WEG has just received recommendation for ISO 50.001:2011 certification (Energy Management System - Requirements with orientation for use), an international voluntary standard developed by the International Standardization Organization (ISO) and applied in Brazil by ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards). The purpose of the standard is to provide the public and private sector management with strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve the energy performance of organizations.

The subject of the ISO 50.001:2011 recommendation, a WEG management system, was installed as a pilot project in one of WEG’s electric motor factories in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina. The implementation was part of initiatives to improve the energy performance of the plant, including setting objectives and targets for reducing consumption and adopting actions for improvement. The management system was audited by the Bureau Veritas Certification (BVC), certification entity that approved WEG as being compliant with the certification. WEG is the first Brazilian company to receive recommendation for ISO 50.001:2011 certification.

"We are very optimistic about this pilot project. The implementation of a management system focused on energy consumption has proved to be a very effective method for reducing costs, saving energy, and improving aspects of sustainability, such as the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases. Our goal now is to expand the project to other areas of WEG, and to show our customers the way to obtain more efficient results," said João Alfredo Silveira, manager of the Continuous Improvement and Environment Department at WEG.

About WEG:
Founded in 1961, WEG operates mainly in the capital goods sector, and is one of the largest manufacturers of electrical-electronic equipment, focusing on five main lines: Motors, Energy, Transmission & Distribution, Automation and Coatings. With more than 24,000 employees, the gross revenue in 2010 reached R$ 5.3 billion.

The group's headquarters and main manufacturing units are in Jaraguá do Sul, in the state of Santa Catarina, south of Brazil. Its other plants are scattered throughout the states of Rio Grande do Sul (Gravataí), Santa Catarina (Blumenau, Guaramirim, Itajaí and Joaçaba), São Paulo (Sao Paulo, Sao Bernardo do Campo and Hortolândia), Amazonas (Manaus) and Espírito Santo (Linhares).

Abroad, WEG has manufacturing facilities in Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, China and India as well as distribution and marketing facilities in the U.S., Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Germany, England, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Singapore, India, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.