Earlier this month, President Trump signed a proclamation honoring American manufacturing workers.  One of the great things about my job is visiting laboratories and companies and seeing the great work they are doing.

Today, I was able to visit a 150-year-old Pennsylvania manufacturer Armstrong Flooring in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Armstrong Flooring is an industry-leading manufacturer of innovative flooring products. Armstrong Flooring now operates six U.S. plants and has demonstrated a commitment to energy efficiency leadership through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants program.

Through Better Plants, DOE works with leading manufacturers to boost their competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency, water, and waste, resulting in both energy and cost savings. Armstrong Flooring has been a strong Better Plants partner since joining the program in 2016. The company won the program’s 2020 Better Practice Award for a campaign that engaged employees and is expected to reduce energy consumption by at least 50% during periods of inactivity at the facility. The challenge is now a Better Plants Implementation Model, allowing other companies to harness Armstrong’s strategies for success.

I witnessed firsthand the company’s commitment to continual improvement at its Lancaster plant, where in February staff conducted an in-plant “energy efficiency treasure hunt” that identified $34,000 in annual cost saving opportunities. Through Better Plants, Armstrong Flooring has been proactive at leveraging Department of Energy resources including in-plant trainings, Industrial Assessment Center audits, and Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership consultations. Armstrong Flooring has also furthered its commitment by joining the Better Buildings, Better Plants Waste Reduction Pilot, through which the company has partnered with DOE to set, track, and meet waste reduction.

I recognize the efforts of Armstrong Flooring and all Better Buildings, Better Plants partners. Their commitment to improving operational efficiency and reinvesting in the American workforce is creating more resilient buildings, manufacturing plants, and communities across the country. I am proud of the work the Trump Administration has done through the Better Buildings, Better Plants to improve domestic manufacturing.