EUFAULA, Alabama — Humminbird, a leading maker of marine electronics products, announced on Thursday a renewable energy project as part of the recent expansion of its Eufaula plant to reduce carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years.
The project included the installation of a solar array to power part of the Alabama plant’s electricity load, allowing it to begin generating its own solar power last year.
This is part of the ongoing sustainability efforts at Racine, Wisconsin-based Johnson Outdoors, the parent company of Humminbird.
“Leaving the world a better place is one of the core values of the company, and that includes continuing to explore using renewable energy to power a portion of our operations,” said Craig Packard, the plant’s general manager. “With our new solar array, Humminbird generated about 200,000 kwh of electricity last year, which is the equivalent of the amount of electricity used in 16 homes in one year.
“We expect to reduce over 3.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions over the next 20 years,” Packard added.
Role model
Brenda Tuck, Rural Development Manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Humminbird represents a perfect example of a company growing its operations in rural Alabama while also embracing sustainability practices.
“Humminbird’s commitment to sustainability shows how a company can significantly reduce the environmental impact of its operations,” Tuck said.
Within the past three years, the company has invested heavily in the expansion of its Eufaula facility to include a multimillion-dollar 27,400 square-foot expansion project that increased the production and assembly areas by more than 25%. In addition, there were significant purchases of new equipment.
That expansion project followed a 17,000-square foot addition at the Alabama plant, which increased the warehouse space by 40%. That project was completed in May 2021.
Humminbird, founded in 1971, produces marine electronics products including fish finders, multifunction displays, autopilots, ice flashers, and premium cartography products.
