October 2023 saw HARMAN Professional Solutions open a manufacturing plant in Pécs, Hungary, to accommodate growth in production for its Martin brand, alongside an effort to reduce carbon emissions.
HARMAN retrofitted the 107,000 sq ft manufacturing facility to enable space heating and cooling with geothermal energy by using a water-to-water heat pump.
The activities to lower the manufacturing environmental impact in Pécs are guided by HARMAN’s bold target to be carbon neutral by 2040.
Waste reduction efforts in manufacturing operations continue as of November 2023, with the brand aiming for 100% of manufacturing electricity to be sourced from renewable energy sources, and an overall reduction of electricity consumption in operations by 15%.
“Over the past six years, the Martin brand put into production more than 20 major LED lighting product SKUs with more new products being announced soon, and it is imperative that we not only create more space to meet demand but do so responsibly and in line with our corporate goals,” said Brian Divine, President, HARMAN Professional Solutions.
“This was an ambitious project because we set out to design, renovate, and move facilities in eight months, all while conforming to HARMAN’s high construction and sustainability standards without interruption to production,” commented Wolfgang Heitmann, Vice President of Supply Chain and Operations, HARMAN.
He concluded: “The combined contributions of people throughout the company and the 300 HARMAN employees in the new building led to the success of this project, which is a model for future builds that will lead us to achieve our carbon neutrality goals.”
