Beltsville floor-maker puts out welcome mat
As governments and consumers continue to push businesses for more environmentally friendly products and practices, manufacturers are trying to respond by balancing the benefits and challenges of going green.
One such business is The Matworks Co., a flooring company in Beltsville that showcased its operations Monday before a group of manufacturers and political leaders, including U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
"Profitability equals sustainability," said Matworks CEO Robert Collins, describing how customer interest in waste reduction and competitive production costs combined to drive the company toward greener products. Collins said the move has played into the company's No. 1 rule: "If we don't take care of the customer, someone else will."
Matworks, with 92 employees and international sales, has been using greener practices for three years as it provides custom flooring for major companies including Marriott International, Wal-Mart and Sherwin Williams.
Collins said adopting more environmentally friendly practices and getting customers to also do so can cost more initially, but saves money in the long run.
Through the Green Diamond Program, one of Matworks' several initiatives, workers can remove old flooring and process it into the raw materials used to make new flooring, using 67 percent of the consumer waste, Collins said. He added the cost-neutral process has a goal of 500 tractor-trailers full of material reused annually, a goal that won't be achieved this year.
Monday's demonstration was part of the federal government's Sustainable Manufacturing American Region Tour program, which seeks to enhance awareness of the benefits of sustainable manufacturing.
"There is so much benefit for companies to go green. It reduces their inefficiency and can help increase sales," said Michael Galiazzo, president of the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland. "The message we need to get out is that many things companies are already doing would qualify as sustainable efforts."
The U.S. is the world's largest manufacturing economy, producing 22 percent of the world's manufactured products, Hoyer said. Maryland's industry employs more than 125,000 people and contributed $15.2 billion to the state's economy in 2008.
"Production companies are a vital source of employment for the middle class, with manufacturing employees earning 13 percent more than the average worker," Locke said.
Locke lauded Matworks as one of the nation's leading flooring producers, saying if sustainable manufacturing works for it, others should take note.
"The ethic of constant improvement is what our host, Matworks, is all about," he said.
Focusing on innovation and next-generation manufacturing is key to maintaining competitiveness, Galiazzo said.
Matworks also searches for alternatives to environmentally damaging adhesives, using interlocking pieces and recycled tire pieces.
Finding someone to take the recycled flooring materials is one of the company's greatest challenges, Collins said, explaining Matworks has at times called as many as 250 recycling companies.
"The best outlet is the person who gave it to you in the first place," said Tom Uhlig, Matworks' vice president of manufacturing.
As for government help, Collins said, the best thing is for it to "stay out of the way."
"Otherwise, we don't need a lot of government programs to figure out how to be green," he said.
Robert Rashford of Genesis Engineering Solutions in Lanham also said he wants to see less government regulations on business, saying paperwork often increases overhead costs at all levels. He said companies should be compensated for taking expensive risks in pursuit of greener practices.
"Cost is a big issue," said Sudarsan Rachuri of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg. "The problem is that everyone has to pay; it's the polluter-pays principle."
Other businesses, such as Cosmos Air Purification & Environmental Systems in Landover, want more help accessing capital for improvements, said Christina Issar of Cosmos.
"We have the ability to grow, but we're somewhat capped," she said.
Officials also suggested companies interested in going green work with the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative, NIST or the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
As governments and consumers continue to push businesses for more environmentally friendly products and practices, manufacturers are trying to respond by balancing the benefits and challenges of going green.
One such business is The Matworks Co., a flooring company in Beltsville that showcased its operations Monday before a group of manufacturers and political leaders, including U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
"Profitability equals sustainability," said Matworks CEO Robert Collins, describing how customer interest in waste reduction and competitive production costs combined to drive the company toward greener products. Collins said the move has played into the company's No. 1 rule: "If we don't take care of the customer, someone else will."
Matworks, with 92 employees and international sales, has been using greener practices for three years as it provides custom flooring for major companies including Marriott International, Wal-Mart and Sherwin Williams.
Collins said adopting more environmentally friendly practices and getting customers to also do so can cost more initially, but saves money in the long run.
Through the Green Diamond Program, one of Matworks' several initiatives, workers can remove old flooring and process it into the raw materials used to make new flooring, using 67 percent of the consumer waste, Collins said. He added the cost-neutral process has a goal of 500 tractor-trailers full of material reused annually, a goal that won't be achieved this year.
Monday's demonstration was part of the federal government's Sustainable Manufacturing American Region Tour program, which seeks to enhance awareness of the benefits of sustainable manufacturing.
"There is so much benefit for companies to go green. It reduces their inefficiency and can help increase sales," said Michael Galiazzo, president of the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland. "The message we need to get out is that many things companies are already doing would qualify as sustainable efforts."
The U.S. is the world's largest manufacturing economy, producing 22 percent of the world's manufactured products, Hoyer said. Maryland's industry employs more than 125,000 people and contributed $15.2 billion to the state's economy in 2008.
"Production companies are a vital source of employment for the middle class, with manufacturing employees earning 13 percent more than the average worker," Locke said.
Locke lauded Matworks as one of the nation's leading flooring producers, saying if sustainable manufacturing works for it, others should take note.
"The ethic of constant improvement is what our host, Matworks, is all about," he said.
Focusing on innovation and next-generation manufacturing is key to maintaining competitiveness, Galiazzo said.
Matworks also searches for alternatives to environmentally damaging adhesives, using interlocking pieces and recycled tire pieces.
Finding someone to take the recycled flooring materials is one of the company's greatest challenges, Collins said, explaining Matworks has at times called as many as 250 recycling companies.
"The best outlet is the person who gave it to you in the first place," said Tom Uhlig, Matworks' vice president of manufacturing.
As for government help, Collins said, the best thing is for it to "stay out of the way."
"Otherwise, we don't need a lot of government programs to figure out how to be green," he said.
Robert Rashford of Genesis Engineering Solutions in Lanham also said he wants to see less government regulations on business, saying paperwork often increases overhead costs at all levels. He said companies should be compensated for taking expensive risks in pursuit of greener practices.
"Cost is a big issue," said Sudarsan Rachuri of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg. "The problem is that everyone has to pay; it's the polluter-pays principle."
Other businesses, such as Cosmos Air Purification & Environmental Systems in Landover, want more help accessing capital for improvements, said Christina Issar of Cosmos.
"We have the ability to grow, but we're somewhat capped," she said.
Officials also suggested companies interested in going green work with the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative, NIST or the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.