Investing in Cleaner Technology is More Important to Shareholders and Customers than Ever Before

_{American Axle, one of KIRCO & KIRCO MANIX’s automotive industry clients.}

Is your organization prepared to meet customer and shareholders’ continuing demand for sustainability?

KIRCO MANIX Business Development Associate, AJ Washeleski, was recently published in Area Development Magazine detailing the auto industry’s shift to sustainability and some of the challenges that companies will face as they meet the demands of shareholders and customers.

From his article, “Auto Industry Is Betting on Sustainability” –

“The automotive industry is a very asset-heavy, energy-reliant, and labor-intensive industry. Because of this, many companies have been able to use the same facilities for decades — some that may require an unnerving number of updates to be truly sustainable. As my company’s energy division has proven, change can come about in simple ways that over time can pay for themselves. Things like replacing old and outdated systems with lighting upgrades, HVAC updates, smart/automated energy management systems, water conservation, as well as renewable energy sources are great ways to start toward building a sustainable future. It doesn’t all have to come at once and can be built up over time.

Being sustainable doesn’t have to necessarily cost more green either, and this article certainly doesn’t cover all the cause and effect items that can be discussed ad nauseum. In a thin-margin business there will always be a hesitancy to perhaps invest in such initiatives. But what’s different now is that maybe…just maybe…investing in cleaner technology is more important to shareholders and customers today than ever before. Dividend growth and stock buyback are boring; they’re old news. Pumping millions into streamlining your supply chain, cleaning your manufacturing processes, and reducing your reliance on dirty energy is the new shareholder value. People and large public companies are now more interested in aligning themselves with those that will affect their sustainability initiatives and their environments in positive ways.” Read the full article from Area Development.

Our Corporate Real Estate and Energy teams understand these challenges and are prepared with development strategies, LEED experience, and energy-saving solutions in order to make sustainability an achievable goal for our clients. Get in touch to learn more about how our teams can enhance your asset.