H.C. STARCK SOLUTIONS CORPORATE PRINCIPLES
Based on the analysis of H.C. Starck Solutions strengths and opportunities, several strategic principles were developed which guide us in everything we do and build the foundation for our corporate culture. It is key to our company’s success that we live shared values and strive for the same goals. The Corporate Principles illustrate these values and goals and spread them throughout the company. They are binding for all employees worldwide at any time.
Supply security
We provide secure and sustainable access to scarce materials and products. We enter partnerships with credible suppliers, actively developing new raw material sources along with promoting and enabling material reuse through recycling.
Continuous growth
We are the industry forerunner, enabling global megatrends and expanding our presence in all markets. We pursue growth projects and seek new business opportunities at every turn.
Market and technological leadership
We lead the market in size and technological competence. We strive to be “Number 1” through better processes, products, services and through strategic partnerships.
Customer Value
We provide high-performance materials and products tailored to meet customer demands. We are a dependable and preferred business partner. We know the value we generate for our customers – and get rewarded for it.
Excellence in everything we do
We continuously improve business processes, cost efficiency and quality. We are agile in reacting to customer demands, moving materials quickly from source to customer. We always do the right thing and keep to highest ethical and legal standards. We work in a process-oriented manner and we always decide on the basis of reviewed and verified data and facts.
Attractive and fair working environment
Our highest priority is to ensure the health and safety of our employees. We are strongly committed to both the personal and professional development of our employees. We leverage our culture based on engagement and ownership of all as well as on inspiring leadership. As a global player, diversity is an important success factor for our company.
Certified conflict-free raw material supply chain
H.C. Starck Solutions is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), which has developed a due diligence system for a transparent raw material supply chain in conflict regions and monitors the implementation of the system in their member companies. In addition to that, H.C. Starck Solutions is a founding member of the Tungsten Industry–Conflict Minerals Council (TICMC) and also of the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) in support of government and private initiatives to develop conflict-free supply chain systems.
To guarantee that we purchase only conflict-free raw materials, we have implemented an approved Responsible Supply Chain Management System (RSCM). This system ensures efficient and competitive purchasing, and supports sourcing from suppliers that act in accordance with environmental and social sustainability. With a variety of control mechanisms, we perform thorough due diligence on all raw material offers based on current OECD and RMI guidelines before we sign any delivery contracts. We continuously strive to become independent from surging volatility and speculations on the raw materials market. That is why we strongly focus on technology metal recycling to secure our conflict-free raw material supply chain. Using innovative technologies, we are recycling increasing volumes of post-industrial waste, slags, and scraps and turning them into high quality and high-performance technology metals.
PRODUCT INNOVATION & PRODUCT QUALITY
H.C. Starck Solutions implements a range of certified management systems to ensure that its products are of consistently high quality.
But, obviously, that’s not all: long-term success requires innovations that can cope with the challenges of global markets and trends.
H.C. Starck Solutions portfolio helps its customers benefit from global megatrends such as the search for renewable energy, miniaturization, or high- performance applications. Technology metals and high-performance ceramics manufactured to special requirements enable our customers to create market-leading technological innovations, and thereby gain a clear competitive advantage.
Once again, H.C. Starck Solutions capacity for innovation is based on two pillars: a strong commitment to research and development, including joint projects with universities and research institutes, and its extensive expertise in application technology
Our employees in the research department work on the development and improvement of materials, products, and processes. They work closely with our customers’ applications technologists, as well as renowned universities and research institutes, for a direct linkage between research and applications technology. All new developments, whether product innovations or process improvements, are tested for their practical utility and modified for specific customer needs.
The results are impressive: Worldwide patens and patent applications as well as ongoing optimization of cost structures, stable product quality, and shorter processing times. In the area of recycling we have expanded our expertise to include other materials, and have developed new recycling technologies.
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Satisfied customers are the foundation of our long-term business success. As a result, our goal is to continually meet our customers’ expectations of our products and other services.
In order to reliably ensure that this is the case, the H.C. Starck Group has implemented various internal management systems. These are based on international standards and encompass of all areas of our company.
H.C. Starck Solutions leverages certified quality assurance tools and systems to ensure our materials are uniformly consistent, standardized, processable and pure. Our complex and demanding product approval procedures form the basis of our long-term customer relationships.
To ensure customer satisfaction, the optimization of our production processes and results, product quality and delivery reliability, we exploit a variety of manufacturing methods and techniques such as lean manufacturing, Kaizen, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints. In doing so, we are able to continually enhance productivity, process efficiency, waste reduction and our cost structure.
H.C. STARCK GROUP MANAGEMENT
Quality
Environmental
Occupational Safety
Energy
Aviation
Medical Technology
Laboratory Accreditation
Responsible Supply Chain Management
In addition to the existing management systems, one company in our Group, H.C. Starck GmbH, also employs an energy management system pursuant to ISO 50001 – one of the first companies in Germany to do so.
Furthermore, the H.C. Starck Group also operates what is known as a “Responsible Supply Chain Management System” (RSCM) based on international standards. This system ensures that the procurement of raw materials for the Group’s global production processes is carried out under consideration of social and ethical aspects.
We hire independent, internationally accredited certification organizations to objectively evaluate our management systems.
REACH
The European REACH regulation (EG 1907/2006) concerning the registration, evaluation, approval and restriction of chemicals came into force on June 1st, 2007. This new regulation is intended to provide a high level of protection and safety for human health and the environment. The implementation of the provisions of the regulation have given a key role to the principle of prevention.
The regulation specifies amongst other things the registration of those materials which are already being marketed within the European Union with tonnage-dependent transition deadlines (see table).
Summary of regulation deadlines: | Scope | Status |
---|---|---|
11/30/2010 | materials > 1000t/a or materials > 100 t/a R 50/53 or CMR-materials cat. 1 / 2 | Done |
up to May 31st, 2013 | materials > 100 – 1000 t/a | Done |
up to May 31st, 2018 | materials > 1 – 100 t/a | Done |
With respect to all questions concerning implementation of this regulation within our company, you can get in touch with the specialists of our REACH team at any time at the following e-mail address: ryan.dominak@hcstarcksolutions.com