With over 30 years of experience in
industrial machine safeguarding and is the
leading resource for machine and process
safeguarding services.
Omron STI provides all necessary machine
safeguarding services, including: |
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machine guarding assessment |
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risk level identification |
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risk reduction planning and documentation |
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review of safety system and circuit
designs |
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placement and installation |
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complete safety system integration |
Based on recent analysis of the machine
safety market, Omron STI received the 2008
North American Frost & Sullivan Company
of the Year Award.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards
recognize companies in a variety of
markets for demonstrating outstanding
achievement and superior performance
in areas of leadership, technological
innovation, customer service, and strategic
product development. Industry analysts
compare market participants and measure
performance through in-depth interviews,
analysis, and extensive secondary research.
According to Frost & Sullivan, "Omron STI's
synergistic capability to provide automation
solutions along with machine safety makes
them the most preferred partner amidst
competitors. Customers have experienced
the added advantage of relying on a onestop
shop solution provider, which helps
them choose products that suit their needs
and improve their overall process safety
and efficiency." |
| What our customers think... |
| "Creating Safe Workplaces" by Jim Wille, excerpted from EHS Today |
Most companies in the United States are extremely sensitive about maintaining the safest possible working environment in their plants
or mills, and managers are serious about enforcing rules and policies that protect the health and safety of all employees.
In fact, comments made by spokespersons of companies such as Alcoa, Tyco and United Technologies indicate that safety comes
before productivity and quality. They believe that without a safe workplace, production, quality and financial performance goals are not
likely met or sustained.
"Alcoa wants its employees and contractors to be able to work safely in a manner that protects and promotes the health and well-being
of the individual and the environment," says Jeff Shockey, Alcoa's director of safety and regional services.
According to Shockey, the following are the four main activities undertaken in support of Alcoa's safety system: |
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Assessing the risks, aspects and impacts associated with our products, services and operations |
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Developing and implementing operational controls with built-in layers of protection |
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Monitoring and maintaining the risk assessment, controls and implementation to ensure they are current and effective |
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Reacting to correct gaps in our protective systems and continuously improve system stability |
The field was narrowed to three prospective providers for a final interview. The
providers were pre-qualified based on their safety performance, customer feedback,
staff capabilities and preliminary interviews and discussions.
As a result, Omron STI was selected as one of Alcoa's machine guarding providers.
According to Shockey, Omron STI offered: |
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Standardized work methods for conducting the gap assessment. He cited the
overall quality of the risk assessment and the clarity of the report as well |
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The ability to provide cost-effective and practical solutions by listening to and
involving machine operators and maintenance personnel as needed |
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Competitive pricing and quality of workmanship |
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A willingness to be a full-service partner by supporting training and other needs |
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Quick response time by upper management in the rare case when an issue arises
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| The EHS professionals often need to look outside their own organization when peaks in the EHS-related workload exceed internal
capacity, or the technical expertise is so complex that it is difficult to maintain in-house proficiency. In order to service plants quickly
and efficiently, Alcoa complements the efforts of their full-time health and safety professionals with the expertise of highly specialized
external providers. |
| Finding a Machine Guarding Solution |
| Such was the case when Alcoa went looking for a machine guarding provider. Alcoa Global Business Services evaluated 10 to
15 companies, giving each a standard package of five or six machines to quote during an online bidding event that also included
ranking the prospective providers' capabilities in risk assessment, design, engineering, materials and hardware, fabrication,
installation and guarding methodology. |
| Why You Should Partner
with Omron STI? |
The expertise required in all phases of
the safeguarding process is not a core
competency of most manufacturers. Their
engineering and maintenance personnel
are too busy to get involved with required
details of guarding systems and safety
interfaces.
Omron STI employees serve as active
members or chairmen on more than 20
domestic and international standards
committees relating to machine
safeguarding issues. This level of
involvement and investment of time
assures we keep current on all the latest
updates to these standards. And we pass
our knowledge on to you! |
| The best part of partnering with Omron STI
is your peace of mind knowing that... |
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your machines or process lines are
safeguarded correctly to the current
standards |
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you are 100% compliant -- nothing
less |
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you have documented risk level
identification and a risk reduction
strategy |
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your machine operators are fully and
professionally trained on the safety
systems installed |
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you are saving money because machine
safety improvements only need to be
done once |
Omron STI is more than a provider, it is a partner. Alcoa Safety and Health Services
and Omron STI jointly teach a course on machine safeguarding.
Omron STI's philosophy is that as a provider/partner, it should develop a close
working relationship with the Alcoa personnel who operate and service the
equipment. Communicating with the employees on the production floor at the
beginning of the program and securing their input and participation was a key factor
when implementing machine safeguarding and countermeasures. |
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