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Delphi Plant Ranked In Top Five By Environmental Protection Magazine
Delphi Plant Ranked In Top Five By Environmental Protection Magazine
Published 12-02-02
Submitted by Delphi Corporation
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020315/DEF002LOGO )
"Our facility has continued to act on its commitment to protecting our employees, the community and the environment," said Rick Erwin, managing director of Delphi's Deltronicos operations. "We have aggressively pursued waste reduction activities in energy, utility and materials management, and have been committed to community service and education in environmental awareness."
The facility has reduced waste in a number of manufacturing processes. For example, the operations have focused on waste reduction in paint processes over the past few years, which has yielded significant results. A paint sludge dewatering system, installed in 1999, resulted in the recycling of 144,762 gallons of water over eight months and a 90-percent reduction in the weight of paint sludge sent for disposal. In 2000, a 10-year-old painting machine with limited technology, low transfer efficiencies, and high costs was replaced with new technology, resulting in a 66-percent decrease in raw material usage. It also led to further reductions in water usage, hazardous waste generation and costs. In 2001, the facility initiated another dewatering process that is further reducing the amount of paint sludge generated for disposal.
Deltronicos also has demonstrated its commitment to protect human health, natural resources and the global environment by participating in the Mexican government's voluntary Industria Limpia certification since 1994. The receipt of the 1998 Industria Limpia award, along with subsequent biennial recognitions, confirms Delphi's pioneer role in voluntary environmental certifications within the automotive industry in Mexico. It also motivates Delphi team members in Mexico to integrate environmental preservation into both their jobs and communities.
The strong commitment of Deltronicos management to the community has been evidenced by the receipt of internal Delphi and external Environmental Protection Agency awards for emergency preparedness. Plant personnel worked with the local emergency planning committee (LEPC) of Brownsville, Texas, and federal governing entities including Mexico, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Texas Natural Resources and Conservation Commission to design and implement one of the first bi-national environmental "sister city" programs for Brownsville and Matamoros.
Deltronicos has also demonstrated leadership in emergency preparedness by working through the Maquiladora Association to develop a chemical inventory for the Matamoros region. The purpose of this inventory is to protect the lives of American and Mexican emergency responders, factory employees, and local United States and Mexico communities living near the Mexican factories at the border.
Each year for the past decade, Deltronicos has been involved in the "adopt a school" program through which it integrates the environmental culture into elementary education by conducting environmental programs that include the donation of trees, recycling efforts, water conservation and pollution prevention. During the past five years, Deltronicos has donated over 30,000 trees to its employees and citizens of the surrounding community.
Deltronicos is a fully owned subsidiary of Delphi Delco Electronics Systems, one of Delphi's seven divisions. With nearly 5,300 employees, Deltronicos is the largest employer in its community, with daily production of 30,000 radio receivers, satellite digital audio receivers, remote playback units and controllers, and audio amplifiers, supplying automakers around the world. The Delphi operation has won more than a dozen internal and external awards over the past few years, including the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing and the Mexico National Energy Savings Award for Outstanding Achievement in Energy Management.
For more information about Delphi and its operating subsidiaries, visit Delphi's Virtual Press Room at www.delphi.com/media .
