After months of training on managing the impact of the company’s business practices on the environment, Multi-Wing America (MWA) earned the recommendation for ISO 14001 certification from SAI Global Registrars Lead Auditor Jerry Osborne. After visiting MWA’s Burton facility on Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31, Osborne confirmed MWA’s new status. “You made very good, simple objectives that make a positive influence on the environment,” Osborne said in closing the audit.
This certification comes at the end of a comprehensive training that requires participating companies to demonstrate a long-term commitment to the most recognized Environmental Management System in the world: ISO 14001.
“We had weekly, two-hour meetings for almost a year to learn environmental management as it pertains to our manufacturing,” says Quality Technician Improvement Specialist Steve Templeton, referring to ISO Training Auditing Consultant Randy Cicen’s program. “I?was impressed by the detail of the ISO process and how it was taught.”
The standard provides MWA with a system that allows the industrial fan company to manage its footprint on the environment by reducing energy consumption, raw material usage and waste in addition to employing recoverable resources and improving process efficiency. The company’s Quality Assurance Director Aaron Tucker explains why MWA wanted to earn this certification.
“The system helps us reduce the waste and pollution we release into the world,” Aaron says. “We are managing how we dispose of our water bottles, batteries and aerosol cans. And we are also managing spills around our dumpsters.”
Lead Auditor Jerry Osborne further noted MWA employee diligence as part of the company’s manufacturing process. “You have a very clean, and well maintained work environment and that is important,” Osborne said. “People are constantly cleaning work areas and it shows.”
One of the ISO system’s greatest strengths is that it requires ongoing education and constant improvement, which are validated by annual, independent audits. This drives each company to demonstrate that commitment for improvement between audits in order to maintain certification.
For the 14001 Standard, that means MWA joins an impressive list of companies committed to reducing their long-term environmental impact.
“Some of Multi-Wing America’s largest customers have the ISO 14001 certification, and it’s a good practice for the company,” says Tucker. “It ensures that we’re going to be here for a long time, and that we aren’t going to be doing any damage to the environment while we’re here.”
