Marion, IN – Advanced Cabinet Systems (ACS), a leading manufacturer of high quality plastic laminate casework and millwork for education, healthcare, and retail markets announced today that they are working with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on becoming a more sustainable company. FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

“FSC Certification is becoming a must in this industry” Says Philip Bowers, company Vice President, “There is a lot of public interest in the green movement and we need to show our clients that we are compliant with the highest social and environmental standards on the market.” Many industry leaders carry FSC certification as it is becoming increasingly popular with government procurement programs. The FSC certification can also generate LEED points, points that measure green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. “Our FSC Certification will open many doors for us in the public bid market” Says Jay Higgins, Director of Casework Sales, “And it’s only one of many steps ACS taking to become a green organization.”

The first step ACS took towards going green was when the company made a commitment to practice LEAN manufacturing, led by Plant Manager Bruce McLenithan. “Through lean, we’ve found real areas of waste everywhere at ACS. We’ve made big strides in the past 6 months in moving forward in the reduction of time, space, human effort, equipment, and materials” Says Bruce, who also taught a class to all ACS employees on the importance of lean practices. Bruce goes on to say that ACS practices the “kaizen culture” which is a culture of continuous incremental improvement. Kai means change and Zen means to become good, hence good change.

“We are excited about the responsible investments we’re making at ACS” Says Phil. “We believe a partnership with the FSC is just another great way to get public and consumer recognition for the hard work we do at this company.”

SOURCE: Advanced Cabinet Systems