Sustainability at Wagstaff

Wagstaff, Inc. strives to be the worldwide leader in providing quality direct chill casting equipment to the aluminum industry. Our goal is to provide equipment that produces quality billet and ingot safely and efficiently.  Sustainability can be seen in molds that use less water and oil for casting, resulting in lower water usage and less oil in the discharge waters. Metal used to fabricate casting tables can be recycled when the equipment has fulfilled its useful life. Refractory material may be reused in cement making and has been known to be reused in road building materials.

Safety is always a priority when casting. Wagstaff, Inc. supports a research and development team that is constantly working on new products, processes, and safer casting techniques that reduce the risk of severe injury or death. Also provided with our equipment is supervision of the installation, training for customers on the proper operation, maintenance, support for the equipment commissioning process, as well as providing ongoing technical support for our customers. Additionally, manuals with an emphasis on safety are provided for site preparation, installation, and operation and maintenance to insure the customer has readily available reference materials.
 
Wagstaff, Inc. has adopted a philosophy of reduce, reuse, and recycle. We have reduced the number of hazardous materials used in the manufacturing of our products. Examples include using steam and soap to clean parts instead of mineral spirits, and waste coolant is processed through an ultra-filtration unit to remove as much water as possible providing a more concentrated oil water mixture for recycling.

Recycling has always been a priority at Wagstaff. We recycle aluminum, steel, and other metals as well as cardboard, wood, oil, and office paper. These efforts have reduced the amount of materials going into a landfill. Approximately 2,000 tons of materials were recycled in 2010.

Our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint include using energy efficient burners on our furnaces. Our research and development department, the primary user of water in our manufacturing facility, reuses water to the point where Wagstaff is classified as a non-significant user by the POTW. Electrical energy reduction is an ongoing effort. Wagstaff has reduced energy cost 5% per year over the last five years. Currently we are replacing our outside halide lights with LED lighting. This project will reduce our energy consumption by another 3% per year. Once completed, we will focus on replacing inside lighting with the LED lights. Additionally, all outside dumpsters have been covered to eliminate rain water from carrying contaminants to the storm drains.

Wagstaff, Inc. is dedicated to assist our customers in maintaining an efficient and profitable process for producing billet and ingot. Only through their efforts and ours can we be successful and sustainable in the future. We look forward to working with the Aluminum Association and its member producers to reach success in this endeavor.

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