At Bakelite, sustainability is often driven by continuous improvement, finding practical ways to use resources more efficiently while maintaining safe, reliable operations.
One example is a recent project at the company’s manufacturing site in Lufkin, Texas, where a modernization effort is helping improve energy efficiency and support long-term sustainability objectives.
The project focuses on the site’s North Cooling Tower, a critical system that supports daily operations. By upgrading the cooling tower with technology that automatically adjusts performance based on demand, the site can reduce unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining the cooling needed to support production.
Before implementation, the team established a baseline of the cooling tower’s energy use to help measure the impact of the upgrade and identify future opportunities for improvement. This data-driven approach supports informed decision-making and helps ensure sustainability investments deliver measurable results.
The project also includes enhanced monitoring capabilities that will provide greater visibility into cooling system performance. With better access to operational data, the team will be able to optimize system performance more effectively and support ongoing energy management efforts.
To maximize efficiency, installation activities are being coordinated with a planned maintenance outage. Combining the projects into a single scheduled event helps minimize disruption while making the most of the investment.
Once complete, the upgraded system is expected to reduce energy consumption, improve operational performance, and provide greater control over cooling tower operations.
While the project may represent a single system upgrade, it reflects a broader commitment across Bakelite’s manufacturing network: investing in practical solutions that improve operational efficiency, support responsible resource management, and contribute to a more sustainable future.
