The Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (Bridgestone) Wilson County, N.C. manufacturing facility has become the first tire plant to earn ISO 50001 certification.
In addition, it is the first plant, regardless of segment, to reach Superior Energy Performance (SEP) Mature Pathway certification.
Between the years of 2001 and 2011, the Wilson County plant has made verifiable energy savings of 16.8%.
“Our company has long been focused on reducing the use of natural resources and instituting sustainable manufacturing practices, so while earning this certification is a great honor, I’m happy to say it’s also business as usual for our plant,” says Gary Williamson, plant manager of Bridgestone’s Wilson County manufacturing facility. “Energy savings isn’t just good for our environment, it’s also good for our bottom line, so this is truly a win-win situation.”
ISO 50001:2011 is a new international standard specifying requirements for industrial Energy Management Systems. It is a plan-do-check-act procedural-based standard that calls for actions such as establishing an energy baseline, demonstrating energy reductions, creating energy goals and action plans, and managing significant energy-consuming equipment.
SEP is sponsored by the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing and encourages energy reduction above and beyond the ISO 50001 requirements. The SEP Mature Energy Pathway encourages companies to implement more than 50 “best energy practices” and requires a 15 percent reduction in energy use over the previous 10 years to receive recognition.
To learn more about Bridgestone Americas’ environmental activities, visit www.OneTeamOnePlanet.com.
