Deeside-based start-up Locit, a manufacturer of steel lockers, has scooped a UK first – and what it believes could be a world first – for its sector by achieving carbon neutrality.
The company has received PAS 2060 certification, the internationally recognised specification for carbon neutrality published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), by deploying a holistic approach to reducing its environmental impact across energy use, supply chain, design, manufacture and packaging. It’s a significant accomplishment for the SME manufacturer, which has booked almost £5million of sales in its first year of trading and has created 40 new jobs.
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Locit is led by CEO Richard Williams (pictured above), a locker industry veteran of three decades who has realised his vision to create a sustainable business model focused on digital manufacturing, innovation, people and the environment. The companyis now continuing its push towards net-zero manufacturing and is on target to reduce emissions at its factory by a further 50 per cent this year.
‘We started Locit with a vision to create a superior product that needed less material, less waste and less energy, and we have accomplished this at our Deeside factory,’ Williams said. ‘We have achieved a UK first – and potentially a world first – for our sector using digital manufacturing techniques that put decarbonisation at the heart of our product, processes and culture.
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‘The PAS 2060 certification is the realisation of a lot of hard work and a commitment to the highest standards when measuring and reducing our emissions,’ he continued. ‘Sustainability is no longer an add-on, it is an imperative, not just for the planet but the future of our business.’
Locit deploys a sustainable approach through its entire process, from supply chain and design to manufacture and delivery. It starts by using recycled steel sourced from UK-based suppliers only. State-of-the-art 3D CAD/CAM software solutions then enable the design of products with minimal waste materials.
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Advanced manufacturing techniques are used to reduce energy consumption. This includes sector-leading advanced sheet-metal machinery for fully automated production runs, bespoke short-volume orders and R&D, and innovative powder coating techniques that recycle waste and reuse heat between processes.
Data-led manufacturing means that production is integrated with cloud-based material requirements panning software to optimise stock and delivery management. Finished products are delivered to customers and suppliers using recycled packaging.
‘While I have been driving our journey towards sustainable manufacturing, we would never have achieved so much so quickly without buy-in from our committed workforce,’ Williams said. ‘Our team shares the vision that the steel locker sector has become antiquated and incompatible with UK manufacturing’s net-zero and digitalisation goals. We want to create a modern manufacturing facility that is efficient and forward thinking, creates high-value local jobs, welcomes a diverse workforce and makes a superior product. We’ve only just begun, but we’re off to a great start.’