Flag-raising ceremony. (From left to right): Felipe Tamborell, EH&S Manager (kneeling); Francisco Berrones, HR Director Mexico; Keichiro Sonoda, Panasonic Japan; Alejandro Riebeling, Manager Electronics; Stu Horlak, Chief Operations Officer; Dave Riesmeyer, Chief Financial Officer; Jim Gillum, Plant Manager Mexico; Pat Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer; Hiro Torada, Executive Vice President; F. Luis Buentello, Sr. Vice President HR, EH&S.
A brand new flag is flying high over the Universal Lighting Technologies manufacturing plant in Matamoros, Mexico. The facility is officially green and clean.
The federal government of Mexico certified the plant as a “Clean Industry” under the prestigious Industria Limpia program. The rigorous certification process began in May 2006 and required a variety of independent, third-party audits to verify the facility’s proper handling of air, water, waste and chemicals. These audits identified 24 areas for corrective action. Universal Lighting Technologies immediately implemented the changes before a final inspection was conducted by the Office of the Federal Prosecutor for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) of the Mexican government. Now that Universal Lighting Technologies has been certified as a Clean Industry, the Matamoros plant has the right to use the Industria Limpia logo and fly the program’s official green flag.
Executives from the global headquarters of Universal Lighting Technologies and its parent company Panasonic were on hand in Matamoros for a flag raising ceremony to celebrate the facility’s new distinction.
“We are honored to receive the Industria Limpia certification from the government of Mexico, and we congratulate our entire staff here in Matamoros for this important achievement,” said Pat Sullivan, CEO of Universal Lighting Technologies. “We strive to maintain the highest levels of environmental responsibility at every facility, and that mission applies equally to our manufacturing processes and the energy-efficient lighting products we produce. The ‘Clean Industry’ certification is an important achievement for Universal Lighting, and it is an important milestone to eventually achieving Panasonic’s ‘Clean Factory’ distinction.”
Industria Limpia (Clean Industry) is a voluntary certification program managed by the National Environmental Audit Program (PNAA) of Mexico. PNAA follows a formula created by PROFEPA, which is responsible for approving all audits and certifying full compliance. Less than 20 percent of all facilities in Mexico have earned the Industria Limpia certification.
For more information about Universal Lighting Technologies, visit www.unvlt.com.
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