Environmental Progress - Winter 2000

Environmental Management:
A New Perspective

American NTN

Elgin

The Elgin plant of American NTN Bearing Mfg. Corp. (ANBM) manufactures precision bearings and bearing components for the automotive industry as well as a number of other industrial applications. ANBM’s commitment to minimize environmental impact of its operations starts early, as engineering manager Shigemi Tomada ensures that pollution prevention concepts are designed into new equipment even before it is built in Japan.

Over three years ANBM has reduced volatile organic chemicals emissions by 72 percent, from 71.5 tons in 1995 to 20 tons in 1998. This was done in lieu of installing millions of dollars in costly VOC emission control equipment. One project eliminated more than 30 tons of VOC by switching from thermal dryers to solvent vacuum dryers in a parts cleaning operation.

Another project utilized suggestions by a chemical engineering student intern from IEPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention. Improving an aqueous parts washing operation eliminated three tons of VOC emissions from an interim rust proofing step, as well as a large volume of materials used for intermediate packaging.

Other process improvements and programs have reduced or diverted more than 90 percent of waste from landfills and have reduced solid waste costs from $245,000 in 1995 to $60,000 in 1998. Cost savings from these projects have helped fund additional pollution prevention projects as well as restoring four acres of ANBM property to native prairie.

Kevin Bulatek, environmental engineer for NTN, left and Tomoo Iwano, company  president, inspect a new magnetic chip conveyor. Pollution prevention design concepts reduce coolant carryoff.

As with every company, support from top management is essential. ANBM’s President, Tomoo Iwano, has supported environmental efforts and is leading the way by insisting that reducing waste, emissions, and dependence on natural resources be a responsibility of all employees. President Iwano is directing the implementation of a progressive Environmental Management System (EMS) utilizing sustainability principles to achieve additional reductions and minimize ANBM’s impact on the environment.

ANBM’s environmental achievements have also been the result of environmental leadership demonstrated by the general counsel of NTN USA Corporation Blake Thatcher. Thatcher has strongly encouraged pollution prevention and an aggressive approach toward reducing waste at the source, as well as participation in efforts such as the Multi-State Work Group (MSWG). Because of ANBM’s involvement in the MSWG, Thatcher is encouraging other U.S. NTN facilities to participate in similar programs.

By participating in and learning from the ideas shared at MSWG conferences and workshops, ANBM has been able to further position itself to minimize its impact on the environment by improving its EMS. ANBM is including extensive facility-wide pollution prevention education as part of its EMS, investigating renewable energy sources, exploring community outreach, working more closely with state agencies, sister companies and suppliers, and is implementing a number of additional environmental initiatives.