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GM Energy Engineer Becomes Reality Star

2018-04-24

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When Erin Lawrence was hired into General Motors as an energy engineer in 2017, she never thought her professional future would include being a star on an internet reality series. But when Global Energy Manager Al Hildreth learned about Erin’s passion for energy savings, he recruited her and Senior Environmental Engineer Brian Wilger for the fourth season of the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP.”

The series showcases companies that are world leaders in energy efficiency, and this year, General Motors and beauty giant L’Oréal were chosen to SWAP places. The companies were able to cross-collaborate and identify opportunities for continued energy savings in each other’s manufacturing facilities.

Erin was a fan of L’Oréal’s products before the series, so she had a unique take on the experience.

What was it like to switch up your day job as an energy engineer and have cameras follow you around for a week?

The experience felt a little like one of my team’s Energy Treasure Hunts where we search for energy savings opportunities at about 10 North American facilities per year. However, with SWAP we had a whole crew of people following us around and cameras watching our every move. It was a bit of an odd experience that took some getting used to, but I grew to love it because I knew they weren’t just capturing my personal experience, but also our findings and processes for the world to see.

Describe how it felt to visit one of your favorite beauty companies and the type of opportunities the GM team found.

Visiting the L’Oréal plant in Little Rock, Arkansas, was one of my favorite experiences. It was incredible to see the volume of production (one million units per day!) and the variety of products they make at once. Plus, the plant makes some of my favorite products, like Essie nail polish! While we walked through the facility, we identified an opportunity to isolate and shut down HVAC and lighting while particular lines were not running. Additionally, they could work to reduce compressed air leaks and install lighting occupancy sensors in low-traffic areas.

What did L’Oréal discover during its visit to Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, and what are some of the recommendations you’d like implemented at our facilities?

L’Oréal identified a few places where conversion to LEDs would make sense, which is an opportunity we are evaluating at many facilities. Additionally, they noticed a few spots where machines use compressed air to hold parts in place. There are some areas within the plant where machines put the part down when the line stops, but this could be expanded throughout the plant and other facilities to reduce compressed air usage.

What surprised you most about this experience?

I was surprised by how similar our two facilities are. L’Oréal’s plant essentially looked like a scaled-down and sped-up version of Detroit-Hamtramck. Likewise, the biggest energy users at both facilities are compressed air and HVAC. It was great to have a fresh set of eyes looking at our facility and to be able to share best practices with the L’Oréal team. 

The fourth installment of the DOE’s “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP” features teams from General Motors and L’Oréal USA. In this online video series, the companies swap energy management teams to gain new insights, save money and improve energy performance at their plants. Season Four is available now at https://betterbuildingsinitiative.energy.gov/swap.

General Motors is an energy efficiency leader. We’re participating in the DOE’s Better Buildings, Better Plants program to achieve 25 percent or greater combined energy use reduction at 31 plants by the end of 2018. By supporting our Energy Treasure Hunts (such as the DOE’s SWAP program) to uncover new energy efficiencies over the past 11 years, our teams have made a lasting impact in our global facilities across more than 20 countries.