Q&A with David Munnikhuysen, Cox Enterprises and Manheim

August 1, 2008

C ox Enterprises and Manheim, a Cox subsidiary and the world's largest provider of vehicle remarketing services, have turned on one of the most advanced wastewater treatment systems in Atlanta. David Munnikhuysen, Manheim's vice president of best practices, described the facility:

Business to Business : So how does this facility reduce water usage?

David Munnikhuysen: The system is reducing water usage by 60 percent at our reconditioning center via a sophisticated four-step process. The reconditioning center details approximately 300 to 400 vehicles per day. The first step in the process gathers wastewater into an equalization tank that holds 16,000 gallons of water. This tank equalizes water flows, ensuring the treatment process receives a consistent stream of wastewater. In the second step, water continues to a bioreactor tank, where billions of micro-organisms go to work consuming and breaking down substances such as oil, grease and soap; picture a Pac-Man-like frenzy. In the third step, the ultra-filtration process separates the remaining substances not fully broken down.

The final step involves reverse-osmosis membranes that remove dissolved solids from the water. The finished product is a combination of crystal-clear water that is reused by the reconditioning center and treated water that is released to the municipal sewer system. The Manheim Water Conservation Center is designed to treat 15,000 gallons of wastewater and produce 9,000 gallons of high-quality, reusable water per day.

BTB : A "vehicle remarketing plant" isn't the first type of business that typically comes to mind as a major water user.

Munnikhuysen: We have more than 34,000 employees and operate more than 145 operating locations around the world. As a company that details nearly 2.5 million vehicles per year, Manheim pursued an opportunity to significantly reduce the water it uses by recycling every drop possible.

Our goal for the water conservation center is to reduce water consumption, while substantially improving the quality of water released to the municipal sewer system. Our water conservation center reduces water usage by potentially more than two million gallons every year.

An additional bonus has been the improvement in the quality of water we recycle. The recycled water is both clear and "soft," which allows us to reduce the amount of soap used, as well as to minimize spotting that can result from washing vehicles with hard water.

BTB : Is this current "go green," environmental movement just a fad, or is it going to stay with us a while longer?

Munnikhuysen: Going green is not a fad. We are committed to identifying every opportunity to become more environmentally responsible, while continuing to exceed our customers' expectations for quality, service and value. We also are helping to create awareness with our employees, asking them to find ways of becoming "greener" at work and at home. Manheim is a Cox Enterprises company and our initiatives tie into Cox Conserves, the company's national sustainability program designed to dramatically reduce the company's carbon footprint and encourage Cox's 83,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices. It's the little steps we all take together that can add up to big differences in our environment.

BTB : Any other initiatives on the horizon?

Munnikhuysen: In addition to water conservation, Manheim has a variety of other green initiatives underway. Last year we began switching from solvent-to water-based vehicle paint to reduce air pollutants. At the same time, we implemented a lean engineering initiative in our paint mix operations to minimize paint waste. In fact, we received a Sustainable Growth Excellence Award from DuPont for this program.

We recently completed the installation of photovoltaic solar panels at our facility in New Jersey. The panels, which convert radiation from the sun directly to electricity, are generating 15 percent of the detail shop's electricity and reducing overall energy consumption. We will be expanding this system to meet the entire building's electrical demand via solar power later this year.