A and C may be able to continue production, or if not, they are not shut down completely, and so avoid the time and energy drain of a long restart sequence.”

Such design approaches not only support efficiency and productivity, but also save power, machine wear and tear, and the potential for scrap that traditional shut downs entail. “Sustainability is part of the relentless pursuit of waste elimination,” Lee reminds. “It’s part of being a world-class manufacturing organization.”

In times where the future seems uncertain if not downright foreboding, it’s good to remember the precept of Peter Drucker, the man considered by many to be the father of modern management practices: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” For those creating sustainable futures, and positioning themselves to accelerate once the current economic downturn begins to abate, safety is seen as a priority of corporate sustainable agendas.

“Safety that is engineered and embedded into systems and processes on the front end of a holistic system provides safe, flexible, efficient systems that increase productivity and provide competitive advantage,” concludes Hornbeck.

The fact is that in times of economic difficulty, sustainable companies become companies that will survive.

For more information, visit the Rockwell Automation Safety Solutions Portal .