Industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. said Monday it has joined the Green Suppliers Network (GSN) program, a public-private partnership involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a leading provider of technical assistance to manufacturers.
Under the GSN program, Eaton will work with all levels of its manufacturing supply chain to improve processes, increase energy efficiency, implement cost-saving opportunities and optimize use of required resources to eliminate waste.
Eaton will engage 20 of its suppliers as GSN Partners in the first year of the program.
"The elimination of waste in the manufacturing process improves the environmental performance of a company and its suppliers, reinforces a company's commitment to its customers and the local communities and promotes operational efficiency," said Alexander Cutler, Eaton chairman and chief executive officer. "We look forward to working with other proactive manufacturers in our various industries to identify additional opportunities for environmental process and manufacturing improvements."
Richard Jacobs, Eaton vice president - supply chain management, noted that many of Eaton's smaller suppliers do not have the resources to acquire the consulting support needed to review their operations and evaluate various lean manufacturing process tools that can lead to implementing lean process solutions. Jacobs said he plans to involve 20 suppliers from Ohio in the first phase of the program as GSN partners.