Powering Performance

There are many ways to ship automobiles and automotive parts. This is the smartest way, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The updated Guiding Principles includes new and expanded content to provide more timely and relevant guidance to suppliers on the latest industry expectations. This amended document is also accompanied by a new supplementary resource, which provides examples of actions organizations can take to engage in best practices with regards to business ethics, human rights, working conditions, and environmental leadership. 

Three organizations have rebranded to better represent their growing organizations across multiple supply chains and help them guide companies on their corporate social responsibility paths. EICC becomes the Responsible Business Alliance and CFSI becomes the Responsible Minerals Initiative. The rebranding also extends to the Conflict Free Smelter Program (CFSP).

This year’s IMDS & Product Chemical Compliance Conference addresses those questions and many more, with a focus on the evolution of the International Material Data System (IMDS), and the specific reasons we use this global reporting tool. A member of the IMDS Steering Committee will be onsite to share further information on new enhancements for IMDS.

As the reality of human trafficking and modern slavery continues to make headlines around the world, automotive manufacturers and their supply chains are operating with heightened awareness. At AIAG’s 2017 Corporate Responsibility Summit, Michael R. Littenberg, partner in the securities and public companies practice group at Ropes & Gray, provided attendees with an overview of the challenges as well as updates on how governments and corporations are doing their part to combat the problem.

As an extension of our long-running popular series of “Why We Do What We Do” articles, this month we tracked down TAMA Executive Director Ashley Frye to get a perspective from outside Michigan — and even the Midwest. We’re still in the automotive industry, however, as Frye has more than 34 years of history in automobile manufacturing.

“You can’t help me. I manage mostly wait staff who only work for the paycheck.” Ron, the owner of several restaurants, tells me this upon hearing that I help companies expand the societal impact of jobs, a practice called job purposing.

In the September 2016 AIAG eNewsletter, we looked at the evolution of IMDS up to now. This month, we focus on IMDS Release 11.0, scheduled for production release in November 2016, which includes Chemistry Manager.

The future of reporting is almost here! Mark the date in your calendar: GRI Standards will officially launch on October 19, 2016. This follows the approval of the draft GRI Standards by the Global Sustainability Standards Board in late August, and the recent confirmation by the Due Process Oversight Committee (DPOC) that due process for developing the GRI Standards was followed. 

In 1999, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (then EDS) collaborated with European Union (EU) car manufacturers to create a material data exchange system that would penetrate throughout the supply chain. The first release of the International Material Data System (IMDS) was in 2000, and corresponded with ratification of the EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) directive legislation. By 2001, HPE was extending IMDS into the United States and beginning its long relationship with the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG).  By 2002, IMDS was extended into Korea and Japan and was quickly adopted in Japan as one of two automotive standards. IMDS is now used worldwide, in nine languages, by virtually all global automotive OEMs and suppliers, with over 400,000 users from more than 150,000 companies.