Volvo Group North America recently joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Plants supply chain initiative, recruiting eight Volvo Group vendors to commit to reducing energy consumption by 25 percent over 10 years. According to the company, the Volvo Group is the first trucking OEM to participate in the Better Plant Supply Chain Initiative.
“The Volvo Group is a global leader when it comes to a commitment to the environment and sustainability,” said Rick Robinson, director of health, safety and environment for Volvo Group North America. “As a current participant in the Better Buildings, Better Plants program, it was natural that we would take the next step and participate in the supply chain program, actively promoting environmental stewardship to our suppliers and encouraging them to also pledge to reduce energy consumption at their facilities.”
According to the DOE, 85 percent of energy consumption occurring in the U.S. is a result of the industrial supply chain, a majority of which is comprised of small- to medium-sized manufacturing companies. Facilitating energy efficiency in the supply chains and creating resources for these companies can significantly affect energy performance, improve the economic competitiveness of the U.S., and enhance domestic energy resilience.
For these reasons, the DOE developed the supply chain initiative. In addition to Volvo Group North America, four other partners are participating in the program.
Volvo Group North America already participates in the DOE Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge. Since re-pledging the challenge in 2014, the Volvo Group has improved energy performance at 14 of its U.S. facilities by 17.5 percent. The Volvo Group has improved its performance by 44 percent since joining the challenge in 2012.
“Leading American manufacturing companies like the Volvo Group are taking decisive action to improve energy performance,” said Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the DOE. “Not only is the Volvo Group leveraging the resources of the Better Plants program for their own plants, but they are also engaging their suppliers to partner with the DOE to drive energy and energy cost savings within their supply chain, thereby showing leadership by reducing costs, saving energy, and driving job growth.”
Volvo Group North America’s performance reflects efforts at eight manufacturing facilities in the U.S.:
- Volvo Trucks, Dublin, Virginia
- Volvo Group Powertrain, Hagerstown, Maryland
- Mack Trucks, Macungie, Pennsylvania
- Volvo Construction Equipment, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
- Volvo Penta, Lexington, Tennessee
- Volvo Bus, Plattsburgh, New York
- Volvo Group Remanufacturing, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Volvo Group Remanufacturing, Middletown, Pennsylvania
Volvo Group North America also improved its performance at six Prevost Service Centers, which joined the program in 2017:
- Prevost, Fort Worth, Texas
- Prevost, Goodlettsville, Tennessee
- Prevost, Houston, Texas
- Prevost, Jacksonville, Florida
- Prevost, Mira Loma, California
- Prevost, South Plainfield, New Jersey
