Sustainable Products and Practices: Altec’s Environmental Initiative

Recognizing our responsibility to the environment, Altec, Inc. believes that every effort should be made to conserve energy and natural resources. We also believe that energy efficient operations are in the best interest of Altec, our customers and the environment. Energy management plays a key role in our business as we strive to maximize sustainability, strengthen our competitive position and provide our customers with the highest quality product and services.

Altec has made great strides in the field of energy-efficient products with the introduction and expansion of the Green Fleet product line. Altec JEMS® (Jobsite Energy Management System) is our integrated plug-in system that uses stored electrical energy to power the aerial device, hydraulic tools and exportable power sources. The energy storage system is recharged by plugging into shore power or by the truck’s internal combustion engine. Earlier this year, Altec introduced the JEMS 4 Series, an updated system that provides significant reductions to the carbon footprint, enhances engine life and reduces engine maintenance by automatically eliminating unnecessary idle time. In 2017, Altec will continue its development of new technologies in the field of plug-in electric vehicles and work trucks. We look forward to introducing our latest developments next year.

Beyond environment-friendly equipment, we know sustainable practices are paramount at our offices and manufacturing facilities. Altec’s efforts to reduce energy use and prevent pollution support our commitment to associates, the environment and the communities where we operate. Altec has implemented several programs and policies in our corporate sustainability efforts.

At our service body plant in Burnsville, NC, Altec recycles 99% of the waste generated by the facility. The plant recycles all sheet steel, brass, copper and aluminum in addition to pallets, cardboard, office paper, aluminum cans, plastic bags, PVC pipe, silicone tubes and more. For the remaining 1%, the Burnsville Facility has just one roll-off dumpster on site for non-recyclable materials such as food waste.

The Altec Massachusetts Service Center in Shrewsbury, MA is Altec’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) facility. The Service Center features a state-of-the-art recycle wash bay wherein water is filtered and reused to wash vehicles, instead of discharging wash water into a sewer. The facility’s HVAC is set on occupancy cycles to decrease usage during night-time hours and the Service Center features all motion sensitive, LED lighting. The efforts at Altec’s first LEED facility save costs while having a positive impact on the environment.

We are also operating our first solar energy systems at the St. Joseph, Missouri facility. These systems are helping us evaluate potential usages at other facilities throughout the company. In addition, the majority of our facilities have installed LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint while increasing the light quality for associates’ work environment.

In 2017, Altec will continue our sustainability efforts to include a focus on associate-specific tasks to conserve energy; these will include: powering down computers nightly, optimizing office space with regards to lighting and heating/cooling meeting rooms, utilizing natural light instead of overhead when available, conserving water usage and more.

Sustainability is at the forefront of the way Altec does business. At Altec, we strive to generate environmental stewardship solutions that contribute to sustainable change through our products and work practices. We look forward to sharing more of our sustainability practices in the New Year.