specialreport
BY PETER BRADLEY, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
By installing new dock door seals and ceiling
fans in the shipping area, MillerCoors made
its docks more comfortable for
employees—and slashed its
energy bills in the process.
Seal out Seal out
LIKE MANY OTHER AMERICAN
companies, MillerCoors has
made a long-term commitment
to environmental sustainability. Its broad goals include conserving water, reducing waste,
and saving energy. But meeting those goals can create
enormous challenges for a
company like MillerCoors
whose industrial facilities
were built back when energy
was cheap.
The company, which started
producing its Miller brand in
Even so, he says, the company has made substantial progress in
its sustainability initiatives. “We start every day in the brewery with a pre-ship meeting,
where we cover safety first, then people, quality, service, cost, and [environmental] responsibility. Responsibility is all about sustainability and what we’re doing to reduce our
reliance on natural gas, electricity, and especially water.” While much of the effort revolves
around manufacturing operations, the company has taken specific steps to reduce energy
use in the plant’s shipping center—and to improve employee comfort and safety at the
same time.
the cold, the cold,
spread the spread the
warmthwarmth
THE DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN
One example of the brewery’s efforts to cut energy consumption can be seen at its shipping center, which occupies about 100,000 square feet of space and serves some 130 distributors throughout the Midwest. The brewery has 101 shipping and receiving docks, but
the 28 docks devoted to shipping are the most active. Forklift operators load full pallets on
some 240 trucks per day in a three-shift operation. That number climbs to 300 during the
peak shipping season from March to August.
