Armstrong World Industries (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Armstrong World Industries (Australia) Pty Ltd, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of resilient floor coverings, has almost halved the daily water use at its Thomastown plant during the production of commercial tile and flooring accessories (down to 8.6kL from 16.9kL in 2001).

Rob Murphy, Manufacturing Manager, Armstrong World Industries attributes the water savings to improving the plant’s systems and implementing water efficient equipment.

“Our operational aim is to identify and reduce waste streams while optimising other key resources,” says Mr Murphy. “We are constantly looking at ways to minimise our environmental impact from production to product after-life, and are committed to communicating these initiatives to customers, distribution agents and architects.”

Key initiatives developed with the assistance of staff included: stopping spillage to drains from conveyors and rotary equipment; preventing holding tank evaporation; centralising key line water cooling; harnessing previous wastewater from the process for re-use; collecting water from conveyors and filtering for re-use; and placing covers on open holding tanks.