Nordson Asymtek is a world leader in automated fluid dispensing, jetting and conformal coating designs and manufactures a full line of equipment for semiconductor package assembly, printed circuit board assembly, LED assembly, FPD assembly, life science product assembly and other precision manufacturing. It is also a company that wanted to increase its green quotient by implementing sustainable business practices into its daily operations.
Ray McHenry, director of human resources for Nordson Corporation, recalls that the green effort actually began a few years back.
“In 2008 we started the internal discussion of putting together a green team with the mission of developing a green policy and supporting activities for the company,” he said. “The team was made up of volunteers from all different departments and levels within the company.”
Nordon Asymtek's reasons for going green were varied, and McHenry acknowledges that the green effort would end up satisfying several goals at once. “We wanted individuals that had a passion for helping the company minimize its impact on the environment,” he said. “At the same time, one of our major customers requested us to develop a sustainability policy and put together corresponding metrics which would be posted on our Web site as part of their Supplier Report Card,”
Barbara Hamilton of Eco-Stream, a sustainability consulting company in Carlsbad, stepped in to assess Nordson Asymtek's goals and strategies. “They had already established a green team, a green policy, and targeted initiatives,” she said. “It was time to have a review and develop next steps.”
Hamilton noted that their green policy demonstrated a commitment to several major efforts such as designing for the environment, exceeding environmental regulations, waste reduction and recycling, and eco-friendly operations.
According to Hamilton, the company was well on its way. “They get a very high score for a great start, follow-through, and even reporting. It is so very important to track and measure the success and value of all these accomplishments,” she said.
McHenry said that the company's employees were supportive of the idea of going green. “We have received positive feedback from our employees. Individuals want to work for a company that cares about its environment,”
In investigating how Nordson Asymtek was implementing its green strategies, Hamilton saw room for fine-tuning the processes in order to encourage a more complete employee compliance. In her experiences with various companies, she noticed that while initial enthusiasm and cooperation for these projects is high, the greater challenge is ongoing engagement.
“Engagement is a very important factor in the success of sustainability programs. And sometimes it is elusive,” she said. “In order to improve participation in the recycling program, for example, there are plans developing for contests, better visual cues, champions, and custodial support.
On Earth Day all employees received a branded reusable company cup as an engaging reminder to reduce waste. A well-structured Green Committee newsletter to all staff offers regular updates on the companies' initiatives, as well as employee suggestions and feedback.”
So far, Nordon Asymtek has implemented changes in waste reduction, recycling, energy conservation (in the form of re-lamping and installation of motion-sensor lights), and switching to more sustainable packaging on shipments of equipment. Their community and employee engagement efforts are ongoing.
McHenry said that many of the changes were easy to implement, once they had identified areas that were ripe for change. The shipping department, for example, made several significant changes. Corrugated boxes are now made from 100 percent recycled content. Recycled packaging paper has replaced packing peanuts. Bubble wrap was eliminated and replaced with inflatable air packs, and all labels have been replaced with stamps.
Hamilton acknowledges the strides Nordson Asymtek has made toward sustainability, and has identified some likely next steps. “Besides fine-tuning a paper-use reduction strategy, an energy-management system for PCs, and an office-supply reuse cart, next steps are to begin to look up-stream, to their suppliers, for more sustainable products and services,” she said. “It all starts with a simple conversation about sustainability.”
Ray McHenry, director of human resources for Nordson Corporation, recalls that the green effort actually began a few years back.
“In 2008 we started the internal discussion of putting together a green team with the mission of developing a green policy and supporting activities for the company,” he said. “The team was made up of volunteers from all different departments and levels within the company.”
Nordon Asymtek's reasons for going green were varied, and McHenry acknowledges that the green effort would end up satisfying several goals at once. “We wanted individuals that had a passion for helping the company minimize its impact on the environment,” he said. “At the same time, one of our major customers requested us to develop a sustainability policy and put together corresponding metrics which would be posted on our Web site as part of their Supplier Report Card,”
Barbara Hamilton of Eco-Stream, a sustainability consulting company in Carlsbad, stepped in to assess Nordson Asymtek's goals and strategies. “They had already established a green team, a green policy, and targeted initiatives,” she said. “It was time to have a review and develop next steps.”
Hamilton noted that their green policy demonstrated a commitment to several major efforts such as designing for the environment, exceeding environmental regulations, waste reduction and recycling, and eco-friendly operations.
According to Hamilton, the company was well on its way. “They get a very high score for a great start, follow-through, and even reporting. It is so very important to track and measure the success and value of all these accomplishments,” she said.
McHenry said that the company's employees were supportive of the idea of going green. “We have received positive feedback from our employees. Individuals want to work for a company that cares about its environment,”
In investigating how Nordson Asymtek was implementing its green strategies, Hamilton saw room for fine-tuning the processes in order to encourage a more complete employee compliance. In her experiences with various companies, she noticed that while initial enthusiasm and cooperation for these projects is high, the greater challenge is ongoing engagement.
“Engagement is a very important factor in the success of sustainability programs. And sometimes it is elusive,” she said. “In order to improve participation in the recycling program, for example, there are plans developing for contests, better visual cues, champions, and custodial support.
On Earth Day all employees received a branded reusable company cup as an engaging reminder to reduce waste. A well-structured Green Committee newsletter to all staff offers regular updates on the companies' initiatives, as well as employee suggestions and feedback.”
So far, Nordon Asymtek has implemented changes in waste reduction, recycling, energy conservation (in the form of re-lamping and installation of motion-sensor lights), and switching to more sustainable packaging on shipments of equipment. Their community and employee engagement efforts are ongoing.
McHenry said that many of the changes were easy to implement, once they had identified areas that were ripe for change. The shipping department, for example, made several significant changes. Corrugated boxes are now made from 100 percent recycled content. Recycled packaging paper has replaced packing peanuts. Bubble wrap was eliminated and replaced with inflatable air packs, and all labels have been replaced with stamps.
Hamilton acknowledges the strides Nordson Asymtek has made toward sustainability, and has identified some likely next steps. “Besides fine-tuning a paper-use reduction strategy, an energy-management system for PCs, and an office-supply reuse cart, next steps are to begin to look up-stream, to their suppliers, for more sustainable products and services,” she said. “It all starts with a simple conversation about sustainability.”