BERCO SUPPLIERS THE INNOVATION CONTINUES - Berco S.p.A

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Environment ISO14001 Documenting the progress two years after certification was obtained According to the ISO14001:96 standard, an environmental management system (SGA) is the “part of the system of general management which includes the organisational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, routines, procedures, processes and resources to elaborate, put into practice, carry out, re-examine and maintain active an environmental policy”. An organisation may request conformity certification of its SGA by submitting to an evaluation visit by a certification body accredited at national level to perform this role. Certification is valid for three years and at the end of this period, to keep certification, it is necessary to pass an inspection visit for its renewal. In accordance with the above terms, the renewal visit has been planned for October 2003 at the Copparo factory. This inspection was particularly thorough and the three inspectors collected objective evidence of conformity (or otherwise) to the requirements of the standard, by means of an examination of documents, department inspections, observation of activities and interviews with personnel. At the end of the visit, the inspectors concluded that “important growth” had been found in the degree of maturation of the SGA “which must, however, now be extended to all functions/departments”. They pinpointed as the system’s strong points “the internal resources and relative skills” and as a weak point “the difficulty of widely extending the system itself”. They also expressed the following final evaluation on the outcome of the visit: “positive, with obvious improvements compared with the previous visits”. The company cannot, however, “rest on its laurels”: the certification body, in 8 BN33 • January 2003 fact, indicated the path to be followed in order to continuously improve environmental performance. Once again, therefore, we have proof that equipping oneself with an environmental management system involves significant commitments in terms of time, energy and capital, not only in the implementation phase, but also, and above all, in the maintenance phase. Since developing and operating according to an SGA is a voluntary choice made the by the company, one might wonder why an organisation should decide to incur these costs. The reason is, first of all, because of a sensitivity towards environmental problems, but it is not only that. Apart from the advantages outlined in the diagram below, there are also, in fact, margins for economic improvement in the medium-to-long term. These economic improvement margins mainly concern: possible savings on the re-use, recycling and treatment of waste; the lowering of costs due to the wasting of natural resources and raw materials; the observance of legal obligations in the environmental field and the prevention of possible infringements of the law in force with the obvious administrative and criminal consequences. It is precisely in these three areas, for example, that important results have been obtained, and will be obtained in the future, by the new conditioner coming into operation and being brought to full power. By means of this installation, which was the subject of one of the environmental management programs elaborated according to the ISO14001:96 standard, the following goals will, in effect, be reached: 1. The possibility of treating all quenching waters in the new conditioning plant, with a consequent annual saving of around 180,000 euros; 2. The observance of the limits for discharging into surface waters with the consequent change in coefficients used in the calculation of disposal rates in public sewers: this will mean an annual saving of 20,000 euros; 3. The recycling of purified water in the industrial waters circuit with the consequent decrease in costs for the purchase of industrial water, for preliminary treatment, and for disposal in drains. One of the environmental management programs currently being implemented provides for a 5% reduction in the industrial water taken from the Abbondanza canal, which corresponds to a recycling of the water coming from the conditioner of 20,000 sq.m. annually - that is 12% of the amount treated. Achieving this goal involves an annual saving of about 25,000 euros. There are, however, wide margins for further improvement, since recycling 100% of the purified water would lead to an overall saving of about 100,000 euros. This goal, though, is not easily achievable. It is, in fact, necessary to examine carefully the characteristics of the “industrial” water in the circuit, both to satisfy the requirements of the “uses” in the company, such as the preparation of mixtures for cooling using lubricating oil, detergents and quenching fluids, and in order not to affect the good operation of the cooling towers. In order to determine the maximum quantity of purified water that can be recycled, we are making use of the collaboration of technicians from the Ondeo-Nalco mobile laboratory. Berco, therefore, taking advantage also of the new dump and the development of differentiated collection, is following its own course leading to the aim of “zero disposal” towards the outside. And, in the same context, a new, interesting opportunity is taking shape on the horizon: using a concentrate of quenching mixtures (produced by the vacuum evaporator at the cleaning plant), as “fuel” in a regenerative heater dedicated to the destruction of the volatile organic substances (VOCs) present in emissions into the atmosphere from painting plants. In this way, a potential waste product (the quenching mixture concentrate) would be used to destroy a pollutant (the volatile organic substances) while, at the same time, avoiding the natural gas consumption necessary to maintain the temperature of the ceramic beds which are characteristic of the abovementioned destruction-plants. From first analyses carried out on the combustion of the quenching mixture concentrate, the plant is technologically feasible and the emissions are those that are generated normally by the combustion of hydrocarbons. Obviously, it is necessary to evaluate in depth the series of regulations applicable and to check the possibility of obtaining the requisite permits, but creating the above installation would enable another important goal to be reached, both from the environmental point of view, as shown above, and from the economic point of view, since it would allow a saving of around 100,000 euros on the disposal of concentrated quenching mixtures. Saverio Salvi Manager Environmental Management System
Inside Berco THE COPPARO AND CASTELFRANCO VENETO COMPANY AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN SIGNED The Company Collective Labor Contracts for the Berco factories at Copparo and Castelfranco Veneto were signed in close proximity to each other, on 28 October and 7 November 2002. Once again, with a procedural method that has become common in Berco, they reached the signing of the agreements in spite of the difficult economic situation of the world market, without having to resort to fighting about it, and with a desire to work in harmony A WORD FROM THE TRADE UNIONS The renewal of the Company Collective Labor Contract represented a particularly high point in relations between Trade Union Organisations which, although they came up against strong, significant divisions between the National Bodies on the basic themes it contained, were able to keep their aims distinct from events external to the company and try to draw up a platform which would improve the general condition of workers. The road which led to the signing of the new Company Collective and to seek improvement. Although there were some firm opinions held, the negotiations developed in an atmosphere of mutual attention to the objective needs to improve the quality of life for workers and make the company efficient and competitive, with everyone being aware of the strategic importance which our industrial situation has in the social context in which it operates. Both agreements contain important chapters devoted to the regulatory Contract was not without its pitfalls, since the difficulties the markets were facing at the time when the negotiation for the renewal of the Contract started, and which still persist, have inevitably also involved the Berco company, even though there have not been serious consequences for the workers. In spite of the difficulties which the company put forward right from the start, the negotiations were marked by a good understanding about the objectives which each of the sides were and remuneration aspects of the work relationship, which aim at improvements in structure and production. The extension of trade union relations, by means of a fuller use of commissions; the confrontation on hours of work for a greater use of the installations; the continuous training of personnel both from the technical and practical aspect and from that of safety and the environment; information, and the application and improvement of the laws on health assistance and parental leave: these are just a few of the qualifying points that were included in the second-level negotiations. The agreements reached also provide for improvements in pay, promoting. For the Trade Union, these objectives were to obtain improvements in pay and regulations, but maintain the outline of the old Company Contract, while the company pursued aims which might represent improvements in competitiveness in the markets. Efforts were concentrated on both sides in the drawing up of a draft agreement which, apart from offering improvements in some allowances linked to staff training, to workers on a continuous cycle and to personnel assigned to be on-call, would cover the discrepancy represented by the fact that workers taken on with CFLs (Training and Work Contracts) had no right to a holiday bonus until their working relationship was turned into an Open-ended Contract. with a rise in allowances and bonuses linked to company performance (and not only for the factory) and with economic increases, corresponding to greater individual efficiency and productivity. Lastly, but not least in importance, it was agreed to organise, for the period the Agreements are in force, specific meetings between the parties relating to the possible “construction” of an adequate supplementary health plan, to be evaluated later when the Company Collective Contract is in its renewal phase. The agreements for both factories are in force until 30 September 2005. The Company Management A sizeable increase was also agreed in the Results Bonus linked to the company’s improvement objectives. The Trade Union organisations then submitted the draft for assessment by the workers by means of a referendum. The draft was voted for by around 75% of the workers eligible to vote and it was approved by 80% of them. Both sides were thus able, to their mutual satisfaction, to sign the document, ratifying the start of a new Company Collective Labor Contract. The company RSU (combined trade union body) hopes to be able to interpret and manage fully the provisions that have been ratified as part of the new C.C.A, in order to represent and safeguard all Berco employees. Berco Copparo Company R.S.U. BN33 • Gennaio 2003 9
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BERCO SUPPLIERS THE INNOVATION CONTINUES - Berco S.p.A

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