Case Study – ISO 14001 Certification – Johnson Matthey

“We wanted a system that not only worked for us, but one that added value to our business. With the Lean EMS® approach as a framework we developed a robust EMS that is at once a strong foundation and a useful system”

Corbin Kearns, Plant Manager

Outcome:
Johnson Matthey, Smithfield, PA uses Pinnacle’s Lean EMS® methodology as a framework to achieve ISO 14001 certification and lay a foundation for achieving global environmental sustainability objectives.

Industry:
Automotive OEM Manufacturing, Chemical

Objective:

  • To develop a robust EMS that can evolve as production grows, consistent with Johnson Matthey’s global environmental sustainability values.
  • Achieve ISO 14001 certification.
  • Minimize bureaucracy and EMS management overhead.

Approach:

  • Use Pinnacle Enterprise Group’s Lean EMS® to guide us through the process efficiently.

Benefits:

  • Rapid implementation and certification.
  • A robust EMS ready for immediate use and easy to manage.
  • User-friendly documentation improved training effectiveness and ownership.

Lean EMS® Supports Commitment to Sustainability

One of Johnson Matthey’s newest plants is located in Smithfield, PA. The new facility is part of the Environmental Technologies Division within Johnson Matthey’s worldwide manufacturing operations. Johnson Matthey Smithfield manufactures catalysts for the automotive and diesel truck markets, so they are very much interested in pro-active environmental leadership both internally and toward their customers.

One of the first items of business when the plant opened in August 2009 was to put a stand alone Environmental Management System in place that would reflect Johnson Matthey’s global sustainability priorities as a company, serve as a foundation for operating the business and become a scalable tool as the facility evolved. A rapid implementation was not the first priority, but the company wanted to have the system in place early in the life of the facility.

Plant manager Corbin Kearns and Health and Safety Engineer Mary Lynn Seremet both had previous experience with environmental management systems, so when they evaluated a partner for guidance in the implementation, Pinnacle Enterprise Group’s Lean EMS® was especially interesting to them.

“The approach was attractive because it seemed very straightforward,” stated Kearns. “It’s intuitive and because it’s visual-based it seemed easier to follow than traditional text-based systems.”

Johnson Matthey Smithfield had already decided that settling for an ISO 14001 certification alone would have little benefit to them. They were interested in using the opportunity of their ISO 14001 EMS implementation to create a useful system, a foundation which could be built upon for continual improvement. According to Corbin and Mary Lynn, that is exactly what they have achieved.

Pinnacle’s Lean EMS® helped the company to create a basic set of processes and documents which left a solid framework specific to Johnson Matthey Smithfield’s requirements. According to the leadership, it gave them a starting point which was already robust, so it could be easily added to and improved upon, but it was also immediately useful in the day to day operations.

The characteristic of the project that pleased the company most was that they actually were not surprised by anything. The ease of implementation in working with Pinnacle performed to expectation in every way.

Pinnacle took them step by step through development of the lean visual system. The company completed the process in less than 5 months and passed the ISO 14001 certification audit with 0 nonconformances. When the certification was complete, Johnson Matthey Smithfield possessed an intuitive system that was simple for everyone to use and added value to the business.

4 Responses to “Case Study – ISO 14001 Certification – Johnson Matthey”

  1. Mike Harris says:

    0 nonconformances in only 5 months is impressive. I guess the message is that they also got a value-added system instead of just a bunch of additional paperwork. Always a good thing. I took a look at some of your material and it looks interesting.

    Since these guys are in the auto sector do they have ISO/TS 16949 certification too? If yes, was ISO 14001 integrated with TS 16949? If it was, I would like to know more about how.

  2. Kirill says:

    Hi Mike,

    Thanks for your continued contribution to the blog.

    Without giving away any confidential information, I can tell you that JM is TS 16949 certified, but ISO 14001 is not integrated with TS 16949 at this time.

    If you would like to see how ISO 14001 and TS 16949 can be integrated into a single system using Pinnacle’s Lean QMS and Lean EMS approach, I will be glad to show you. I have a demonstration model that I can share with you via an on-line meeting. Contact me and we will set it up.

    Kirill

  3. santhosh says:

    Sir, I would like to know about ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. So plz give suggest and Book name.

  4. Kirill says:

    Hello Santhosh,

    Here are some links to very helpful ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 information:

    ISO 14001

    ISO 14001 Simplified

    ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Integration

    ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Implementation: Lean EHS Curriculum

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