ASCO NUMATICS ACHIEVES ISO 14001 ACCREDITATION

Phil Black - PII Editor 10/07/2008

116 2 minutes read

Listen to this article

Leading supplier of fluid power and fluid control products achieves certification for environmental management systems

ASCO NUMATICS, a leading manufacturer of fluid power and fluid control products, and part of Emerson Industrial Automation, announces that its UK manufacturing facility at Skelmersdale, Lancashire has achieved certification to ISO 14001:1996, the international standard for environmental management systems. This complements the companys BS EN ISO 9001:2000 accreditation for quality management which the company has held since June 1991.

“We are delighted to be awarded ISO 14001 accreditation,” said Jean Christophe Serkumian, Managing Director of ASCO NUMATICS in the UK. “Achieving this status confirms our commitment to ensuring that we minimise our impact on the environment, in particular with regard to our employees, customers, suppliers and the local community.”

ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organisation has under its control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. These include recycling, energy efficiency, packaging, water usage and waste reduction.

The company has always taken its environmental responsibilities very seriously and recognising the need to formalise this commitment, the management team started working towards achieving ISO 14001 accreditation in October 2006. Following an initial assessment, the site was found to be a low risk with good controls and management practices already in place.

“From the outset we decided this project needed to involve all employees to ensure they had an appreciation of their environmental responsibilities,” said Darren Walker, Quality Manager and leader of the project for ASCO NUMATICS. “As well as the more obvious good practices such as reducing the number of documents being photocopied and switching off any equipment and lighting that is not being used, we have been able to reduce our energy consumption significantly by installing more efficient lighting and using computer control for the heating system. Any new machinery we install is assessed for energy efficiency and we have established an energy management team that is constantly looking for ways to make savings.”

As part of the ongoing programme to monitor environmental performance, ASCO NUMATICS has established a series of regular internal audits and management reviews to ensure that the company and all of its employees are continually working to protect the environment. Targets have been set for the reduction of electricity, gas, water and paper usage and these are subject to regular reviews. Many other procedures have been put in place as part of the scheme and this includes assessing and prioritising all risks on the site.

For more information contact ASCO NUMATICS, Skelmersdale, Lancashire Tel: 01695 713600

Email: marketing@ascojoucomatic.co.uk Web: www.asconumatics.co.uk