New Orion equipment increases efficiency

Sheboygan Press

New production equipment at Orion Energy Systems Inc.'s Manitowoc production facility is increasing efficiencies and "running at a steady pace," according to Scott Kopetsky, executive officer of manufacturing and engineering.

The new, custom designed roll former produces the shell of Orion's power packs from aluminum coil stock.

The power packs encapsulate the ballasts and wiring needed to power the lamps in Orion's patented high performance lighting systems.

The roll former produces 10 power packs per minute, as opposed to one per minute using Orion's previous production methods.

The roll former, which requires only a single operator, frees two manufacturing cells that require four operators. The roll former also generates higher yields with no scrap as the power packs are produced from a master coil of aluminum.

"It's a remarkable savings of time and work effort," Kopetsky said in a press release. "It's a way to be much more efficient in our manufacturing."

After installation and extensive testing, the machine is now on-line and fully operational. Orion has another custom roll former used to produce its patented, polished aluminum reflector.

No reduction in manpower occurred as a result of the efficiency gains and the machines previously used to form the power packs are being used to complete other manufacturing processes.

"This custom roll former positions Orion to meet its growth and margin improvement targets," said Orion CEO and President Neal Verfuerth in a press release.

"Moreover, this roll former allows Orion to maintain its competitive advantage in lead times, ensuring that our customers begin to see efficiency gains as soon as possible."

Orion has deployed its energy management systems in 3,655 facilities across North America.

Since 2001, Orion technology has displaced more than 334 megawatts, saving customers over $351 million, and reducing indirect carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4.4 million tons.

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