Subaru of Indiana named first U.S. auto plant to meet ISO 50001 energy standard
Subaru's display at the North Woods Garden Show in February
Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., in
Lafayette was recognized Monday for its heightened commitment
to energy
conservation that could help the car manufacturing
plant save costs and reduce emissions.
SIA is the first
U.S. car manufacturing plant to become certified in energy
management, which means it complies with the International
Organization for Standardization's
global
standards - meant to increase a company's energy
efficiency.
"(The
certification) is a culmination of a lot of hard work and
dedication," said Thomas Easterday, SIA's executive vice
president. "Over the years, Subaru has been well-known to
be a leader. Right now, we're taking an even bigger step."
The
SIA team spent six months monitoring energy consumption data in
order to figure out how to improve its current processes to gear
up for an audit by DEKRA
Certification Inc.,
a company that provides professional certification in the
automotive industry.
DEKRA
President Henri Pierre Salle, who presented top executives from
Subaru SIA with the ISO 50001 certification at a gathering on
Monday, said the purpose of the certification is to provide an
energy management framework for companies.
"A
process of improvement becomes part of the everyday culture,"
Salle said. "That spirit and culture already is here in the
Subaru culture."
Auditors who worked with SIA plant
managers to collect the data said SIA's commitment to
saving energy is high
compared with other large companies they
have visited, Salle said.
Auditors noticed a particular
attention to energy conservation in Subaru SIA's painting
and trimming processes, which
account for more than 40 percent of
the plant's total energy consumption.
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Article by Hayleigh Colombo for JCOnline.com June 4, 2012. <http://www.jconline.com/article/20120604/BUSINESS/306040021/subaru-indiana-certification-sia?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1> accessed June 5, 2012.
