Jersey Shore Steel focuses on green manufacturing

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Jersey Shore Steel focuses on green manufacturing

By David Perry

JERSEY SHORE, Pa. – Green is good for Jersey Shore Steel, a supplier to the bedding industry.

     The company, based here, supplies what is described as high performance and recy cled steel to a number of bed frame producers. And it does that by operating a steel mill with a negative carbon foot-print, officials said.

     The steel angle manufactured by Jersey Shore Steel from high-carbon recycled railroad T-rails has unique strength characteristics.  And that stronger steel is well suited to handle today’s heavier mat-tress sets, the company said.  

     “Other types of steel, especially the cheaper imports, can allow excessive twisting and bowing, and can permanently bend, over time, and by not providing proper stability to the mattress set can cause premature failure or affect warranty coverage,” said Marshall Welch, president and CEO of Jersey Shore Steel.

    He said the company provides steel to most North American bed frame producers “at competitive pricing” compared with other suppliers.

    Jersey Shore Steel says it is able to maintain high quality and performance in its products while reducing energy usage and other costs.  The company’s furnace runs on landfill gas (methane), which helps remove a greenhouse gas that would otherwise be released into the environment.

    The company uses 100% post-consumer recycled product as feedstock for its mill. And its management believes its commitment to green manufacturing gives it an edge in the market.

   “We are very much in favor of not only providing superior quality angle steel for furniture and bed frames, but also offering the bedding and furniture industry the most environmentally responsible product possible,” said Thomas Tillman, vice president of sales at Jersey Shore Steel.  “Rail steel used in JSS angle represents recycling at its finest.”

    Las year the company asked scientists at Penn State University to examine its operations. The PSU team “found that the rolling mill has a negative carbon footprint.  PSU also found that rail steel from Jersey Shore Steel contains the lowest embodied energy of any steel on the market today,” the company said.

    Industry customers can receive significant EED credits when they specify Jersey Shore Steel fro green building and furnishing installations, officials said.

    Tillman said consumers are increasingly interested in green issues.

    “Becoming ‘greener’ with sustainable materials and processes will continue to gain momentum in the U.S. and globally,” he said. “Whether it is in homes, appliances or furnishings, there is a growing consumer emphasis on energy efficiency and products that yield a lower carbon footprint.”

    Green marketing messages can give retailers an edge, he said.

    “They do ring with the consumer and can be a key selling feature that has benefit to the retailer, consumer and manufacturer alike,” Tillman said. “But a lot of consumer education is needed to get that information out in the marketplace.

This article was originally published in Furniture Today.  You may visit http://www.furnituretoday.com to read more industry news.