Precision Coating dedicated to environmental management, sustainability

Precision Coating, a leading medical coatings service provider to interventional, orthopedic, and advanced surgical markets recently achieved ISO 14001:2015 certification for its environmental management system at its Hudson, Massachusetts, facility. Bill Ellerkamp, president of Precision Coating, commented that “this certification reflects a lot of hard work by our employees and a tremendous commitment to sustainability. Having a robust and certified environmental management system in place supports and reinforces our conviction to implement best practices to meet or exceed the expectations of all of our stakeholders. This milestone marks the completion of one stage of a long journey on which we will continue to do the right thing always and be relentless about improvement.”

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) explains that the ISO 14001 standard specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance and is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability. Under this certification, an organization manages the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provides value for the environment, the organization itself, and interested parties. Consistent with the organization’s environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:

• Enhancement of environmental performance
• Fulfillment of compliance obligations
• Achievement of environmental objectives

When asked why ISO 14001 is important to Precision Coating, Ricardo Sequeira, global quality systems manager, replied that “Precision Coating is a leader in the application of specialized coatings for the medtech industry. The organization is demonstrating commitment with environmental management systems to control, reduce and/or eliminate the potential impact on natural resources. Precision Coating believes that consideration of environmental impacts in all aspects of the company is not only good for the environment but is good for business and is consistent with our mission. By establishing systemic environmental controls Precision Coating will improve sustainability while reducing environmental impact and the cost of raw materials, waste disposal, and compliance.”

Precision Coating worked toward this certification with over two years of internal collaboration among team members. This was a cross-functional initiative involving a broad cross-section of employees. Development and rollout of the initiative involved various activities that included audits, gap analysis, project planning, training, and implementation and integration of ISO 14001 into our ISO 13485 Quality Management System. David Jordan, group VP of quality, explains what Precision Coating underwent to bring the certification process to fruition. “Our team started from the ground up, structuring the quality management system to fully integrate the focus on minimizing environmental impact and ISO 14001 compliance. We conducted numerous site surveys, materials assessments, equipment and process control reviews, and risk management analyses to determine what the greatest potential impact items are - and mitigate them before occurrence. These exercises were very helpful to improve awareness of our common practices and how to protect the environment.”

Dan Coye, environmental health & safety/facilities manager, reflects on the certification and the commitment it represents regarding Precision Coating’s stewardship of the environment. “The ISO 14001 certification creates a set of standards for our organization that will guide us in our continued protection of the environment. This certification shows our commitment to protecting the local and global ecosystem, and it is just one step Precision Coating is taking to meet that commitment. We only have one earth to protect, so it’s our responsibility to make sure it’s a healthy stable environment for future generations.”

Precision Coating appreciates the support of its certifying body, SGS. The ISO 14001 certification applies to the Hudson, MA facility, and plans include expansion to other Precision Coating facilities in the near future.