Institute Honors Regional Manufacturer

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The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, housed at Rochester Institute of Technology, awarded its 2011 Pollution Prevention Achievement Award to TECT Power on February 16th.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, housed at Rochester Institute of Technology, awarded its 2011 Pollution Prevention Achievement Award to TECT Power, a subsidiary of TECT Corp., an international aerospace components manufacturer. The award was presented Feb. 16 during a ceremony at the company’s production facility in Whitesboro, N.Y., recognizing its efforts in reducing the use of hazardous chemicals in its production processes.

New York state Sen. Joseph Griffo and Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito presented the award to TECT along with representatives from the Pollution Prevention Institute, Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp. and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“TECT Power’s experience illustrates that reducing the environmental footprint of a business can have a direct positive impact on its bottom line, through improved efficiencies and reduced disposal costs,” notes Anahita Williamson, director of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. “We are proud to be presenting TECT with the Pollution Prevention Achievement Award for its accomplishments and dedication to making New York state more sustainable and economically competitive.”

“The Department of Environmental Conservation is committed to partnering with businesses to promote economic growth with environmental benefits,” says DEC acting Commissioner Joseph Martens. “We are pleased to join the Pollution Prevention Institute in recognizing TECT Power for its outstanding efforts to eliminate hazardous waste from their etching process.”

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s mission is to provide a statewide, comprehensive program of technology research, development and diffusion, outreach with training and education aimed at making New York state more sustainable. As a component of the institute’s mission and its commitment to working with its statewide partners, the Pollution Prevention Achievement Award is designed to acknowledge organizations such as TECT that are working to prevent pollution through improved manufacturing processes.

The company worked with engineers from the Pollution Prevention Institute and the Mohawk Valley Applied Technology Corp., the Regional Technology Development Center for the Utica region, to assess its current environmental footprint and redesign operations to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in its etching process utilized in the manufacture of turbine blades for the aerospace industry.

Through the project, the hazardous waste generated from TECT Power’s titanium blade manufacturing process was reduced by nearly 50 percent, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in hazardous waste disposal costs.

“While this award recognizes an important project led by quality manager Paul McAndrew and environmental manager Mike Collins, every employee of TECT Power recognizes his or her responsibility to lead by example and demonstrate environmental stewardship and corporate citizenship,” says Jack Rockstad, general manager of TECT Power’s Utica facility. “Our environmental policy is a demonstrated commitment to reduce water usage, energy consumption, and other waste.”

“TECT is a shining example of a responsible company and its efforts to improve environmental quality demonstrate that our environmental concerns can coincide with business needs to benefit our economy and/or community,” notes Paul MacEnroe, director of Mohawk Valley Applied Technology.

“I commend the leadership of TECT Power for making the commitment to have it both ways, make high-quality products that provide good-paying jobs to the people of our region and also live up to very high standards of environmental stewardship,” adds Griffo. “Our area is fortunate that TECT Power is a good corporate citizen, and that the Pollution Prevention Institute and Mohawk Valley Applied Technology are able to help employers convert good ideas into good programs.”

“TECT Power is known around the world for the quality of the turbine blades that they manufacture for the aerospace and power generating industries,” says Destito. “They are now setting a good example for other industries by reducing their environmental footprint, and they also will reap the benefits of their use of more energy-efficient manufacturing practices.”

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute is housed at RIT and provides statewide, comprehensive and integrated programs in research, outreach and training and education aimed at making New York state more sustainable for workers, the public, the environment and the economy. The institute was created in 2007 through a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Additional partners include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, State University of New York at Buffalo and New York’s 10 Regional Technology Development Centers.