Belgian steelmaker takes lead in sustainability efforts

A breath of fresh air has been blowing through the organization since the new management team took the helm at Meco Metal. In five years, the Belgian steelmaker managed to double its tonnage, while energy consumption has been reduced by 10% annually. An achievement of stature, thanks in part to the constant focus on the theme of sustainability. Managing director Harry Seijkens gives us a look behind the scenes.

Meco Metal is a medium-sized steel construction company based in Oudsbergen (B) and part of the Altez Group. Since the new management took office, consisting of Harry Seijkens, Domien Driesen and Remi Moonen, the company has been transformed from an inefficient organization to a well-oiled machine. "We actually started implementing the lean methodology right away and have made over 800 improvements to date," Seij-kens says enthusiastically. "And we are far from finished. It's an ongoing story. We are still managing to further optimize processes." 

The common thread in Meco Metal's sustainability efforts is ISO 14001, an internationally accepted standard with requirements for an environmental management system. "Certification is not yet mandatory in Belgium, but that is only a matter of time," Seijkens believes. "From that perspective, we have fully committed to it. Instead of the usual two years required for this, we certified our company for ISO 14001 in six months. Among other things, a good ERP system (Liemar) with a grip on all processes underlies this, but also the fact that you get things done much more easily under your own direction than under duress." Meco Metal is definitely leading the way in Belgium with this. "That is also the reason why we get many requests from our neighboring countries, because they are often already further ahead in terms of laws and regulations regarding sustainability and explicitly choose environmentally certified suppliers."

The unbridled drive for sustainability is in the DNA of Seijkens and his team. "We have a long history of making business processes more sustainable at previous employers," he says. But where do you start? "A good tip is to look at your business processes from a helicopter view and just observe what's happening. That's what we did here at our plant in Oudsbergen. Our eye immediately fell on the compactor, the former 'cesspool' of our company. Waste separation was not being done, everything was being dumped in that container. We then started talking to a waste disposal company in the neighborhood and drew up a comprehensive plan/plan for waste separation. This has since led to the establishment of a veritable modern environmental street. The compactor has naturally been shown the door. An additional advantage is that by making this move we not only spare the environment, but also save some 60,000 euros on an annual basis." 

Other measures Meco Metal has taken include replacing lighting with LED and switching from heating with heating oil to propane. "Instead of heating the entire hall, now only the workstation is heated responsibly by heaters and convection heat. And only when our colleague on the floor deems it necessary. The savings are huge. There are also 3,000 solar panels on the roof and we have replaced old energy-guzzling machines with modern ones." And it doesn't stop there, according to Seijkens. "We want to remain a leader in our sector and emphatically join the green movement as a pioneer of 'green steel,' including through collaborations with our strategic suppliers. We do this, among other things, by actively involving them in this through a well thought-out supplier assessment that gives us quarterly answers to the question 'How do you help us contribute to a better environment?' Through the industry organization Infosteel, we are also actively involved in the Steel Construction Agreement for Belgium to make chain-wide agreements towards a circular economy. Our sustainable workshop is an important pivot in this."