SP is a "member-driven" organization that provides
quantifiable value to all of its members through the efforts
and "sweat equity" of work groups as well as through
meetings and activities that have been identified by the SP
membership. In addition to the work group activities, SP holds
quarterly Membership Meetings designed to educate and update
the membership on the status of the work group projects, conducts
benchmarking sessions on selected topics and provides a networking
forum for the members.
The following is a list of the current SP Work Groups:
- Chemical Issues Management
Work Group: Providing a forum for companies in the
automobile supply chain to collectively and cost effectively
address global chemical regulations that are impacting product/material
engineering and manufacturing. In addition, the Chemical
Issues Work Group will develop strategic and tactical action
plans to address those emerging chemical issues and create
a mechanism to communicate and advocate, or coordinate their
advocacy approaches, with public sector forums in support
of the agenda developed by the SP Work Group participants;
and, work closely with EPA utilizing available programs
and information such as the Sustainable Futures and Green
Chemistry programs.
-
Energy Work Group: Addressing
ways to help SP member companies reduce their energy use
and their environmental footprint in a way that those
companies can: utilize more efficient technologies, practices
and services; quantify the results of their energy efficiency
or energy reduction activities; and, achieve some or all
of the cost reductions that will be required by their
customers.
-
Packaging Work Group:
Partnering with Goodwill Industries to create SP By-Product
Reduction Facilities to environmentally and cost effectively
address non-hazardous waste at OE and Tier 1 companies.
The Work Group is identifying ways to provide value within
the automotive supply chain by working together to address
ways to optimize packaging parameters to reduce the environmental
footprint and costs of packaging, including how to reduce
waste, promote reuse and maximize recycling. The team
is currently focusing on the development of the SP By-Product
Reduction Facilities project of a container-sharing program
within SP member companies.
-
Small Business Forum: Supporting
a small business forum for Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers
to the industry so that their issues and ideas can be
addressed by OE and Tier 1 supplier companies. The Forum
provides a forum through which member companies share
opportunities and processes for SP's smaller-sized companies
to communicate directly and efficiently with the OEMs
and Tier I suppliers in the organization and automotive
industry.
-
SP Technical Assistance Workshops--workshops
provided by U.S. EPA and National Institute of Standards
& Technology's (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP) Workshops: Development and implementation of workshops
to train small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the
automotive sector on business value integrating environmental
issues into business processes.
NIST/MEP Contact: Mike Coast, MI MMTC mcoast@mmtc.org
EPA Contact: Kristin Pierre, EPA Pierre.Kristin@epamail.epa.gov
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