Manufacturing Today Issue - 248 May 2026 | Page 92

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traditional powder plant or even what most competitors are doing,” Dee enthuses.“ The technologies we’ re using there are on another level.” Schluter is also continuing to expand its manufacturing footprint, with further investments and future factory developments planned across the country to support its longterm growth and product innovation strategy.
“ Sustainability,” he adds,“ remains a key consideration across both product development and facility design. It’ s always at the forefront of our thought process. We work with products like waterproofing membranes that are plastic-based, so we must look at sustainability differently.” Rather than focusing solely on material composition, Schluter prioritizes durability and lifecycle performance, designing systems intended to last for decades.“ If a tile installation can last 50, 80 or even 100 years, that’ s a very different sustainability story compared to installations that need to be repeatedly replaced,” he explains.
That philosophy also extends to the company’ s manufacturing operations. Schluter has invested in environmental technologies that go well beyond standard industry practice, including geothermal systems, solar integration and multiple LEED Gold-certified production facilities. The company’ s Reno facility is a flagship example.“ It was built using technologies that nobody else in North America is really utilizing,” he says.“ It comes at an additional cost, but the owners take a very common-sense approach to sustainability and long-term investment.”
For Dee, company culture is one of the defining characteristics behind Schluter’ s long-term success.“ Culture is part of our
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