14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, American multinational automaker Ford Motor Company announced to the world that it would invest over $25 million (nearly €20 million) in energy-efficient lighting.
The company, headquartered in the city of Dearborn in Michigan, US, says that the over $25 million it is ready and willing to spend on improving on its ecological footprint will serve to install LEDs at manufacturing facilities it owns and operates all across the world.
Should things go according to plan, the funds made available for this green-oriented project should be more than enough for the automaker to fit its manufacturing facilities with about 25,000 energy-efficient lights.
The perks of this investment
Ford estimates that, once the 25,000 LEDs are installed and put to work, the company will manage to cut its yearly energy use by as much as 70%. More precisely, the automaker expects to save around 56 million kilowatt-hours annually.
Looking to put things into perspective, Ford Motor company explains that these 56 million kilowatt-hours are the equivalent of the energy 6,000 average US homes go through throughout the course of a year.
Since energy costs money, it should not come as a surprise that the company expects this move to also help it cut down on its electricity bills to a considerable extent. Thus, it is said that the LEDs will translate into annual savings of about $7 million (€5.5 million).
This means that, even if the initial investment is impressive to say the least, the LEDs will pretty much pay for themselves in just a few years.
“This is a long term investment in our future that highlights our aggressive approach to lead in environmental improvements and achieve operating efficiencies,” said John Fleming, executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs.
“Ford has a deep commitment to the environment. By creating outstanding products, investing in the facilities where our employees work, and using such technology as LED lighting, we are helping to promote a sustainable future,” added Donna Inch, chairman and CEO of Ford Land.
The battle plan
It is understood that, some time ago, workers got busy replacing outdated lighting at the company's Dearborn Truck Plant. Ford expects that, in the months to come, it will begin installing LEDs at 17 other manufacturing facilities all across the globe.
The Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, the Livonia Transmission Plant in Livonia, Michigan, the Dearborn Stamping Plant, the Essex Engine in Windsor, Ontario, the Dagenham Engine Plant in Dagenham, England, and the Oakville Assembly in Oakville, Ontario are among the facilities targeted by this project.
Interestingly enough, Ford says that the installation of these 25,000 LEDs is part and parcel of efforts to cut the energy needed to produce one vehicle by 25%. The deadline for this initiative is the year 2016, and the company is convinced it will have no trouble meeting its goal.