&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA 530-F-97-023
August 1997
Waste Minimization:
Reducing Releases of
Chlorinated Solvents
Ford Motor Company
Reduction in Releases
of Chlorinated Solvents
Avoided CAA Reporting
Requirements
! Design Change Was
Waste Minimization
Opportunity
It is comparatively easy to
implement a waste prevention
project early in the design
process as opposed to trying
to work changes in later.
"Doing it right the first time is
always easier and cheaper
than retrofitting later!"
What Does the Ford
Ypsilanti Plant Do?
The Ypsilanti plant (just outside
of Detroit, Michigan) manufacturers
starters for Ford products.
Originally, the plant manufactured a
"field-wound" starter. In 1991, a
new product, called a "permanent
magnet" starter was introduced as
part of an ongoing effort to improve
product quality. The new starter
was smaller than the field-wound
type, thereby reducing the weight of
the part and the vehicle. In addi-
tion, the new starter replaced a cop-
per ring with tubing, which elimi-
nated a welding step and reduced
the need for cleaning.
What Did They Accomplish?
The Ypsilanti plant was sched-
uled to undergo a design change to
phase out the field-wound starter
and phase in the permanent magnet
type. This design change necessitat-
ed the purchase of new equipment.
Ford used this opportunity to evalu-
ate possible changes to reduce or
eliminate the use of chlorinated sol-
vents. The end result? Ford esti-
mates that over 30,000 pounds of
trichloroethylene (TCE) and about
5,000 pounds of methylene chloride
releases are being eliminated annu-
ally.
Environmental
Achievements
At the time of the product
change, the plant was participating
in EPA's 33/50 Program and in
Michigan's Great Lakes Auto
Project. Both programs had lists of
hazardous chemicals targeted for
reduction; each list included TCE
and methylene chloride.
The design change was a perfect
opportunity for the plant to demon-
strate its support for these voluntary
environmental programs while
improving product quality.
When the new starter was being
developed, manufacturing engineers
replaced the methylene chloride and
TCE-based cleaning and drawing
chemicals with a water-based com-
pound. This change eliminated
TCE and methylene chloride releas-
es and the plant no longer disposes
of liquid hazardous waste from the
dip tank.
Regulatory Relief
At the time the project was
implemented, the Clean Air Act's
(CAA) permitting requirements
were not in place. The plant phased
out the use of these two chlorinated
chemicals just before the regulation
became effective. The chlorinated
solvent phase-out saved the plant
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Waste Minimization: Reducing Releases of Chlorinated Solvents
Ford Motor Company
from having to report on the two
chemicals under the CAA.
The Implementation Process
The Ford Ypsilanti plant's busi-
ness and product cycles routinely
include consideration of environ-
mental issues. In doing so, the
plant's manufacturing engineers
developed the approach to the chlo-
rinated solvent reduction project.
Staff had to be acquainted with the
new solvents, but this was only a
small part of the overall training that
employees received to adapt to the
plant's overall design change.
The design change took about
two years to complete. To measure
success of the project, the plant uses
standard cost accounting procedures
and tracks overall solvent use.
Economics
The project was incorporated
into the design change budget,
which used funds set aside for new
product development. The design
change cost Ford Motor Co. about
$50 million, but the percentage of
that amount spent on the process to
eliminate the use of chlorinated sol-
vents is unknown.
The plant used to spend approxi-
mately $45,000 on chlorinated sol-
vents annually. The current expen-
diture on water-based solvents is
approximately $20,000, for a total
raw material annual savings of
$25,000. In addition, the plant no
longer pays to dispose of the haz-
ardous liquid waste from the dip
tank.
Hurdles
The solvent change caused
minor disruptions in manufacturing
for a short time and caused a few
minor technical problems. The plant
overcame these problems by con-
sulting the solvent suppliers and the
manufacturing engineers, and sim-
ply by becoming familiar with the
new water-based materials.
Words to the Wise
Phil Lawrence, Principal Staff
Engineer from Ford's Environmental
Quality Office, and Jim Luckhardt,
Ford Environmental Engineer, are
quick to acknowledge how well the
solvent change fit into the plan for
the plant's design change. They
stressed the comparative ease of
implementing any waste prevention
project early in the design process as
opposed to trying to work changes
in later.
"Doing it right the first time is
always easier and cheaper than
retrofitting later!" - Phil Lawrence
WASTE
MINIMIZATION
NATIONAL PLAN
For more information about the Waste Minimization National Plan, call (800) 424-9346
or check the World Wide Web at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize
Reducing Toacs in Our Data's Waste
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