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Product Stewardship

 

Policy

 

The quality of our products and services, the culture within our organization, and our support of the community are the basis by which we are judged.
- Fort Wayne Metals value

 

We carefully consider our impact on our community. As we have grown, our definition of community has expanded far beyond Northeast Indiana. Our products are now shipped around the world. This means that our commitment to sustainability affects the global environment. Fort Wayne Metals therefore strives to go beyond mere compliance in the area of product stewardship. We use the principles of lifecycle management.

In order to achieve and maintain product stewardship, we have implemented the following policies:

We comply with all applicable regulations.

As an international business, we maintain awareness of regulations for all the markets we serve, and take the necessary steps to achieve and maintain compliance.
We comply with applicable environmental regulatory requirements during the manufacturing of our products. We work with our customers to meet global chemical regulations and standards. We strive to go beyond regulatory requirements implementing sustainable practices.

We maintain rigorous quality standards.

By producing materials that fully meet our customer’s expectations, we eliminate duplicate efforts that lead to the unnecessary use of resources.

We consider the health and safety of our employees paramount.

We comply with all applicable rules and regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and are committed to sponsoring initiatives which support risk mitigation as outlined in our EHS&S Policy.

We source, use and dispose of materials responsibly.

We evaluate the materials used in our operation with the goal of proactively eliminating or minimizing and controlling known substances of concern. We believe in supply chain transparency, control and restrictions where appropriate, and will work with our suppliers to help ensure each of them meets the product stewardship standards outlined in this policy.

We strive for continuous improvement.

We fully recognize that despite our best efforts to achieve and maintain product stewardship, room for improvement will always exist – and we continually search for ways to improve.

We communicate clearly.

We proactively and directly make our employees, suppliers and customers aware of our policy and requirements.

Click here to download the Product Stewardship Policy.

CA Transparency Act

Conflict Mineral Policy
 

Philosophy

At Fort Wayne Metals, we subscribe to the Product Stewardship Institute definition which states:

Product stewardship is the act of minimizing the health, safety, environmental, and social impacts of a product and its packaging throughout all lifecycle stages, while also maximizing economic benefits. The manufacturer, or producer, of the product has the greatest ability to minimize adverse impacts, but other stakeholders, such as suppliers, retailers, and consumers, also play a role. Stewardship can be either voluntary or required by law.
 

As an organization Fort Wayne Metals recognizes that we operate in a world with finite resources. We work to incorporate a product lifecycle mindset into our processes. We believe that modeling our operations after a circular economy (as opposed to a linear economy) allows us to properly evaluate our processes and products and their impact the global community.

We recognize that our direct impacts are visible in the concept, design, sourcing, manufacturing, and transportation stages of the Product Lifecycle. We use this information to perform due diligence in assessing and mitigating our direct and indirect impacts on the global community. When designing new products and processes Fort Wayne Metals considers the design requirements (specifications), the product safety needs of our customers, and strategies for sustainable manufacturing. Our sourcing program includes an ongoing supplier survey campaign to verify regulatory and ethical business practices are used to obtain or produce our raw materials. At Fort Wayne Metals we work to integrate product stewardship and compliance into our manufacturing processes.

Furthermore, we understand that decisions made by our organization at each step of the Product Lifecycle can impact the use and disposal of a product. We pride ourselves on providing world class customer service by using our expertise in metals manufacturing to provide solutions and help our customers meet their regulatory and other requirements.

Our Values and Operating Principles

Fort Wayne Metals has established values which are fundamental to the success of our company. Our operating principles define how our organization must operate with respect to our mission and values. These values and operating principles permeate every aspect of our organization and are at the core of our Product Stewardship programs.

Integrity
 

Value:
The quality of our products and services, the culture within our organization, and our support of the community are the basis by which we are judged.

Operating Principles:
Integrity cannot be compromised.
Everyone must be accountable for producing to his/her potential each day.

Providing quality products and services alone is not enough to be a distinguished business. Every Fort Wayne Metals employee contributes to our success and we work diligently to foster a sense of respect and gratitude within our Fort Wayne Metals family. Most importantly, to be a true world-class organization we must operate in a way which is in the best interest of our customers, our employees, and our community.

Sustainability
 

Value:
We must remain profitable to sustain growth and provide for return for shareholders.

Operating Principles:
Research and development are keys to the future.
Information must provide the basis for decisions.

At Fort Wayne Metals we believe that sustainability is a concept which applies to business affairs as much as it does to environmental endeavors. In order to provide superior products and services Fort Wayne Metals depends on research and evidence to develop products and processes which support economic growth. Our Product Stewardship Program requires us to go even further by considering the Triple Bottom Line, which values social and environmental impacts as well as economic profitability.

Continuous Improvement
 

Value:
Our people are the source of our strength.

Operating Principles:
Continual improvement in processes and products is essential to our success.
Employee involvement is critical to improving operations.

At Fort Wayne Metals we value our employees for the knowledge and experience each individual brings. We depend on employees to challenge our current practices and be a driving force behind a culture of innovation. By recognizing each employee as an expert in his or her field we aim to open a running dialogue where everyone can confidently contribute and participate in process improvement.

Product Stewardship Objectives

Fort Wayne Metals has ongoing Product Stewardship programs based on regulatory requirements, and the needs of the community we serve. Each Program identified below also includes a brief description of our strategic objective and indicates our current progress.

Program Target Progress
California Transparency: Ensure, to the extent practicable, that direct supply chain is free from human trafficking and slavery Policies and Procedures developed and implemented.More information available in our Disclosure Statement.
Conflict Minerals: Perform necessary due diligence to avoid the use of “conflict minerals” Systematic supplier survey program launched in 2015.
More information available in our Conflict Mineral Policy.
Supply Chain Management: Develop program to investigate and track supplier compliance activities relevant to Fort Wayne Metals operations and products (minimize regulatory risks in supply chain) Systematic supplier survey program launched in 2015
Global Regulatory Surveillance: Monitor existing and emerging Product Stewardship regulations to mitigate risks for Fort Wayne Metals and customers.  Global regulations regularly reviewed and systematic program launched in 2015.

Success Stories

Spool Return Service
 

A majority of Fort Wayne Metals products are shipped out on spools which can be reused for future products. After use, spools are returned to Fort Wayne Metals and evaluated to determine if they meet requirements for reuse. If the spools can be reused, Fort Wayne Metals contracts with a vocational outreach organization to have the spools cleaned locally. Spools are then put back into use for new Fort Wayne Metals products. If the spools do not meet the standards for reuse they are recycled for use in post-consumer products.

Supplier Documents

Supplier Handbook

Code of Ethics

Material Disclosure Supplier Portal Instructions

Spec page (EMS Form F-09-15)

Link for Material Disclosure: www.actiocms.com/outreach
Actio Material Disclosure username is the email address provided to the Fort Wayne Metals Product Stewardship Team. If you require password assistance select “forgot pwd” and an Actio representative will email a link to reset the password. The Actio representative will need the email address which was previously listed as a contact (cannot be a new or previously unidentified email address).