Yamaha Speaker & Piano Manufacturing Certified ISO14001

Yamaha Music Manufacturing (YMM), the company’s U.S. pro audio speaker and piano assembly facility in Thomaston, GA, has received ISO14001 certification from Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL).

Only about 1,000 such certifications have been issued in the U.S., and YMM is the first Yamaha facility in the Western Hemisphere to secure this achievement.

ISO14000 is an internationally recognized series of voluntary standards for organizations that addresses environmental management systems, environmental auditing, environmental labeling, environmental performance evaluation and life cycle assessment. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, produces the standards. UL is one of several organizations in the U.S. authorized to perform audits of ISO14001 conformance.

UL Sr. Environmental Management Systems Account Exec. Harry Forsha (R) presents certification to YMM Safety and Environmental Engineer Michael Mitcham.

"This is a very high honor," says Ingram Haley, YMM's Vice President of Manufacturing and Purchasing. "It shows we're a good corporate citizen, and it's a tribute to every one of our team members." Organizations seek out ISO14001 certification as a tangible demonstration to customers, suppliers and the community at large that they are committed to the best environmental practices. There is currently no regulatory benefit to attaining the certification.

Safety and Environmental Engineer Michael Mitcham oversaw YMM's ISO14001 certification process, which began in earnest in September 1999. By the time UL auditors arrived in December 2000, there were no issues or processes that required improvement to meet the ISO standards. "We completed this audit with no non-conformances," Mitcham says. "Only a small percentage of organizations achieve this."

The complete YMM staff gathers to celebrate its environmental achievement.

"A tremendous amount of effort went into this," Mitcham says. "Every person in this company was involved. Everyone had a role to play. It was really a united effort. We're very proud of it."

Piano assembly at the Thomaston facility began in 1983, and all of Yamaha's U.S. piano manufacturing operations are located there. Today, the plant employs 350 people. YMM also produces Yamaha's Club Series IV and F Series loudspeakers.

(L-R) YMM President Yoshi Ishikawa, consulting attorney J. Barton Seitz of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, YMM GM Johnny Peek, YMM VP of Manufacturing and Purchasing Ingram Haley, UL Sr. Environmental Management Systems Account Exec. Harry Forsha and YMM Safety and Environmental Engineer Michael Mitcham commemorate the Thomaston plant's achievement.