Bradley Corp. is committed to green manufacturing
and products
BY MARY JO MARTIN
Editorial director
It’s awfully easy to jump on the “green” bandwagon with a handful of products. But Bradley Corporation has taken their 85 year commitment to green to a whole new level — extending it up and down their entire manufacturing process. Bradley doesn’t just talk the talk, they really walk the walk when it comes to environmental friendliness.
Bradley’s green roots were in place from the very start. In fact, around 1917, inventor Harry Bradley of the Allen-Bradley Corp. created the novel idea of “group handwashing” using a multi-person wash station. This new concept enabled a number of people to clean their hands at one time — saving time and keeping his workers on the shop floor. Utilizing several upward-facing “fountain-like” spray nozzles and a single circular bowl, the “washfountain” required only one set of plumbing connections and decreased water consumption by more than 70%.
Shortly after founding Bradley Corporation in 1921, Howard A. Mullett purchased the rights to the washfountain from Bradley. It became the handwashing fixture of choice for many manufacturers in the early part of the 20th century. Soon schools discovered the benefits of Bradley washfountains — getting students in and out of the restrooms quickly between classes. Readers might remember gathering around the big round fixtures with the foot control to activate the water spray. From plants and schools, it was a quick transition to sports facilities, transportation terminals, highway rest stops, post offices, movie theaters and retail stores.
Bradley — first headquartered in Milwaukee and now in Menomonee Falls, Wis. — continues to be owned by the Mullett family. Approximately 30 years ago, they transitioned the company from its historical industrial plumbing roots to a broader product breadth through key acquisitions, allowing Bradley to expand throughout the U.S. and into Canada. This momentum led to new product development in other categories such as emergency eyewash, faucets, security fixtures, washroom accessories and new shower models.
Among Bradley’s noteworthy innovations and industry firsts include:
- First group shower fixture (1931)
- Column showers (1940)
- Yellow safety colored emergency eyewash/showers (1972)
- Plastic locker concept (1990)
- Express® lavatory system (1993)
- Frequency® dual height lavatory system (2003)
- ndite® technology, the first lavatory system powered by room lighting (2005).
Another pivotal time in the company’s evolution occurred during the 1990s when they turned their product innovation focus to electronics and light commercial washroom products. This transition period paved the way for the invention of the first lavatory system —another new concept in group handwashing — called the Express Lavatory System.
By the end of that decade, Bradley’s manufacturing processes entered a new era with the adoption of the continuous improvement/Total Cycle Time philosophy. That led to a commitment to Lean Manufacturing in 2004. Three years ago, Bradley began achieving 98%-plus on-time delivery and quality measurements with industry-leading lead times across all divisions of the company for the first time in its history.
Recently, several key members of the Bradley Corp. management team — Jon Dommisse, director of marketing and new product development; Tim Schoenecker, director of plumbing wholesale channel sales; and Susan Manley, director of customer service —shared their thoughts on Bradley’s green efforts with editorial director Mary Jo Martin.
MJM: Please give us an overview of your manufacturing and distribution facilities?
Dommisse: Today, Bradley is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wis., employs over 500 people and has four U.S.-based manufacturing facilities. The handwashing fixtures are primarily produced in Menomonee Falls, washroom accessories are made in Milwaukee, and two plants in Ohio produce Mills® restroom partitions and solid plastic lockers, known as Lenox® Lockers. U.S. manufacturing capability is very important to us and customers seek us out across the globe because of it. In addition, Bradley has a distribution center in Southern California, as well as inventory centers in Kansas City, Atlanta and Houston. The fact that Bradley keeps stock in major market areas means that we meet very short lead times for most replacement products.
MJM: Who are some of the key members of Bradley’s management team; especially those who would be most recognizable to our readers?
Dommisse: Don Mullett, ceo/owner, has been with Bradley for 42 years. Don has led us through the greatest expansion in company history and is focused on keeping Bradley a privately held family business for his three sons Bryan, Erik and Christopher, as well as the entire Bradley employee family. His commitment to American manufacturing is well known in the industry.
Mike Sipek, COO, joined Bradley in 2007. During the course of his career, Mike has held executive posts at Rexnord and was ceo of Western Industries. He has extensive experience in Lean, Six Sigma and Product Innovation.
Bryan Mullett, vice president-operations, has worked with Bradley since 1997. He has held management posts in sales and manufacturing, and was promoted to VP in 2007. Bryan is responsible for corporate-wide manufacturing across Bradley’s four plants and the organization’s corporate 5S/Lean Manufacturing initiative.
Steve Zingsheim, VP-global sales, began his career with Bradley in 1996. Steve has held various sales management positions outside the industry, as well as at Bradley. He is responsible for leading Bradley’s diverse sales channels and sales representative network, and developing Bradley’s expanding international presence and key wholesaler partnerships.
As for me, I’m director of marketing & product development. Since joining the company in 1996, I’ve held various management posts in marketing and product development. I’m responsible for product innovation, product legal affairs, marketing, public relations and strategic planning.
MJM: When did green manufacturing processes and green restroom design become such important business priorities for Bradley?
Dommisse: Lean Manufacturing has been a top priority for Bradley for several years. Our company realized early on that Lean Manufacturing, by its nature, was “green.” This concept of “more value with less work and consumption” drove us to make our manufacturing processes more efficient with less waste.
Our lean and green manufacturing philosophy was a natural fit with green restroom design. Architects, designers and building owners are continuing to seek out green products that fit into sustainable building design. Bradley prides itself on providing industry leadership, innovation and quality customer service, so focusing on developing green restroom products was a natural course for our business. At the end of the day, green manufacturing and green restroom design is better for our company, our customers and the environment.
MJM: Please share some information about your environmental management system, including resource conservation and pollution prevention?
Dommisse: Our company has really taken green business practices to heart. We have a green mission that says “Bradley is committed to the continuous improvement of our environmental management system including resource conservation and pollution prevention.”
We are living that mission by focusing on four primary green initiatives:
- Water conservation
- Energy conservation
- Indoor air improvements
- Waste reduction.
For example, we save 375,000 gallons of water annually through our water reclamation practices. As for energy conservation, we have taken measures like redirecting exhaust flow to help heat our building in the winter months and using variable speed drives that use 50% less energy. We’ve also reduced energy for compressors by 60%, improved painting efficiencies to consolidate our shifts, installed T8 fluorescent lighting and utilize a green roof to reduce heat absorption. These initiatives have helped us save hundreds of thousands in energy costs annually.
Indoor air quality is equally important. Bradley has worked to reduce styrene emissions, replace all harsh chemicals with eco-friendly materials and reduce vocs by switching to high-solid paints.
To reduce waste, Bradley has been able to minimize stainless steel scrap by using a ‘nesting’ technique with laser cutting equipment. Of course, we’re always looking for ways to reduce waste by using reusable and recycled packaging, and using green office strategies, such as recycling, green cleaning and printing, etc.
MJM: When and why did you join the USGBC? Why is it an important organization for Bradley to participate in?
Dommisse: We joined USGBC in 2004 to help shape future industry developments. Bradley’s commercial plumbing fixtures product line has continually reinforced our commitment to green building. Our involvement with usgbc has helped us become even more proactive in our approach to green manufacturing and building design.
MJM: How does your product development efforts tie in with your green philosophy, and how do they support leed credits?
Dommisse: The Bradley Washfountain — the fixture that inspired the formation of our company back in 1921 — represents the essence of our green philosophy. Our washfountain can reduce water consumption by 80%, so it set the industry standard early on for conserving water and — even though the term was not yet created — for being “green.” Since several users can all use a single fixture at one time, the efficient washfountain design saves floor space, as well as energy, since less hot water is needed and the fixtures can be specified with automatic shut-off features. Moreover, the washfountain has always been known for being easy to install. Since there are fewer parts to contend with there is only one set of water/supply pipes.
The washfountain is just one of many products that tie to our green philosophy. All our fixtures meet or beat the water usage standards. We continue to introduce materials that are durable, long lasting and more environmentally friendly by including recycled content. We have developed a light-powered lavatory system that doesn’t require batteries or electricity. We continue to look for technologies and products that take us further along that sustainable path.
Our products support leed credits for water conservation, recycled materials and, in some cases, regional material credits. In addition, they support indoor air quality credits by having low-to-no off gassing or vocs.
MJM: Could you give us a rundown on the products that reflect your green philosophy, and why they are so special?
Dommisse: There are several commercial restroom fixtures we manufacture that fit especially well with our green approach:
- ndite technology, which powers lavatories without electricity or batteries, is the first handwashing fixture of its kind. ndite uses photovoltaic cells to capture and store solar or normal room-level lighting, which converts the light into energy to activate the flow of water. In addition to saving water (since the fixture is low-flow and sensor operated), the unit also eliminates the need for electrical hook-ups and batteries making it extremely efficient. The elimination of batteries is significant — batteries are not considered green.
- Terreon®re is a recycled solid surface material for use in lavatories. Composed of an eco-friendly bio-based resin, pre-consumer recycled granule fillers and other natural materials, Terreonre is one of the greenest and most durable product materials available.
- Bradley’s Lenox® Lockers and Bradmar® solid plastic partitions — made from 100% post-consumer recycled High Density Polyethylene (hdpe) plastic (i.e., recycled milk jugs) — also reflect our green philosophy. On average, each Lenox Locker prevents more than 500-gallon-size milk containers from going into landfills. This recycled material stands up to heavy usage and moist environments like locker rooms.
- We manufacture several other “group handwashing” lavatory systems in addition to our washfountain, such as the Express mg and ss lavatory systems, that restrict water flow to 0.5 gpm. These lavs use less water, energy and space than lavs equipped with conventional faucets.
MJM: What types of efficiency strategies do you employ in both your purchasing practices and for customer orders, and how does this improve your order fulfillment, accuracy and lead times, as well as communication with customers?
Susan Manley: Bradley’s purchasing team continually makes improvements to provide value-added products to our customers. Continuous improvement and lean initiatives are a way of life at Bradley and we extend these initiatives to our suppliers.
We value developing close partnerships with key suppliers to encourage the two-way sharing of information, allowing us to work together on material and process cost reductions. We look at ways to reduce inventory levels for both parties, and ensure our suppliers are involved during the initial phase of new product development all the way through quality assurance. Our goal is to procure the right product, at the right time and at the right price, which ultimately benefits our wholesaler partners and end customers.
The Bradley Customer Service team manages Bradlive, an on-line ordering tool to give customers the opportunity to enter their own product quotes directly into our system with the added feature of an automated submittal tool. To place an order they can select the quote and easily convert it directly into a sales order, which avoids entry delays and potential keying errors. Bradlive provides users with 24/7 access to quotes, orders, competitor cross reference and product lead time information. They can also track order shipments, reprint invoices and use an email option to directly communicate with Bradley regarding order inquiries.
Bradley has several internal flags in place to monitor special orders or quick shipment programs. If an error were to occur we utilize a reason code to identify the root cause, which is often tied to a customer complaint. The complaint is populated with key pieces of information and reviewed by the quality department for the appropriate corrective action.
All of these procedures continues to improve our service. By improving our internal processes, reducing waste, making information readily available online, communicating clearly and often, responding promptly and focusing on customer needs, we strengthen our customer relationships.
MJM: Describe how important your relationships with wholesalers are to Bradley’s business, and the steps that you take to develop, maintain and strengthen those relationships?
Tim Schoenecker: The wholesaler plays a vital role in our sales channel providing the link between the product and project. Bradley goes to great lengths to maintain our customers’ loyalty and confidence demonstrated by a commitment to short lead times, on-time error-free shipments, and top-notch customer service.
We have a continuing education program for the wholesaler channel — programs that are presented by the local independent representative. We believe this program will add value to the Bradley brand and help local wholesalers add value to their customers.
Bradley also participates in local branch promotions like holiday calendars and golf outings. In addition, many wholesalers participated in Bradley’s Summer Football League promotion last year winning gift cards to Best Buy, espnshop.com or nflshop.com.
MJM: You hosted your second annual Green Manufacturing Summit in February. Could you share some insight into the event with our readers?
Dommisse: Bradley was very excited to hold its second annual “Green Manufacturing Summit” on February 12, which drew approximately 200 business executives in the Wisconsin area to discuss a variety of cost-saving green technologies that relate, in particular, to manufacturers.
This well-received community event was presented by Bradley in conjunction with Focus on Energy, a statewide energy efficiency program that helps Wisconsin residents and businesses implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, and with our local newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
In general, the goal of the Green Manufacturing Summit is to create an interactive dialog with local business leaders and experts to discuss green strategies that positively impact manufacturers. More specifically, these strategies include best practices for incorporating green technologies into manufacturing companies; how to reduce waste, energy and water use and other utilities; strategies for improving productivity while reducing operating costs; and fostering change and enhancing corporate social responsibility.
This year’s highlights included a panel discussion on “Corporate Water Efficiency Strategies — a Local and Bottom Line Perspective,” and a variety of breakout sessions on leed-eb, iso 14001, Lean Green Manufacturing, Green Cleaning, Energy Assessments, Life Cycle Assessments and Integrated Lighting Systems.
We hosted another capacity crowd this year. We’re also proud to hold the event at a notable “green” venue in Milwaukee, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, which is a very impressive leed Gold building.
MJM: What are some of your projections and growth plans for the near term?
Dommisse: Bradley has been growing at a double-digit rate for the last several years and, despite our country’s economic difficulties, we had a solid year. Bradley plans to keep growing by providing more innovative products to the marketplace in the future.
Our most recent product introductions — the adjustable-speed Aerix™ hand dryer, Navigator® Lead-Free Thermostatic Mixing Valves, Terreonre recycled solid surface material, and Fusion granite and stainless partition stalls — have all helped boost the bottom line. Several new products are now in the pipeline and are slated for introduction later in 2009.
Although our company has experienced significant growth over the years — and has embraced the changes that go along with it — Bradley has never waivered from the cornerstones on which our company was founded. We’re a family-owned business that’s always been known for producing innovative quality products. Throughout our history, we’ve always kept the focus on our customers. These elements helped us build a rock-solid and time-tested brand.