Legrand Announces Major Investment in Manufacturing Capabilities at North & Central America Corporate Headquarters with New Powder Coat Line
WEST HARTFORD, CT, April 16, 2019 – Legrand, the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, today announced that it has made a major investment in its West Hartford, Connecticut, manufacturing facility. The company is installing a new powder coat line, replacing a paint line which has been in operation since 1984.
The new powder coat line represents the largest capital improvement in manufacturing for the West Hartford campus in 30 years. The line and process will enable greatly increased capacity and a much wider range of paint colors and finishes to be deployed — all while saving an estimated 1.5 million gallons of water annually. "Our previous paint line had been with us for thirty years and paint technology has changed and improved drastically over that time," said Bill Luchon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Environmental Management Representative, Legrand North and Central America. "This is a significant investment, but it will allow us to deliver a much wider range of advanced product finishes, increase our throughput, and save water and energy, generating a major cost savings.
" The previous system featured a 35,000-gallon paint tank that required agitation pumps and a chiller running at all times. If the power went out, a generator was needed to keep the agitation pumps operational so the paint would stay in solution.
The new powder coat line will cut the total water usage for the West Hartford facility in half. And because the energy savings will be equally as significant, Legrand was able to partner with Energize Connecticut to take advantage of subsidies for local companies undertaking energy reduction programs.
In total, it is estimated that the new powder coat line will result in major cost savings annually. The updated system will be operational in Q2 of 2019.
About Legrand and Legrand, North and Central America
Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for use in commercial, industrial, and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. Drawing on an approach that involves all teams and stakeholders, Legrand is pursuing its strategy of profitable and sustainable growth driven by acquisitions and innovation, with a steady flow of new offerings—including connected products stemming from Legrand’s global Eliot (Electricity and IoT) program. Legrand is one of the most sustainable companies in the world, as ranked by the Corporate Knights, and is committed to achieving carbon, water, and waste reductions in its operations, deepening its community relationships, and continuously improving the environmental profile of its products. Legrand reported sales of around $7.1 billion (USD) in 2018. Legrand has a strong presence in North and Central America, with a portfolio of well-known market brands and product lines. Legrand is listed on Euronext Paris and is a component stock of indexes including the CAC40, www.legrand.us.
Media contacts:
Michelle O’Brien
Director, Corporate Communications
(860) 574.4307
michelle.obrien@legrand.us
Philip Weiss
Brand Definition
(212) 660.2555
philip@brand-definition.com