Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Transcription

1 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

2 4 In this report Highlights from Health & Safety 4 Quality 5 Environment & Sustainabilty 6 Our People 8 Community & Charity Ethical Trading Corporate Social Responsibility Report

3 Highlights from 2014 NEBOSH Certificates awarded to all Team Leaders We offered various Commercial and Engineering placements to students from local colleges Wind speed monitoring to enhance safety at storage facilities Over 140,000 kwh of electricity generated from our 458 solar panels Product Quality Awareness training for all Despatch Operators LED Safety lights fitted to all of our forklift trucks In-house Environmental Awareness course attended by all of our employees 10 mph speed limit on-site imposed and monitored We delivered an average of 3 days formal training per employee Foot Clinic provided for employees using safety footwear Corporate Social Responsibility Report 3

4 Health & Safety In 2014, all of our Team Leaders achieved their goal of obtaining the NEBOSH Certificate for Health & Safety. We carried out an initiative to minimise traffic management risks on site at Huntingdon by reducing and controlling the speed of vehicles. There were a number of training and awareness activities to ensure drivers respect our 10mph speed limit, and a safety speed camera with a specification to rival any police authority was installed. The camera is used to identify any breaches of the speed limit, and report them to managers or suppliers as appropriate to reinforce the importance of minimising speed for the health and safety of everyone on site. We use a lot of fork-lift trucks at GPS, and we put in place a programme to reduce the risk of GPS employees coming into contact with them. After extensive research, the GPS fleet of trucks was fitted with a blue LED safety light. These lights provide two specific benefits: they act as a warning to any GPS staff that a truck is approaching, and they act as a visual aid to the truck operator when reversing to prevent accidents. Our stockyard at Wyton Airfield is a very open location, and the speed and unpredictability of the wind in the area presents a serious health and safety risk. We already had in place a number of procedures to control the movement of stock during inclement conditions, but to assist in determining the level of controls required, a wind speed monitoring system has been installed to support a greater accuracy and effectiveness of risk assessment. At GPS we recognise that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the last control in the hierarchy of risk management and therefore needs to be suitable without causing the wearer any issues. When reviewing the current specifications on safety footwear for GPS staff, it was recognised that more information would be beneficial for the user. To satisfy this requirement, a specialist company from Sweden was called upon to run Foot Clinics for all of GPS employees who require safety footwear as part of their job function. 4 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

5 Quality In 2014 we successfully renewed our ISO 9001 certificate for a further 3 years. Despite an incredibly busy year in 2014, we ensured that the quality of our products remained extremely high on our agenda. To achieve this, we increased resources to enable us to undertake 25% more batch-release tests than the previous year. At GPS, the responsibility for maintaining quality standards extends far beyond the QC department. To ensure that product quality is understood and monitored throughout our supply chain, we provided product quality awareness training to all of our Despatch Operators to highlight quality issues and to reinforce best practice. We have also expanded our quality induction training for new factory employees. After an initial induction covering the use of measuring equipment and an introduction to typical production faults, the new employee then undergoes a further round of indepth training after 3 months. Measuring non-conformance is a key KPI for monitoring continuous improvement in product quality. Our focus on quality in 2014 meant that the number of NCR s was kept below our maximum accepted level. In 2014, we continued to keep quality high on the agenda of all employees by means of a monthly Quality Brief. This includes KPI s on internal product auditing, the number of NCR s raised, and the value of scrapped materials. Certificate No. fm Corporate Social Responsibility Report 5

6 Environment & Sustainability In 2014, we generated over 140,000 kwh of electricity from the 458 solar panels on the roof of our factory. That s enough to supply 47 medium sized houses for a year! By using this renewable energy in our manufacturing process, we reduced our carbon emissions by tonnes CO2e. We installed new insulated water-cooling pipework along with variable speed drive pumps in 2014 which will reduce energy by preventing heat loss and enabling the pumping system to be controlled. An estimated 76,400 kwh of electricity could be saved reducing our carbon footprint by 34 tonnes CO2e. Our energy usage was further reduced with the installation of two new extruders which are designed to eliminate losses associated with belt drives and gearboxes. Insulated jackets are also being used on extruders and tooling to minimise heat loss and reduce the energy required to melt the polymer. In 2014, all GPS employees attended an in-house Environmental Awareness course run by the West Anglia Training Association. To ensure that all employees take responsibility for environmental issues in their area, a monthly Environmental Brief is issued detailing our performance against key environmental KPI s and highlighting general environmental news that is relevant to GPS. In 2014, we achieved our targeted reduction in waste to landfill, and have set ourselves a stretching target in 2015 for increasing the amount of waste that we recycle. The use of our Heating Management System enabled us to reduce our gas consumption by 20% in In 2014 we successfully renewed our ISO certificate for a further 3 years. Certificate No. E Corporate Social Responsibility Report

7 By using the 458 solar panels on the roof of our factory to produce renewable energy for our manufacturing process, we reduced our carbon emissions by tonnes CO2e. Corporate Social Responsibility Report 7

8 and knowledge in place to support and improve our operations now and in the future. In 2014, one employee achieved an HNC and completed a multi-skilled engineering advanced apprenticeship, another embarked on the third year of a tool-making apprenticeship, and a third began the first year of a multi-skilled engineering programme. very positive interest, and as a result we received 79 suggestions for environmental improvements, from motion-sensor controlled lighting to rainwater harvesting, and from reducing paper consumption to making better use of technology. Consequently, a number of projects are in the pipeline to implement these ideas. Our People 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of our annual colleague survey, which provides the opportunity to participate anonymously and let the business know what is going well, and where we need to improve. With a participation rate of over 80%, it allows us to be sure we are targeting resource in the areas which really matter to our people. Our 4-year Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme is part of our drive for continuous improvement and is aimed at ensuring that we have the technical skills During 2014, we delivered an average of 3 days formal training per employee, covering a wide range of topics from fork lift truck driving to technical product awareness to health and safety, including accredited qualifications such as NEBOSH general certificate. Continuing our commitment to outstanding Customer Service we worked with our training partner to deliver continuity of our vital Customer Service programme throughout the year Raising Environmental awareness and understanding has been a key feature during Working with local training provider West Anglia Training Association (WATA), we developed a bespoke Environmental training event which was attended by every one of our employees. This generated As part of our ongoing commitment to our culture and values, every employee received training in how to effectively identify and manage bullying, harassment and discrimination during This training is also part of our induction process for every new employee that joins us. We were sad to see Richard Allen and Peter Willis leave us during 2014 after a 85 years of service completed between them, but we wish them both a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement. We are very proud that over 15% of our employees have 25 or more years service. 8 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

9 Community & Charity During 2014, we presented at nearby St Ivo School as part of their World of Work event, and supported St Peters School across the road from our main site with their Meet the Employers event. We were also pleased to host a visit from Engineering students at Cambridge University who were working towards a MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management (ISMM). These students were exploring the whole value chain to build an integrated view of manufacturing spanning marketing, design, production, product/service delivery and industrial sustainability. We were also delighted to offer Commercial and Engineering placements to students of Cambridge and Huntingdon Regional Colleges. Our staff often partake in charitable activities on site, our teams organised internal events in 2014 to raise funds for a number of different charities, including: We have also been pleased to support a number of youth initiatives helping them to provide toys, kit and equipment for their members, including: Barnham Trojans FC Holme Village Pre-School St Ives RC Under 12s Mid Beds Tigers FC In 2014, we were a key sponsor at a dozen significant events to raise funds for our nominated charity, WaterAid. In conjunction with customers, suppliers and other industry stakeholders, we lent our support to race nights, balls and golf days which raised substantial funds for this extremely worthy cause. Corporate Social Responsibility Report 9

10 Ethical Trading In 2014, we introduced a register which captures all expenditure related to gifts or entertainment for customers or suppliers. This is audited periodically to ensure that the rules and controls we have in place are effective in eliminating the risk of bribery. 10 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

11 The content of this publication is for general information purposes only, and it remains the user s responsibility to determine the suitability of any product or service contained within for their own purposes. Whilst every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in the publication, the details are offered in good faith and GPS PE Pipe Systems accepts no liability for matters arising as a result of any errors or omissions. Reproduction of this publication in whole or any part thereof is not permitted without the written consent of GPS PE Pipe Systems. GPS PE Pipe Systems is a trading name of Glynwed Pipe Systems Ltd, Company Number CSR14 February 2015 St Peter s Road, Huntingdon, PE29 7DA Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Web: enquiries@gpsuk.com Twitter: GPS_PE_Pipes