Turning Hardship Into Opportunity
The fire that damaged the Soucy Belgen Sainte-Claire foundry in March 2022 was a catalyst for innovation. The first year after the incident, our main goal was to protect job security and to make sure we still met the needs of our clients. Once these objectives achieved, we turned our rebuilding efforts into an opportunity to reduce our environmental footprint by integrating climate-friendly practices and clean technologies into our facilities.
During the rebuilding process, we implemented myriad measures to better control our energy consumption. For instance, instead of being heated by gas, our warehouse now relies on an electric heating system. Moreover, our Soucy Belgen Sainte-Claire foundry uses several types of systems – passive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, and compressed air – to better control temperatures, reduce the amount of energy used, and make the ambient temperature more comfortable for employees.
The passive ventilation system takes advantage of convection to ensure fresh outdoor air is constantly introduced indoors. This also allows us to recover and redistribute heat from cooling moulds. Because it doesn’t require energy, our passive ventilation system is a way to reduce the level of noise we emit. Moreover, the team at Soucy Belgen Sainte-Claire monitors the data provided by our noise measuring and weather instruments in real time to comply with current noise regulations. As a result, we can modulate our equipment and activities to prevent noise levels from disturbing the neighbourhood.
Our compressed air system is now made with aluminum and uses 50% less power than our previous system. In addition, flow sensors now enable us to detect air leaks quickly. This means we can respond rapidly and boost our energy efficiency.
Last but not least, our new building management system helps us limit the use of gas and adjust the temperature with electric power. A win-win situation: better for the planet and better for our employees’ comfort.
Our new dust collection system moistens dust particles to make it easier to eliminate them. We therefore don’t have to consume energy to suck up dust while reducing the amount of floating dust particles in the air. Our sensors also help us comply with occupational health and safety standards.
We’ve also improved our work environment using simple methods such as reducing plastic waste, replacing paper towels with hand dryers, and installing EV charging stations. These little changes add up and help reduce our overall environmental impact. They also increase employee well-being.
We’re very proud of these changes! Both of our foundries – Soucy Belgen Sainte-Claire and Soucy Belgen Drummondville – are well positioned in the province in terms of their environmental performance. In fact, they’re ranked among the world’s best for their low greenhouse gas emissions per tons of cast iron, mainly because of their use of renewable energy, their processes, and their local procurement practices.
Two years after the fire, we’ve transformed a devastating event into an opportunity to reduce our environmental footprint. We can truly say that we’ve done much more than rebuild, we’ve innovated to reach new objectives. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved!