ISO 14001 certification, factory expansion for VMI Yantai

VMI Yantai has received its second ISO certification within the last 12 months following its certification according to ISO 14001 by Lloyds Register Company. The Chinese subsidiary of Dutch tyre and rubber machinery manufacturer VMI Holland BV notes that both certifications were achieved “in close cooperation” between VMI Yantai, VMI Holland and parent company TKH Group NV. “TKH takes its Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously,” reports a VMI Holland press statement. “VMI Yantai is also well aware of its social duty and has made corporate social responsibility one of its strategic priorities for the coming years.”

Efforts to implement the ISO 14001 system have been ongoing since the end of 2009, VMI continues. This resulted in passing the Lloyds ISO 14001:2004 audit mid December, 2010 and receiving certification in February. “The ISO certificate demonstrates the high quality level of the VMI products being produced by VMI in Yantai (China) as well as in The Netherlands,” VMI states. “VMI Yantai has confidence in maintaining and further improving their quality systems in the future.”

In January, management from VMI’s Dutch and Chinese operations attended an official groundbreaking ceremony for extension work on VMI Yantai’s third Shandong Province factory, which initially opened in May 2009. The machinery manufacturer comments that the decision to expand the Yantai facility coincided with its ISO14001 accreditation and the full integration of its quality control systems with VMI’s head office in the Netherlands.

“The increasing recognition of the benefits of single stage tyre building technology combined with VMI’s ability to offer cost effective solutions has increased the level of sales to unprecedented levels,” the company shares. “In order to continue serving the market to the high levels of excellence expected from VMI the decision to further expand facilities in China was made.” A 7,200 square metre construction hall is expected to be completed in August 2011 and will increase the size of the Yantai factory complex to 26,600 square metres.