Michael Phang | TQM & SQA Manager, NuTune, Singapore
When Michael Phang learned he would be a part of NuTune, a new joint venture between NXP and Thomson, he saw it as an opportunity to share best practices and improve operations.
In September 2008, NXP and Thomson created NuTune, a joint venture (JV) for developing, producing, and marketing TV tuners. The new company brought together two similar divisions, each headquartered in Singapore and with manufacturing facilities in Batam, an Indonesian island about an hour away from Singapore by sea.
NXP's Batam facility had been the island's first, in 1997, to be ISO 14001 certified, and was one of only a few that had OHSAS 18001 certification. “We had a bit of a head start," says Michael, who's been in semiconductors for 25 years, “but both organizations had strong systems in place. The JV gave us the opportunity to gel the two organizations, drawing on each other's best practices.”
After aligning their Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policies, the two groups combined their knowledge and created a unified system for business processes and EHS. The team is now moving quickly to achieve certification for the combined facilities, aiming for, among others, OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 certification by the end of 2009. Says Michael, “these certifications are an investment for the business and tools for continual improvement.”
He stresses the importance of teamwork, noting that people are a critical element for success. “Our people support the goals of our EHS system - zero downtime due to accidents, recoveries from recycling, hazard-free operations, a healthy workforce - and they know that they're making a tangible difference.”
environment while reducing operating costs. Instead of paying a fee to dispose of used solder-paste containers, which are considered hazardous waste, the company sells them to a local recycler, who makes them reusable by rinsing them and reclaiming any residual metals.
The site provides everyone with comprehensive EHS training. Michael says the training can have a broader impact, especially for employees who come from outlying areas. “When these people visit their families back home, they bring with them valuable knowledge they can share.”
Today, not quite a year after NuTune was born, Michael is proud of the progress they've made. “Thanks to hard work and a strong commitment from our management and our EHS working teams, we're really contributing to business sustainability.”