How does LACROIX help to make your electronic product more environmentally sound?

Beyond essential production criteria such as optimising product quality, cost and delivery times, the Electronics activity of LACROIX is committed to an eco-production approach.

The environmental criterion is brought into the industrialisation and production phase of our customers’ on-board systems and industrial IoT via two major axes:

• Streamlining the production cycle of electronic assemblies
• Optimising the environmental impact of LACROIX plants

All the initiatives throughout the product life cycle enable us to reduce its environmental impact.

Streamlining the production cycle

In order to provide the best possible service to its customers, LACROIX has been investing for years in a Lean Management approach aimed at streamlining and shortening the production cycle.

Lean Management and digitalisation are at the service of eco-production. An environmentally-sound approach to production means producing less waste and continuously reducing the consumption of materials and energy. Here are some concrete examples of actions implemented:

• We plan the production of our electronic assemblies using smart customer demand management.
• We manage our raw material stocks on a just-in-time basis so that we only stock the minimum amount necessary.
• We produce electronic assemblies in response to customer demand, thus preventing overproduction.
• We have high-density storage systems which reduce energy consumption in the building.
• We maintain our CMS machines so as not to waste raw materials in production.
• We speed up the time products take to pass through our plants so as to reduce the energy consumption of the building and of the machines used to manufacture the product.
• We create modular workstations to meet the needs of different customers as well as to streamline the workspace and reduce the number of production tools needed.
• We are constantly investing to replace our most energy-intensive equipment.
• We manage the operating time of the machines as tightly as possible based on requirements. Equipment is switched off or put in standby when no longer in use.

Optimising the environmental impact of the plants

LACROIX’s eco-production approach also encompasses all of the initiatives designed to reduce the environmental footprint of our four plants. Ranging from the maintenance of industrial sites to HR initiatives and the planned construction of a new electronics factory in France, numerous activities help to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing a product. Here are a few examples:

• It goes without saying that we sort all the waste produced in the plant.
• All our plants are equipped with LED lighting to reduce plant operation energy consumption.
• Our practical support services facilitate teleworking so that our teams travel less.
• We optimise office space by using flex office solutions.
• We heat the plant in Poland partly through using the energy emitted by a nearby paper manufacturing plant.
• In Germany, all the electricity consumed on site comes from renewable energy sources.

Symbiose, a low-carbon plant thanks to integrated systems:

• A fleet of photovoltaic panels will be installed on the roof of the new plant and on its car park canopy to generate a portion of the energy required to operate the plant.
• A rainwater collection system will enable green spaces to be maintained and provide the necessary water for sanitary facilities.
• A smart LED lighting device will regulate the brightness of lighting in the factory. Presence sensors will be installed in walkways (indoors and outdoors) and offices.
• Centralised management of the heating and cooling facilities and all energy meters (electricity, gas and water) optimise the building’s energy consumption. LACROIX Environment Activity Sofrel S4TH regulators will be installed in the plant. There will be real-time regulation of ambient conditions in the plant and offices taking into account outdoor conditions and current building occupancy schedules.
• A reversible air conditioning system with recovery of energy by-products which would otherwise be wasted in the factory will be installed.
• The new plant will emit 2.5 times less CO2/m²/year than the old plant. It will therefore emit far less CO2 than the old plant, even though it has a larger surface area.
• An environmental approach to building: Insulation, ventilation, natural light, etc.
• An HQE (High Environmental Quality) building that respects its ecosystem. To learn more, discover episode 4 of the web series “Yes to Symbiose”