Wertheim- Bestenheid. Main. Maintalstr. Miltenberg L Wertheim A 3 / A 81. Plant ll. Administration. Kiesweg. Administration. Plant lv.

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1 Our responsibility

2 The company As an innovative company with a long tradition, VERMOP is internationally oriented while remaining firmly committed to Germany as a business location. This implies a major responsibility which we are pleased to assume responsibility towards our environment, our customers and our staff. Responsible and economical use of resources, as well as the constant monitoring and improvement of processes in our development, production and distribution, are part of our long tradition and firmly rooted in our corporate objectives. On the following pages we would like to inform you of the activities with which VERMOP complies with its responsibility. Germany as a business location Responsibility VERMOP was established in 1927 as a textile processing factory. In 1946, production commenced at Wertheim near Würzburg, the location to which we are still loyal today. The European Headquarters has been based in Gilching near Munich since The firm is a family company now in the third generation. In its over 80 years in existence, the original core business of mop production has been extended. It includes today cleaning appliances, cleaning trolleys and electronic appliances divisions. VERMOP is in every respect Made in Germany. It is committed to Germany as a production location and to the strict statutory stipulations for environmental protection and health and safety which apply here. VERMOP has been DIN EN ISO 9001 certified since 1997/98. Conversion to the current revision status, 9001:2008, followed in We thus guarantee constantly optimised and documented processes and products. The objective of economical use of environmental resources in all processes is embodied in the corporate guidelines. It is one of the responsibilities of each individual employee in the company. Many VERMOP staff members can look back on a long career with the company. They contribute with their high level of motivation and extensive expertise to the constant further development of our processes and products. A company suggestion scheme takes up suggestions and ideas, including those relating to environmentrelevant improvements, and implements them in all areas of the company. VERMOP believes in recruiting talent from within the company and runs training programmes in various areas, for example within the framework of courses at the Cooperative University. In this way, future staff members acquire insights into the different divisions at an early stage and can actively contribute to process enhancement later on. Staff are regularly sensitised to environmental topics and potential in the company through internal communications such as notices and the inhouse magazine Mein Job bei VERMOP (My job at VERMOP). External communication on the topic is conducted through this brochure. 2 3

3 Wertheim as a business location Administration Made in Germany Hafenstr. Hafenstr. Miltenberg L 2310 Kläranl. Plant lv Am Stammholz Main Maintalstr. Otto-Schott-Str. A3 Administration Schwarzwaldstr. ST 2315 Ernst-Abbe-Str. Haslocher Weg Bestenheider Landstraße Wertheim- Bestenheid Kiesweg Mühlenweg Plant ll Plant lll Plant V Plant IV / Electrical engineering Wertheim A 3 / A 81 Plant II / Textile production Plant III / Metalworking Plant V / Plastics production VERMOP manufactures at the site in Bestenheid district of Wertheim, not far from Frankfurt, in a total of five plants on an overall area of ca m 2. The administration of VERMOP Germany and part of the administration of the European business of VERMOP are located in Plant 1. Textile production is in Plant 2, and this is where the VERMOP mop range is primarily manufactured. Plant 3 houses metalworking, including work for the VERMOP cleaning trolleys. This is also the location of the VERMOP Training Centre. Plant 4 accommodates the Electrical engineering while VERMOP plastics engineering is accommodated in Plant 5. In the five plants, VERMOP manufactures the following product groups, primarily for professional users: Electronic appliances Vacuum cleaners Floor cleaning systems Surface cleaning products TopLock window cleaning products Cleaning trolleys Supply and disposal trolleys Hotel trolleys 4 5

4 Wertheim as a business location Production processes Energy Waste water Waste As a matter of principle, the emphasis in all production processes is on the economical use of resources. VERMOP works with state-of-the-art production plants and believes in applying the highest manufacturing standards. This saves on raw materials and energy. In the manufacturing process we outsource certain process steps which are not among our core competences to external specialist operations and experts who are certified and equipped in accordance with the statutory stipulations for the process. In purchasing new machines, we look closely at low energy consumption in operation. The power requirement in the five plants consists of electricity for running the production plant and the lighting as well as oil and gas for the heating systems. The heating oil tanks are regularly monitored. Various measures have been put in place to reduce the power requirement. Temperature-controlled heating systems are used to reduce the heating oil requirements. In order to facilitate heat recovery it is planned to harness waste heat from the machines as supplementary heating in side rooms. In addition, all cooling agents for the production plants in the plastics engineering have been replaced by CFC-free products. No water-intensive production processes are used in the manufacturing of the range so that the waste water produced is restricted mainly to drinking water and processing water. No drinking water is used for cooling in the plastics engineering, we rather avail of rain water which is caught in a cistern and fed into the cooling cycle. The waste which arises at the VERMOP plants is passed on to certified disposal companies for recycling and disposal in accordance with the stipulations of the specific waste management laws. For years, commercial waste has been reduced to a manageable amount through carefully-focused separation at the point of occurrence. Where possible, rejects and initial castings in plastics engineering are ground down again and returned to the production process. This leads to a saving in new raw materials. 6 7

5 Development Quality, raw materials and suppliers Even in the development stage, VERMOP places great emphasis on environmentally-sound product design. Through the use of high-quality raw materials and well thought-out designs, the products are geared to a long service life and therefore to the economical exploitation of resources. The VERMOP cleaning systems are modular in conception so that individual components can be exchanged and adapted to meet the changing requirements of the customer. Existing systems can be used for as long as possible. In addition, the focus of our development work clearly is on the ergonomic design of all products in order to support the customer in health and safety on site in the premises. Furthermore, no composite materials are used so that disposal by the consumer is unproblematic. For the future it is planned to place even greater emphasis on the consideration of the entire life cycle of the products from design to production, use, disposal and recycling. Those dedicated to high quality need reliable partners. As sub-suppliers, VERMOP favours companies who set the same high standards for their processes as we do ourselves. Therefore the majority of our suppliers are already DIN EN ISO 9001 or 9002 certified. Our consistently highquality raw materials are sourced primarily within the EU our suppliers are subject to the strict statutory stipulations of the European Union with regards to environmental protection, health and safety and organisation. All the raw materials used undergo regular incoming compo- nents inspection in order to guarantee consistently high quality. Similarly, VERMOP places great emphasis on the use of environmentally-safe substances among its subsuppliers. Most of our yarn suppliers for textile production in particular are certified in accordance with the strict ecological stipulations of the Ökotex Standard 100. For easy traceability, documentation and correct disposal, VERMOP products carry a manufacturing date as well as a material designation. Similarly, data sheets are available, where appropriate with care instructions. 8 9

6 Health and safety Our products A company medical service looks after healthcare among our staff. All employees are offered occupational health examinations and regularly avail of them. Additional trained first-aiders have been nominated in all production areas and in administration. These receive regular training. A safety officer conducts regular inspections, records shortcomings and passes these on to those responsible in the departments who ensure that countermeasures are taken. With the use of VERMOP systems, outstanding cleaning results can be achieved while cutting down on the use of chemicals and water. In order to ensure safe and hygienic use of the products in the premises to be cleaned, VERMOP works with colour-coded system components and pictograms. Example Scandic dry floor cleaning system Scandic is both an ecological and economical cleaning concept with which smaller and larger areas can be freed of dry, loose dirt. The Ceran dry mop made of high-tech microfibre cleans through electrostatic dust collection without raising dust. With this method, wet cleaning intervals can be extended thus saving on valuable drinking water and cleaning chemicals. At the same time, with its outstanding glide properties, the system guarantees less physical effort expended on the work by the cleaning operative. Combined with the Equipe cleaning trolley with Cleenjet nozzle, the system has even greater potential. With the Cleenjet nozzle, the Scandic dry mop can be vacuumed after use and returned to service immediately. This cuts down on laundry and consequently on the use of water and detergents which at the same time extending the service life of the covers

7 Our customers Repair, reconditioning and disposal VERMOP places enormous emphasis on individual and comprehensive consultation with the customer so that the right cleaning systems are selected and correctly used on site. VERMOP supports its customers, for example with operating procedures and operating instructions for optimum handling. VERMOP assists in setting up the premises and trains the customer s staff in the ergonomic and correct use of the systems. Furthermore, the VERMOP training centre in Wertheim offers a comprehensive range of training courses in which the correct use of the products is practiced and new methods demonstrated, for example, methods of water-efficient cleaning. VERMOP systems are geared towards the economical use of resources. In order to achieve this, correct use is imperative. For example, by issuing care instructions for cleaning textiles, VERMOP supports the customer in extending the service life of the materials used. For special customer requirements, VERMOP offers made-to-measure solutions and one-off items which help in process optimisation in the everyday cleaning work. This facilitates in ensuring, for example, that existing appliances can be integrated into the newlypurchased cleaning systems. VERMOP offers a replacement part service for the cleaning systems which extends far beyond the statutory guarantee periods. In addition, repair and conversion sets are available for many products. This facilitates an above-average service life at the customers and delays the point at which they have to be decommissioned. VERMOP provides a cleaning and maintenance service for the stainless steel trolleys. Used stainless steel parts are professionally reconditioned in the company s own blasting cubicle. Worn and damaged parts are repaired and cleaned and the trolleys returned as closely as possible to their original condition. At the end of their life cycle, VERMOP products are suitable for almost 100% recycling. Their construction and design makes it possible to take them apart for disposal and easily separate the materials. In order to facilitate the recycling process, all plastic parts bear a precise material identification. As specified in the packaging ordinance, we work with a certified waste disposal company. This company disposes of the packaging in the dual disposal system depending on the material

8 The future Even today, VERMOP is thinking ahead to tomorrow. We are permanently working on adding to and expanding the activities described in this brochure. Our R&D department is already working on the cleaning systems of the future with which our customers will be able to carry out their daily cleaning tasks with even more economical use of resources. A concrete step on this path is DIN EN ISO certification. VERMOP has scheduled the conclusion of this project for July With the introduction of this environmental management system we will anchor environmental protection even more firmly and systematically in the production processes of our company. This brochure is addressed to our customers, staff and other interested parties. We invite you to enter into a dialogue and share your comments and suggestions with us. For example, how VERMOP products can be applied in practice to reduce the use of valuable natural resources. Our quality assurance officer is your contact partner for all topics relating to environmental protection. Your contact: info@vermop.de

9 English We reserve the right to make technical changes and changes in content. No liability shall be assumed for errors or omissions. VERMOP Deutschland GmbH Kiesweg Wertheim Tel Fax info@vermop.de SALMON GROUP