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Improving '•
Metal Finishing Sector
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Finish First in the Face of Increased
Competition
American metal finishers are facing a period of intense
domestic and international competition, As an important
manufacturing industry that puts a premium on product
quality, metal finishers must find ways to continuously
improve their operational efficiency
Within this highly competitive setting, metal finishing facili-
ties face a wide range of federal, state, and local environ-
mental requirements, Over the past 25 years, the metal
finishing industry has made great progress in improving its
environmental performance, The most progressive firms
have recognized that improved operational efficiency can
lead to reduced environmental impacts, better regulatory
compliance, and an improved bottom line,
A growing number of metal finishing companies have
turned to Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to
help achieve continuous performance improvement, These
firms have discovered that by using an EMS to improve the
efficiency of their everyday operations, they can:
• Reduce costs;
• Improve regulatory compliance;
• Stay competitive;
• Enhance operational decisions; and
• Improve their public image,
If your company is looking for a proven, efficient
way to enhance your environmental performance
while improving your bottom line, an EMS may be
right for you.
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Environmental Management System (EMS)
Fundamentals
An EMS weaves environmental decision-making into the
fabric of a metal finisher's business, facilitating compliance
while improving overall performance, Like the Quality
Management Systems used at many metal finishing
facilities, the systematic approach of an EMS can
help metal finishers conserve resources,
enhance product quality, and adapt to
changes in today's competitive market-
place, Each facility's EMS is unique, but
follows a simple Plan-Do-Check-Act model,
Continual
Improvement
A Plan-Do-Check-Act approach creates a simple frame-
work to examine the many ways in which your facility can
affect the environment, You use this knowledge of your
company's environmental 'aspects' to develop, implement,
monitor, review, and revise your environmental proce-
dures over time to promote continual improvement,
Many metal finishing facilities already have com-
ponents of an EMS in place, such as best man-
agement practices and safety procedures,
Since an EMS is a flexible tool, your facility may
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
The metal finishing industry has taken an active role in
EMS development, with positive results, Metal finishing
facilities that have implemented EMSs have achieved cost
savings ranging from $10,000 to more than $100,000,
Geoff Blake of All Metals Processing noted that his facility
developed an EMS "and saved $55,000 in the first year!"
Metal finishers can recover the up-front costs of an EMS
through improved process efficiency and resource con-
servation, Savings can be achieved through:
• Reduced energy and water usage;
• Less waste generation and emissions;
• Fewer raw material inputs; and
• Reduced sludge generation and shipments,
An EMS can help metal finishers achieve long-term cost
savings through pollution prevention, beneficial reuse of
materials, and installation of high efficiency equipment,
Metal finishers can also use their EMSs to reduce future
liability costs by managing workplace risks through early
detection and action,
"We saved over $72,000, primarily
through the identification of high
natural gas and electricity use caused
by an obsolete gas boiler. Our EMS
has kept our heads above water
during these tough economic times."
—CarolMcCracken, FOSS Plating
"Since [implementing an EMS],
Quaker City has experienced
remarkable success, starting with a
68% reduction in water usage."
—Nick Avedissian, Quaker City Plating
"Since the start of the [EMS] in
October 2001, Gene's Plating has
seen reductions of 62.5% in kilowatt-
hours and 70% less process water
used. At our new plating shop, the
company has realized savings of 33%
less kilowatt-hours and 50% less
process water usage."
—JayneLecy, Gene's Plating Works, Inc.
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Systematically Achieve Environmental
Compliance
Metal finishers face a wide array of environmental regula-
tions, Maintaining compliance with these requirements
requires significant effort and diligence, The systems
approach of an EMS can bring a reassuring sense of
order to the environmental compliance process, According
to Willie Bell of Metal Surfaces, Inc., an EMS "increases
awareness of how to manage our environmental issues,"
The Plan-Do-Check-Act framework of an EMS can help
ensure that you comply with your environmental require-
ments in a timely manner, avoiding violations and fines that
can damage both your public image and the bottom line,
The comprehensive nature of an EMS helps to improve
communication and employee understanding of environ-
mental requirements throughout your company,
"[Our EMS includes a] compliance
calendar [that] lists all regulatory
programs, permits and reports due
each month. Another EMS tool is a
monthly environmental and safety
audit. During the internal audit, all
documents required to remain in
compliance are reviewed and
compliance log sheets and
procedures are updated to reflect
new rules and regulations. EMS
provided motivational tools to
remain in compliance with federal,
state, and county agencies."
—JayneLecy, Gene's Plating Works, Inc.
"The EMS program helps achieve
compliance and improve our bottom
line. We set our objectives and
targets, and raised our level of
awareness and team efforts in areas
like pollution prevention. It gave us
tools to communicate our progress,
successes, and the hurdles to our
objectives."
—Filomena Bundang, Crown City Plating
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Stay Ahead of the Curve in a Competitive
Marketplace
In today's global marketplace, many customers require
their suppliers to incorporate an EMS into their operations
as a condition of doing business, This trend is becoming
common for suppliers to such industries as automobile
manufacturing, telecommunications, and aerospace,
By putting an EMS in place, your metal finishing facility can
anticipate customer demands for a more systematic
approach to environmental management, A flexible EMS
can enable you to achieve performance results that are
well-measured and easily demonstrated, The voluntary
adoption of an EMS can position your company to achieve
ISO 14001 certification if your customers require it,
Many metal finishers, especially those that supply the
automotive industry, have already implemented an ISO
9000-certified Quality Management System, ISO 9000
shares many elements with effective environmental man-
agement systems, Both systems place a strong emphasis
on evaluating current processes and thinking strategically
about how things can be done better, Companies that
already have ISO 9000 certification are well situated to
take a 'systems approach' to environmental management,
"Recognizing that our customers were
under pressure to improve
environmental management
throughout their supply chain, we
wanted them to further count on us.
Developing an EMS was in alignment
with our goal to become a world class
organization, and it put our firm
ahead of the curve. In today's
economy, any metal finisher who isn't
working toward this environmental
system could be left behind in the
marketplace and quite possibly go
out of business."
—James Hammer, Imagineering Finishing
Technologies Worldwide
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Enhance Operational Decisions
The process of developing an EMS for your facility can also
contribute to improvements in process line operations and
overall product quality The Plan-Do-Check-Act approach
helps company owners and plant managers stay abreast
of improvement opportunities, It opens valuable lines of
internal communication with employees, It promotes long-
term planning that integrates all aspects of a company's
operations, from product QA/QC to resource conservation
and recovery, According to Geoff Blake of All Metals
Processing, "setting up an EMS planted valued seeds, It
provides a good matrix [for environmental management],"
"The EMS gave Artistic Plating a better
general awareness about the
environment. [It] was instrumental in
the identification of significant
impacts, the setting of objectives to
reduce those impacts, and
establishing metrics for measuring
performance improvements. It
helped us look at ways of reducing
not only the cost, but the amount of
hazardous materials used."
—Ruben Angel, Artistic Plating
"One of the immediate benefits of
[EMS] is the tool aspect/impact
analysis. It clarifies to [company
management] and our employees
how to approach new technologies
and even everyday tasks. I am
confident that as times goes on we will
continue to improve our
environmental footprint."
—Brenda Zemo, Polaris Plating
"I credit [EMS] with sharpening
awareness in the plant and providing
helpful analytical tools to put new
environmental strategies to work. The
EMS approach has helped us reduce
solvent usage by 50%, recycle 99% of
scrap and 98% of paper-related
products, and reduce non-production
energy consumption by nearly 25%."
—JohnMarrs, Chrome Craft
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Maintain a Positive Public Image
As citizens take greater interest in the environmental well-
being of their communities, factors like public trust and
credibility become even more significant to the success of
your business, By putting an EMS in place, you demon-
strate to regulators and the general public your commitment
to a clean environment and a healthy economy
An EMS can help you maintain good lines of communica-
tion with those who are directly impacted by your facility's
operations, including customers and the surrounding com-
munity, The EMS emphasis on performance metrics can
put your company in a better position to share information
on compliance and environmental stewardship, providing a
strong foundation for greater trust and cooperation,
Your relationship with regulators can improve as well, "Our
EMS has helped us establish a great relationship with our
local POTW," noted Carol McCracken of Foss Plating,
Inspectors are ikely to spend significantly less time review-
ing the records of a facility with an EMS in place, preferring
instead to focus on the facilities with known problems and
lax management,
Your company's image can be further enhanced through
participation in programs that recognize good performers
that have an EMS in place, EPA's National Environmental
Performance Track and similar state programs offer benefits
ranging from public recognition to regulatory flexibility for
top performing companies,
"[EMS] has helped Lincoln Plating get
a better handle on our processes
because we can monitor all the data
and see where improvements need
to be made. In addition, the
company earns recognition for its
efforts. Typically, we receive an award
every year."
—Ray Dickey, Lincoln Plating
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It's Easy to Get Started with Environmental
Management Systems
Once you have made the decision to develop an EMS,
there are a number of free tools and resources available to
help you get started,
Use the EMS Template, a 'How To' Guide
Tailored to Metal Finishing Processes
To begin developing your facility's own customized EMS,
visit EPA's Sector Strategies Program Web site at
www.epa.gov/sectors/metalfinishing/, There you will
find a step-by-step EMS guide created specifically for the
metal finishing industry, This plain language template
focuses on everyday metal finishing operations, and
includes many easy-to-use tools and EMS process steps,
The Metal Finishing Implementation Guide has been
thoroughly pilot-tested by metal finishing companies and
conforms with Performance Track requirements,
There are More Resources to Help You
Get Started
An expanded EMS business guide produced by the
Global Environment and Technology Foundation is also
available at www.epa.gov/sectors/metalfinishing/,
This in-depth guide includes business tools, case studies
on EMS best practices, and promotional material for
metal finishers,
You can find other resources for EMS development and
implementation, including a list of Technical Assistance
Providers near you, on EPA's EMS Web site at
www.epa.gov/ems/,
Start Small and Build Momentum
An EMS is based on common sense and intuitive business
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 involvement
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 that your facility may already
have in place,
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The Metal Finishing Industry Endorses
EMS Development
The metal finishing industry has taken a proactive role in
EMS development, starting with the successful pilot
testing of the EMS template by members of the Metal
Finishing Association of Southern California, supported by
Tetra Tech, Inc. Industry leaders have long recognized the
value of EMSs to the continued progress and competitive-
ness of metal finishers in the United States,
In 2003, the major metal finishing trade associations
formed a Metal Finishing EMS Partnership with EPA, the
Global Environment and Technology Foundation, several
state environmental agencies, technical assistance
providers, and other public and private organizations, This
partnership reflects the industry's continuing commitment
to the voluntary adoption of EMSs by metal finishers
nationwide, By 2003, over 100 metal finishing companies
had put EMSs in place or were working to do so,
"I have yet to go to a place [that
implemented an EMS] where at the
end of the day they didn't save
[money].. .a place where at the end
of the day they didn't find
opportunities for greater utilization
of human capital."
—Jim Connaughton, Chairman, White House
Council on Environmental Quality
GETF
'*)
Photos for this business case were provided by: Patrick Wooliever, Tetra Tech, Inc.
Plating and Surface Finishing; and Finishers' Management.
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Discover what other leading metal finishers
across the country are finding—
EMS is a
GOOQ Business
Decision
There is a positive trend in cost savings as a result of EMS
implementation. When costs and savings are projected o^
a 10-year period, Artistic will realize over $1,000,000 in
savings, after deducting one-time costs.
—Ruben Angel, Artistic Plating
implementing an EMS helped us realize huge cost savings and
significant reductions in water use and waste generation. But
by far the biggest benefit was the increased sense of control
I got from more proactively addressing my company's
environmental issues. Bottom line? I slept better at night.
-KenHarel, Continuous Coating Corp
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SectorStrategies
Insight • Innovation • Results
isit www.epa.gov/sectors or contact your trade association
December 2003
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