Dunn-Edwards opens LEED-certified paint manufacturing facility

Dunn-Edwards has opened what it claims is the world's first LEED-certified paint manufacturing facility. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the 336,000-square-foot facility was custom designed to be "green" and efficient. This ultra-modern building encompasses manufacturing, product development, quality control laboratories, a distribution center, retail outlet and office space. The company eliminated cardboard boxes for packaging one-gallon containers and now use heat shrink wrap. According to the company, it is the only paint plant in the U.S. using heat shrink wrap. This reduced cardboard consumption by one million boxes, or approximately 250 tons of cardboard per year. Energy calculations on the new plant show a 50 percent reduction over its two existing operations—one was first built in the mid-1950s and the other in the mid-1970s. With more than 50 percent more space than its two former plants combined, this new $40 million investment meets Dunn-Edwards' needs for long-term growth and has room to expand another 40,000 square-feet.