do Check Act),

associates continually measure and assess their progress in meeting company goals.

Balance environmental gains and cost control. Honda generally requires a simple payback period of less than two years for investment projects. Even for energy, Honda’s most costly utility, identi-fying means of reducing energy use with a two-year return on investment can be dif-ficult, particularly once all the low-hanging fruit has been picked.

Efficiency and sustainable measures often increase the first cost of projects. The long-term payback for these mea-sures is good, particularly in the context of new construction or new equipment design, rather than retrofits; however, proj-ect managers don’t always recognize how these measures can contribute to their development goals. Honda is beginning to evaluate new investments on a life-cycle cost basis, but it is a different way of thinking that takes time to implement. Various approaches are being evaluated, including mandatory specifications, new guidelines for investment evaluation and awareness training for project managers.

Left  The Marysville and East Liberty Auto Plants replaced hydraulic pump robots with robots that use electric servo motors. The electric robots run more efficiently, require little maintenance and can be reprogrammed to handle different parts. The robots help improve the factories’  flexibility, allowing them to shift from man-ufacturing one type of vehicle to another as market demands change.

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