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Environmental Management System
Systematically Improving /
your Performance
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Metalcasters Shielding Themselves Against
Increased Competition
American die casting companies and foundries are facing
a period of intense international competition, A weakened
economy is putting a financial strain on customers, reduc-
ing their budgets, and encouraging them to look for new
ways to stretch their dollars—sometimes bypassing
American metalcasting facilities for those abroad,
American metalcasting facilities are searching for new
ways to stay in business and succeed, with some facilities
choosing to consolidate while others opt to "mothball"
equipment for future use,
Many die casters and foundries have found a way to
remain competitive in this tight-fisted and uncertain era
through the use of Environmental Management Systems
(EMS), These facilities with EMSs have taken proactive
steps to ensure environmental compliance while reducing
costs, ensuring top management participation in environ-
mental decision-making, and enhancing internal and
external communications,
Die casters and foundries have already realized the follow-
ing benefits by implementing an EMS:
• Reduced operating costs;
• Improved environmental performance;
• Improved internal communication;
• A bolstered corporate image; and
• Enhanced environmental decision-making,
If your facility is looking for a proven, efficient way
to improve your environmental performance while
improving your bottom line, an EMS may be right
for you.
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Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Fundamentals
An EMS weaves environmental decision-making into the
fabric of a business, facilitating compliance while improv-
ing overall performance, Like the Quality Management
Systems used at many die casting companies and
foundries, an EMS' systematic approach allows facilities to
be more efficient and competitive, While each EMS is
unique, most follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act model,
Continual
Improvement
A Plan-Do-Check-Act
approach establishes a
framework to examine the
environmental aspects of
your facility, then develop,
implement, monitor, review,
and revise the facility's envi-
ronmental procedures over
time to promote continual
improvement,
Many metalcasting facilities already have components of
an EMS in place that they can build upon, such as written
and unwritten procedures, practices, and environmental
training, Your facility may also want to consider integrating
safety, quality, maintenance, public relations, and other
facets of your business into one integrated system,
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Evaluate Your Operations for Opportunities
to Reduce Costs
Many metalcasting facilities that have implemented an EMS
have experienced significant cost savings attributed to:
• Lowered energy usage, resource conservation, and
reduced material inputs; and
• Reduced wastes and associated disposal costs,
These cost reductions can be used to help facilities
compete with domestic and international facilities—either
by reducing overhead costs or by freeing up funds for
investments in the facilities or employees, Upfront costs
for an EMS can be quickly recovered through EMS'
identification of money-saving pollution prevention initia-
tives and opportunities for continuous improvement in your
operations, Phil Gray of Citation Corporation noted that his
facility is "seeing benefits on the water reduction side and
has found new ways to recycle or reuse materials,"
An EMS can identify opportunities for environmental
improvements and help you weigh associated costs and
benefits to make an informed decision, An EMS can also
reduce future liabilities and manage risks as potential envi-
ronmental problems are identified early and resolved,
"Our EMS helped us to identify ways to
cut costs through recycling and
reduced waste generation. We have
reduced our general waste hauling
expenses by 35 percent annually and
through recycling we have reduced
our hydraulic fluid expenses by 25
percent annually. We've also reduced
our SF6 gas usage, used in
magnesium casting, by 45 percent."
—Eric Treiber, Chicago White Metal Casting
"Since implementing our EMS, we've
seen a reduction in our energy costs.
In one case, we put a program
together to insulate and cover our
furnaces, including related employee
training. This has led to a 3 percent
reduction in energy costs from 2001
to 2002. We've also seen a big
reduction in wastewater."
—MikeStroh, Stroh Die Casting
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Systematically Facilitate Environmental
Compliance
Die casting companies and foundries face a variety of air
and water environmental regulations, An EMS' systematic
approach can bring a sense of order to the environmental
compliance process,
Many metalcasting facilities with EMSs agree that they
now have greater assurance about maintaining environ-
mental compliance, As noted by Kathy Cole of Fort Wayne
Foundry "Upcoming environmental issues have a brighter
light shined on them than before,"
By implementing an EMS, your facility can stay in compli-
ance with environmental regulations, avoid violations and
fines that can damage your public image, and keep an
eye on the future,
"Our organization has improved
through EMS. Now, our
environmental issues are all in front
of us with timetables and we're not
doing everything at the last minute.
We met deadlines before, but EMS
made us more aware and organized.
EMS also forces us to look forward at
upcoming regulations and we use
tools like emails and Web sites to
keep us up-to-date."
—MikeStroh, Stroh Die Casting
'An EMS can benefit our plant by
helping us maintain compliance with
environmental rules and regulations
and have a way to know what's
coming down the pike."
—Doug Smith, Rochester Metal Products
hoto courtesy of the Am
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Enhance Internal Communication to
Encourage Environmental Responsibility
Effective communication among facility employees plays a
critical role in improving environmental performance and
can also lead to increased employee morale and elevated
employee retention rates,
Die casting companies and foundries that communicate
well internally often boast more informed, involved, and
proactive employees who not only implement their
assigned parts of the EMS, but who suggest other poten-
tial areas for improvement or cost-saving opportunities,
In the case of Quad City Die Casting, Dick Adams
reported that their "employees are now notifying their
maintenance supervisors about new leaks to ensure that
we recycle as much oil as possible, A couple of years
ago, prior to our EMS, that wouldn't have happened,"
"Following ISO 14001 increases the
involvement of people at all levels the
company, and in doing so
automatically increases awareness
of requirements, eliminates islands
of knowledge, and makes decision-
making more proactive, thus
avoiding the classical knee-jerk,
reactive decisions."
—Jim White, Grede Foundries, Inc.
"Employee awareness had to
increase—it's almost a requirement
of EMS to have everyone on the
same page. We absolutely saw
internal communication improve,
without which we wouldn't have
had any success."
—Eric Treiber, Chicago White Metal Casting
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Take a Proactive Stance on the Environment
to Bolster Your Facility's Image
By sharing information about your environmental perform-
ance with your customers, state, and community, you can
build credibility and trust, An EMS can also help you
establish a dialogue with others directly impacted by your
facility's operations,
A positive image can help your facility compete with
foreign companies while reassuring your customers that
your facility will endure for years to come, According to
Kathy Cole of Fort Wayne Foundry, "Having an EMS
shows that we're going to continue to be a viable supplier
years down the road, which gives us a head's up over
some of our competitors, Customers want to be assured
that a company is not going to suddenly get shut down
due to an environmental problem,"
Your facility can build a positive relationship with regulators
by taking advantage of available state and national pro-
grams, States such as Texas, Virginia, Oregon, and
Massachusetts and national programs such as the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental
Performance Track offer incentives ranging from public
recognition to regulatory flexibility to facilities that consis-
tently perform beyond regulatory compliance,
Your facility's image can also improve your facility's relation-
ship with its community, According to Paul Kennedy of
Kennedy Die Castings, Inc., "Implementing an EMS and/
communicating it to the community is a strong selling point>
"EMS is a good marketing tool to
potential customers and to employees.
To inform our community about our
EMS, we hung a banner outside and
added information about the EMS to
our Web site. Two of our customers
even sent congratulation letters."
—MikeStroh, Stroh Die Casting
"We absolutely did external outreach ,
and we're a charter member of EPA's
National Performance Track. We've
posted information to our Web site
about ISO 14001 and added links to
the Performance Track Web site.
We've also recently invited an
environmental club of a local high
school to come visit us."
—Eric Treiber, Chicago White Metal Casting
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Lead Environmental Decision-Making
at Your Facility
Your participation in the environmental decision-making
process can ensure that your facility's environmental policy
is relevant, that your facility is meeting its regulatory obliga-
tions, and that it is applying resources appropriately The
senior management review process established by an
EMS ensures your continued involvement in environmental
decisions and can lead to improved operations and
reduced liabilities,
Facilities that have implemented an EMS have noted the
benefit of increased senior management involvement in
establishing metrics and plans, According to Dick Adams
from Quad City Die Casting, "Environmental decisions are
now an added consideration during our quarterly manage-
ment review board meetings,"
"Meetings and discussions about the
environment are now held more
frequently, and the meetings are
more formalized with action items on
each topic."
—Kathy Cole, Fort Wayne Foundry
"Environmental decision-making has
become more elevated. Now, when
we look at new work, we check to see
what kind of impact that work would
have on the EMS."
—David Littler, Littler Diecast
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Get Started with Environmental
Management Systems
Now that you've learned how an EMS can reduce costs,
improve your business processes, and enhance your
internal and external communication, here are steps you
can take to get started,
Take Advantage of Assistance and Tools
Tailored to Metalcasting Facilities
The American Foundry Society and the North American
Die Casting Association are working with EPAs Sector
Strategies Program to encourage die casting companies
and foundries to adopt EMS, If your facility is a member of
either of these associations, contact your association rep-
resentative to take advantage of the customized training
resources, expertise, and support available through this
partnership, You can also work with your association to
ensure that your facility's voice is heard in discussions with
EPA about future environmental programs,
To begin developing your facility's own customized EMS,
visit EPAs Sector Strategies Web site at
www.epa.gov/sectors/metalcasting for EMS imple-
mentation tools created specifically for the metalcasting
industry, You can also find many resources related to EMS
development and implementation as well as a list of
Technical Assistance Providers near you on EPAs EMS
Web site at www.epa.gov/ems/, Other organizations,
such as state environmental agencies and universities,
may also offer EMS expertise,
Start Small and Build Momentum
An EMS is based on common sense and intuitive busi-
ness decisions, Learn from the tools listed above, then
start by taking small, doable steps and build momentum
from there, To be effective, you'll need proactive involve-
ment from senior management, front-line workers, and
supervisors throughout your facility, Keep the big picture
in mind, but define reasonable expectations, set goals
and time frames in line with your expectations, then
monitor progress, making corrections where necessary,
Capitalize on any elements of an EMS your facility may
already have in place to advance to the next level in
environmental management,
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Die Casting Companies and Foundries
Already Implementing EMS
Chicago
White Metal
Casting, inc.
Chicago White Metal Casting
Bensenville, L
www, cwmdiecast, com
LITTLER
DIECAST
Littler Diecast
Albany, Indiana
www, littlerdiecast.com
TTATION
Citation Corporation
Birmingham, AL
www, citation, net
Fort Wayne Foundry
Fort Wayne, Indiana
www, fortwaynefoundry.com
Quad City Die Casting
Moline, Illinois
www.quadcitydiecasting.com
Rochester Metal Products
Rochester, IN
www, rochestermetals, com
GREDE FOUNDRIES, INC.
Grede Foundries, Inc.
Milwaukee, Wl
www.grede.com
ifennedy
••••i
ISO SOB CERTIFIED
Kennedy Die Castings, Inc.
Worcester, MA
www, kennedydc, com
Stroh Die Casting
Milwaukee, Wl
www.stroh.com
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Discover what other leading metalcasting
facilities across the country are finding—
EMS is a
GOOQ Business
Decision
Of all of the initiatives that have come down through
business consultants in the past 10 years, establishing an
EMS is perhaps the most beneficial because it provides
benefits over so many different parts of our company"
-Eric Treiber, Chicago White Metal Casting
The single most important thing I can say about ISO
14001 is the fact that it makes the EMS so deeply
ingrained in the normal course of daily business that it
continues to function despite the absence of a critical
person here or there."
—Jim White, Grede Foundries, Inc.
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SectorStrategies
Insight • Innovation • Results
isit www.epa.gov/sectors or contact your trade association
October 2003
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