News Releases - 1998

Decatur Company Earns Environmental Recognition

Decatur, Ill. -- ZEXEL USA Corporation, a manufacturer of automobile air conditioning components, received an award today from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for helping the Agency carry out a special training program for its field inspectors.

In recognition of the company's participation, Illinois EPA Associate Director Peter L. Wise presented a plaque to ZEXEL's Manager of Environmental and Safety Affairs, Rhonda Moore, and Senior Vice President, Terry Klunder. Certificates of appreciation were presented to five of ZEXEL's employees: Michael Brotherton, Greg Dahnke, Ernie Marsh, Wes Mueller, and Matt Rueff. The presentation took place at 11:00 a.m. at ZEXEL's Decatur plant, 625 Southside Drive.

"It's not every day that an Illinois company invites us to send 90 of our inspectors into their plant," said Wise. "We had just completed a series of three-day training courses on innovative pollution prevention techniques that companies can use to both save money and comply with environmental requirements. We wanted to find a place where our inspectrs could practice their new skills in offering technical assistance."

"Because ZEXEL is committed to continuous improvement, we welcomed the opportunity and potential benefits if the state inspectors found some new cost-saving approaches that would help us eliminate sources of waste and inefficiency in our manufacturing operations," said Klunder. "It turned out to be a very valuable exercise for our company. The EPA inspectors identified several areas where we can make some operational and process improvements that will cut the amount of waste and emissions we generate. We will save money on disposal costs and reduce our environmental liability."

The training program marks a shift in the Agency's environmental thinking. "While ensuring industrial compliance with regulations will remain our top priority, the goal of the training is to empower our inspectors to work with companies to help them find ways to continuously improve their environmental performance. We are encouraging companies to investigate pollution prevention measures that cust waste at the point of generation, such as switching to water-based cleaners, using more efficient painting systems and minimizing leaks and spills. This is preferable to treating of managing waste and emissions after they are generated," added Wise.

Illinois EPA officials said the Agency will begin to implement several new projects to promote pollution prevention through its routine regulatory functions, including offering pollution prevention ideas and assistance during inspection and permit issuing activities.