SPRINGFIELD, MO. — The newly-elected governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, recently visited Watts Radiant's 143,000-sq.ft. manufacturing and office facility here, supporting his program of promoting sustainable manufacturing in the state.
The tour was guided by John Kolson, Watts Radiant’s new vice president and general manager, who captured the governor’s attention with insights into parent company Watts Water Technology’s involvement with green building systems, including zero-waste reverse osmosis, lead-free stainless steel backflow prevention and salt-free anti-scale water treatment, requiring no backwash.
Nixon was elected on a platform that consisted of, among other things, job creation, support for higher education and development of renewable energy resources. Accompanying the governor was the new director of the Department of Natural Resources, Mark Templeton, who supports renewable manufacturing jobs.
On the tour, the governor learned about Watts Radiant’s pursuit of zero waste, a program that has resulted in a 90% reduction in waste removal, due to improved designs, increased reuse of materials, and internal and external recycling. An example of this is the firm’s manufacturing of bright orange pallet corners from pex waste, generated when the extrusion line is started. All cardboard, office paper, shrink wrap, pallets and metal are also reused or recycled.
The governor showed interest in Watts Radiant's new line of solar thermal pumping stations and the new solar control for OEM suppliers that monitors and records the actual Btus produced by a solar thermal system. Nixon learned that, from a utility's perspective, the ability to accurately measure and record solar power produced was essential to the proposed new carbon cap and trade programs.
The tour concluded in the training facility where a wide range of radiant heat and cooling technologies were on display. Of particular interest were Watts Radiant's HydroNex panels, which enables contractors to rapidly install pre-engineered and tested control panels that can combine solar, geothermal and biomass sources with radiant delivery systems.