United States. Emerson completed the first phase of upgrades to its plant in Rushville, Indiana, totaling nearly $8 million. The upgrades began in 2015 and have allowed the company to enhance its Copeland compressor remanufacturing capabilities while strengthening its OEM manufacturing operations. Since 2013, Emerson has invested $13 million in the plant.
Since 2015, Emerson has installed three Okuma machining centers with an automatic loading system for remanufacturing, converted into cellular assembly with various compressor sizes on one line, installed a new part washing process with state-of-the-art filtration, and incorporating facility upgrades to help prevent operational disruptions and improve safety. These facility upgrades help Emerson meet customers' growing flexibility needs by offering compressors from 1/4 to 40 hp with tighter tolerances, while improving processes for more efficient and faster operations.
"With the increased adoption of digital and intelligent technologies and more complicated equipment, these investments have allowed us to switch to faster and more efficient equipment and significantly improve employee training, thereby simplifying processes for operators," said Thomas Chrysler, Emerson refrigeration product planner. "With the arrival of further enhancements, we will remain committed to upgrading equipment and improving plant operational processes to provide timely and increased customization, including late customization, for our customers."
Projects planned for the Rushville plant include an investment in metrology equipment to improve quality and replacement of specific equipment to help ensure uptime, consolidation of operations to reduce lead time, and the latest customization capabilities to improve responsiveness.
