An Environmental Management System can help you reduce risks and costs.

When companies release waste into the environment as pollution it means processes and product designs may be flawed. Your company may not be using its resources completely, efficiently or effectively. This waste could become costly. Productivity goes down and material costs go up. You can be assessed fines and fees. And your company has a great risk of liability.

A well-thought out EMS will give your company greater control over its processes. It does this by giving you a framework to recognize, monitor and improve the interconnectedness of your company's products and the environment.

CMC experts can help you through every step of setting up an EMS-from developing your company's policy, to implementing that policy, and culminating in receiving your ISO 14001 certification.

When you gain better control over environmental waste you are finding opportunities to save money. For example, a wire and cable manufacturer instinctively knew the waste it was producing was costing the company money and taxing the environment. Management wanted to eliminate that waste and be a good corporate neighbor. After MEP helped set up a pollution prevention program, the company:

• Reduced hazardous PVC/nylon waste by 57,000 pounds, general nylon waste by 4,000 pounds, and other waste by 33,000 pounds.
• Reduced scrap 18 percent.
• Reduced ink waste 38 percent.
• And reduced solvent use 60 percent.

In another example Sivyer Steel, producer of steel castings, had doubled its use of chromite and silica sand to 4,500 tons per year. Although the company was already reclaiming 50 percent of its silica sand, the increased demands were putting the operation's effectiveness at risk.

Sivyer management called CMC's sister center in Iowa for help. Together the experts and Sivyer management developed a plan to divert an estimated 8,544 tons of silica sand and 2,880 tons of chromite from a landfill to be reused. This saved the company more than $375,000. Sivyer Steel also estimated it shave more than $1 million dollars in raw materials costs.

You can complement an EMS with a lean implementation for even more cost savings. We call the marriage Clean Manufacturing.

Independent surveys MEP has conducted show when you combine lean with an EMS you can approximately double the cost savings than if you implemented one without the other:

• A manufacturer and distributor of lubricating grease and oil products has reinvented itself many times in its 130-year history. After all it has been in business selling to the industrial, automotive, food, beverage and pharmaceuticals industries long before these industries really existed. In the course of pursuing its ISO 14001 certification, the company identified steam leaks and repaired the boiler system for a net reduction in natural gas costs of $20,000 annually.



• A priority for a custom molder and extruder of rubber and plastic products was to improve the quality of the effluent from the company's oil/water separator and ensure it was complying with federal regulations. In implementing an EMS, the company installed controls that keep injection-molding machines running at top efficiency, installed insulting blankets on molding machines to conserve heat, and introduced more environmentally friendly solutions in the chemical mix. The net result of these efforts is a 50 percent reduction of scrap on a key product line.



• A food processor wanted to more efficiently use the raw materials it needs to produce and package its line of frozen and dried vegetables. Environmental and energy experts recommended modifications and alterations to equipment, production procedures, materials handling and clean-up. The results were immediate. Waste water went down 30 percent. The total amount of potable water used for processing was cut seven percent for a total savings of 940,000 gallons. Solid waste went up by one percent, which translates to approximately 740,000 pounds of material. And the company is reaping at minimum $170,000 annually in increased productivity.