Supply Chain Sustainability

Concordance is dedicated to an environmentally aware supply chain. From energy efficient lighting to material recycling programs, we are committed to serving our customers in efficient and environmentally friendly ways.

Now more than ever, there are growing needs for adopting environmentally conscious and responsible choices to supply chain management efforts. Concordance works hand in hand with many supplier and manufacturer partners that offer green product lines. We are prepared to work closely with these suppliers to identify appropriate, environmentally friendly product and supply options to present to our customers for evaluation. We also have a number of programs that support internal sustainability efforts. Learn more about our program offerings in the profile below of a few of our current efforts in our Tiffin, Ohio distribution center.

Lighting

• Motion Detection Lighting – About 20 percent of our Tiffin facility has motion sensing lighting in the warehouse.
• Energy Efficient Lighting – Evolutions in lighting have changed greatly in the last 10-12 years. In 2008, the entire Tiffin warehouse was upgraded to T-8 fluorescent lighting, replacing metal halide. The payback on that was approximately 2-3 years in savings in electric use. By 2016, the Tiffin warehouse upgraded to LED and again, payback was approximately 2-3 years. In each of these upgrades, there were utility rebates involved that lessened the cost.

LUM

• LUM-Push Carts (in lieu of electric) – Hand push carts are used exclusively in our LUM operations. This function not only conserves cost on acquisition, electric and maintenance, but enables a better utilization of the LUM totes to be more fully filled, thus reducing the number of totes being used in a shipment.
• LUM/Plastic Reusable Totes (in lieu of corrugated) – Nearly 100 percent of all LUM volume is shipped in reusable plastic totes.

Recycling

• Re-use of Boxes – The Tiffin location generates enough boxes to serve as miscellaneous small box shipments. The only boxes purchased for the Tiffin location are for unmarked home shipments and for non-sterile kit building.
• Recycling Program (cans, ink cartridges, batteries, phones) – All batteries used in operations are recycled to keep out of the waste stream including industrial equipment, delivery equipment, Voice pick module batteries, emergency services batteries and consumer use batteries.
• Balers-Cardboard and Shrink-wrap – 580,000 pounds of cardboard, plastic and paper materials were generated in the Tiffin facility in 2018, with a similar amount in 2017. Recycling commodities are down in pricing as China has greatly reduced amounts taken in. 
• Recyclable Pallets – Tiffin has used plastic pallets for a very limited number of customers over the years, but the recycling of wooden pallets to have them rebuilt has had a larger impact. They encourage driving personnel to cooperate with customers to help remove unneeded wooded pallets. These are then returned to the Tiffin distribution center, with those in good condition being reused for future outbound shipments and broken ones sold and delivered to a local recycler on a daily basis. No pallets are stored outside and since the scrap pallets are being hauled away daily, the warehouse is kept cleaner.

“Our sustainability program continues to expand,” said Pat Hoepf, Operations Manager. Other Concordance distribution centers have similar programs depending on regional limitations. Concordance has also partnered with Betco, a leading company supporting facilities maintenance professionals. Betco offers a wide variety of products and systems through their programs that reduce product cost, generate labor savings and increase assurance that the correct infection control processes are used.

Concordance Healthcare Solutions is committed to delivering dynamic, dependable service that increases our customers’ efficiency throughout every level of the supply chain. Contact us to learn more.