Advancing Operational Excellence with ME Elecmetal’s Integrated Management System

ME Elecmetal is deeply committed to its various stakeholders, including workers, collaborators, customers, the supply chain, and the broader community. As a strategic partner for sustainable mining, we prioritize responsible practices across all facets of our operations.

To uphold this commitment, ME Elecmetal has implemented robust integrated management systems such as ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001, as well as ISO 14064 and, specifically for ME Elecmetal South America, ISO 55001. These systems are essential to our performance, addressing quality, environmental impact, health and safety, carbon footprint, and energy efficiency across all our plants and products.

Our customers also operate their own integrated management systems, and over time, these high standards have been adopted throughout their value chains. This alignment ensures that all stakeholders are aware of and actively contribute to maintaining these rigorous standards.

2023 Certification Performance

Plant  ISO 9001  ISO 14001  ISO 45001  ISO 14064  ISO 50001 
ME Elecmetal South America-Rancagua  X  X  X  X  X 
ME Elecmetal North America – Tempe  X  X  OSHA*  X   
ME Elecmetal North America – Duluth  X  X  OSHA*  X   
ME Elecmetal China – Changzhou  X  X  X  X   

*OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations and ISO 45001 share the same primary objectives of ensuring workplace safety and health, but OSHA is mandatory for companies in the USA, while ISO 45001 is voluntary. OSHA is a regulatory requirement in the U.S. with a focus on compliance and enforcement, whereas ISO 45001 is a voluntary international standard emphasizing systematic risk management and continuous improvement, with mandatory audits for certification.

PROGRESS IN SOUTH AMERICA    

In Chile, the audit processes integrate Quality, Environment, and Health and Safety, while Energy Efficiency is managed autonomously. The audit involves a one-week review conducted by four to five auditors in the field. During this period, interviews are held with line management, operators, and contractors across all relevant areas to ensure the management system meets the required standards for recertification.

The Rancagua plant has been certified under the Occupational Health and Safety Management System since 2018, initially with OHSAS 18001. As of 2021, the certification has been updated to ISO 45001, which replaces the previous standard.

The certification and recertification process occurs every three years. The certifying company, in this case LQRA, visits the Rancagua plant to conduct a comprehensive audit of the entire process. They assess compliance with standard requirements, and if the plant meets these requirements, the certification is renewed for another period. The scope of this certification covers four key processes:   

  1. Engineering and development services
  2. Manufacturing, reconditioning and machining of components for the mining and industrial sectors.
  3. Commercialization of parts and equipment for large mining operations.
  4. Development of digital and analog services methodologies to provide integral solutions to customers.   

Additionally, both follow-up and internal audits are conducted to ensure ongoing compliance with the company’s objectives. These objectives are centered around zero-harm management, focusing on cultivating a strong safety culture, enhancing leadership, and managing exposure risks, while adhering to ME Elecmetal’s health and safety policies.

PROGRESS IN NORTH AMERICA   

For the Tempe and Duluth operations, the ISO 9001 quality management system was implemented in 1996 to ensure high product quality for customers. In 2014, these operations adopted the ISO 14001 environmental management system, underscoring the organization’s commitment to responsibly managing environmental factors. This led to the integration of a unified management system (ISO 9001 + ISO 14001) in 2017, complemented by OHSAS (formerly ISO 18001).

In this context, efforts in ME Elecmetal North America include:

  • Identifying areas where environmental performance can be improved.
  • Recognizing and managing the environmental inputs and outputs within the organization’s control.
  • Supporting and committing to environmentally sustainable manufacturing practices.
  • Allocating resources for training and awareness to maintain a focus on environmental issues.
  • Re-evaluating current objectives and capabilities, and exploring new methods to advance environmental management.


PROGRESS IN CHINA   

For the Changzhou Plant, the process for ISO 45001 certification began in 2018, which involved training third-party and internal auditors in ISO systems, establishing necessary documentation, and conducting two on-site audits from January to February 2019. The plant achieved its certification of compliance in March 2019.

A major accomplishment was maintaining certification for six years without any major non-conformities. In the subsequent recertification process six years later, the plant once again achieved certification without non-conformities and continued to improve its health and safety performance, including zero occupational illnesses and more than two years of accident-free production with no lost work time.

En 2024, el compromiso de ME Elecmetal de ser un socio estratégico para la minería sostenible, vino de la mano de la adhesión a la norma de Gases de Efecto Invernadero ISO 14.064 que permite identificar, medir y reducir aún más la huella de carbono de las operaciones,”
— Scott Schudalla, Vicepresidente de Manufactura ME Norteamérica.

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