Volvo Trucks announced that its New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va., is the first U.S. facility to be certified to the ISO 50001 standards under a pilot program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. Volvo says NRV is also the first Superior Energy Performance-certified facility to use ISO 50001 as its energy management system standard. ISO 50001 and SEP are, respectively, the top international standard and top U.S. certification program for driving continuous improvements in energy efficiency.
NRV is certified to ISO 50001 in the United States under the pilot American National Standards Institute-ASQ National Accreditation Board accreditation and the first facility SEP-certified to use ISO 50001 under a new pilot ANSI-ANAB accreditation. NRV was SEP-certified at a platinum level – the highest available – for improving energy performance by more than 15 percent during the three-year period after establishing an energy baseline.
Volvo says these certifications will help the NRV plant further reduce its energy intensity to ultimately become carbon-neutral. ANAB and ANSI assess and accredit the certification bodies that audit for compliance with SEP and ISO 50001. Volvo says that, in conjunction with certification/verification body Dekra, it is the first organization to complete the joint ANSI/ANAB ISO 50001/SEP certification pilot program.
“SEP and ISO 50001 certifications are an honor and a direct reflection of the environmental commitment of our entire organization,” says Lars Blomberg, Volvo Trucks vice president and general manager of the NRV assembly plant. “These certifications required a high degree of cooperation – a total plant effort. Employees at all levels have been actively engaged throughout our entire energy reduction journey.”
Established by DOE, the new SEP certification program provides a pathway for continuous energy efficiency improvements. The program is a transparent nationally accepted system for verifying improvements in energy performance and management. To earn SEP certification, facilities also must conform to the ISO 50001 energy management standard, the new international framework for organizations to implement an energy management system. NRV previously was certified to ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 9001 quality standards. Volvo says achieving the ISO 50001 and SEP standards mark the latest milestones on NRV’s path to carbon neutrality.
The certifications come less than a year after NRV became one of 32 major companies participating in DOE’s Better Buildings/Better Plants program, formerly the Save Energy Now LEADER Program, to fulfill its 10-year pledge to reduce the intensity of energy per unit by 25 percent. Volvo says it met the program’s target in one year instead of 10. While technologies like building automation systems, solar hot water heaters and infrared heaters helped drive NRV’s energy reductions, many of the energy-saving ideas have come from employees.
“All layers of our organization are dedicated to lean concepts and implementing new ways to reduce energy,” Blomberg says. “Reducing energy while improving efficiency has helped us remain very competitive during a time when some companies are moving their manufacturing operations to lower cost environments.”
