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Reprinted with permission from EH&S Software News, December
1999
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Volume IX, Number 3
December 1999
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Cover Article:
Multi-dimensional
Services for
Environmental Management: Partnering for Efficiency
By Tony Diamantidis
Chemical Safety Software 
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Environmental information management isn't what it used to
be. It's no longer about software programs that manage data
and write reports, but whole programs that claim to "do
everything." As a wider array of companies offer
environmental management information systems (EMIS), and as
in-house and desktop software solutions have become more
common, EMIS options have become wide indeed. EH&S managers
are looking for - and getting - more than software.
While EMIS providers once thought certain combinations of
software functions could satisfy the consumers' need for
'comprehensive service,' they are now realizing that
environmental information management doesn't happen in a
vacuum - it impacts every department in the enterprise. In
the real world, consumer expectations for EMISs are
constantly expanding to include more advanced functions
like:
 | automatic
database population; |
| links to
purchasing and inventory systems; |
| links to
regulatory agencies; |
| electronic
transfer to customers, vendors, and regulators;
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| online,
real-time access to the information environmental
managers need to keep their organizations running
smoothly -- from materials purchasing, to operations, to
transportation and waste disposal; and |
| a variety
of other services that the consumer doesn't have the
desire, means, or expertise to administer in-house.
The emergence of the Internet as an information resource
has brought an additional array of issues to
environmental management. While the availability of
information was once an overriding concern, there is now
a vast, shapeless ocean of information. EMIS providers
are beginning to see the opportunities this resource
represents for developing more user-friendly products
that offer creative ways to access, filter, and use data
available online, and for leveraging the technology as
an avenue of communication for their programs, partners,
and customers.
Similarly, the globalization of trade and the demands of
multi-national companies are encouraging EMIS providers
to address previously underemphasized issues of
cross-border environmental regulations and language
differences.
Together, these demands are forcing EMIS providers to
re-invent themselves. They are reaching into new
territory, trying to figure out the right directions to
move their departments, and ultimately, the industry.
Partnerships are being forged and combinations of
services are being developed and tested. Technology is
being adopted to push the envelope of information
management.
We're seeing a shift in focus away from handling
compliance information and towards maximizing the total
efficiency of processes that protect employees and
worldwide communities and make the best use of company
and global resources. EMIS customers aren't looking for
software programs anymore - they're paying for
wide-ranging solutions to organizational needs that
revolve around environmental management.
In an industry revolution parallel to that which spawned
just-in-time supply chain engineering and Enterprise
Resource Planning in the manufacturing sector,
Environmental Management is coming to see itself as part
of the greater whole, and striving to find the best way
to integrate itself with everything from facility design
to Federal policy-making.
Partnership Development
Forward-thinking EMIS companies are forming partnerships
with materials suppliers, chemical handlers, test labs,
waste managers, environmental consultants, regulatory
agencies, internet application companies, and other
software providers. As these partnership circles and
consortiums grow, EH&S departments will begin to find
truly comprehensive services from a "single-source." One
day, the industrial facility - of even multi-facility
companies - will research and purchase materials, take
delivery, maintain inventory, dispose waste, ship
products and accompanying documentation, evaluate
processes for efficiency, and submit required regulatory
information - all with the support of one network of
environmental service providers.
By developing data links between vendors and customers,
manual intervention can be all but eliminated; and
necessary information can be accurately maintained and
accessible to the entire supply chain, as well as to
regulators and the concerned community. Picture this
scenario:
A plant engineer at The Manufacturer logs onto his
Environmental Network's web site. He searches one of the
preferred Materials Vendors' catalogs for a solvent
needed for a new production cycle. Finding it, he enters
the pre-approved order online.
The Materials Vendor ships the product, sending advance
notice electronically to The Manufacturer's EMIS (which
is updated along with the purchasing and receiving
system) and notifies its affiliated Transportation
Company, giving it DOT hazard information, the manifest,
and the MSDS. When the materials are received, inventory
records are automatically updated using barcode scanner
technology, and hazmat information is available at every
PC in the plant via the networked EMIS. As the solvent
is moved from inventory to the production line, it is
tracked physically and for department costing, again
through the EMIS and using the barcode.
When the solvent has been used and generates a regular
waste stream, the manager logs onto his Network's site
again and notifies the affiliated Waste Disposal company
that a pickup of the new waste is required. The Waste
Disposal company sends out an associated Environmental
Analysis Lab chemist to evaluate the new waste stream.
He gathers information from sensor equipment and/or
conducts tests, then creates and enters a new profile to
the EMIS which transfers it to the Waste Disposal
company for future pickups from this waste stream. This
profile describes handling and disposal requirements
based on the components of the waste. These requirements
are automatically retrieved from the EMIS's chemical
reference database which reflects the most current
regulatory requirements. Transportation documentation is
automatically prepared based on the profile. The waste
is picked up, again by a preferred Transportation
Company, shipped to the Waste Disposal company's
incinerator, and confirmation is electronically returned
to the Manufacturer's EMIS. Waste management records are
updated.
The product created on this new manufacturing line is
shipped out to the Manufacturer's customer, and the
accompanying MSDS, as well as other required
documentation, is automatically transferred
electronically to the buyer and shipper.
Throughout the whole process, environmental information
is maintained according to Federal, State, and Local
requirements, which are updated in the EMIS regularly.
Required reports can be submitted electronically to the
Regulatory Agency in any format they demand.
At the end of the month, The Manufacturer receives a
summary of its activity. An electronic invoice for
Environmental Services is sent directly to The
Manufacturer's purchasing system.
You'll notice The Manufacturer's plant engineer entered
the order at the beginning of the process. And the Lab
Analyst entered the waste stream profile, but only once.
The remainder of the process unfolded with virtually no
other manual data entry required, thereby reducing the
chance for error or omissions, automating important
processes, and allowing environmental professionals at
The Manufacturer to focus on value-added projects
instead of exercising their typing skills.
Sections or pieces of this as-yet-imaginary,
all-encompassing process can be found in many current
programs. The results of these evolving systems are
improved accuracy, efficiency, and cost-savings. The
integration of environmental management into the
business process not only saves time and money, but it
helps both information and output flow more smoothly and
it makes EH&S a competitive advantage for those
exploiting the opportunities.
Industry-specific Services
EMIS providers are further exploring industry-specific
service development. The ability to employ expertise and
programs that pointedly address the needs of an industry
where environmental management is important can offer
significant advantages. In these applications, strategic
partnerships with customers themselves can give an EMIS
provider new insight into processes and ways to meet the
needs of other similar companies.
For example, an EMIS provider that works closely with a
research and development lab to create the "ultimate"
system for managing lab processes, can leverage a
significant advantage when selling its software or
services to other R&D facilities. Rather than offering a
generic system with a few customizations, this
collaborative process can result in a truly dedicated
product - one that says 'Yes' to an R&D lab's every
request, and then adds a list of benefits they didn't
even know they needed.
Smart EMIS providers are evaluating their own strengths
and examining their customer lists for opportunities to
develop relationships and to create products they can
leverage across an industry.
Working with Regulators
Another potential partnership-building role for the EMIS
developer is to strengthen the communication channels
between regulatory agencies and the regulated community.
By working with regulatory agencies, EMIS providers can
help gather and manage data from organizations required
to report, streamlining reporting processes for both the
Agency and the regulated community.
EMIS developers need to create data management tools
that make communication efficient in both directions,
and give local reporting agencies more accurate,
up-to-date and useful information. By improving the
handling and distribution of information, and by
establishing submission links or portals, EMIS providers
coincidentally create a ready-made market for
themselves.
In addition, relationships with regulators can give EMIS
providers access to those involved in crafting the
future direction of environmental regulation. This can
ultimately lead to EMIS-provider input in the process,
allowing the EMIS industry to become an important
conduit between the regulated community and the
government, and a key source of current and upcoming
information for the EMIS customers.
As both the developed and developing worlds are becoming
more environmentally aware and are placing new and
stricter demands on all organizations, the possibilities
for expanding environmental services are growing. The
opportunities are only now beginning to be explored in
depth. EMIS providers who want to survive and succeed
are looking hard at the direction they are leading their
companies and taking steps to develop services and
relationships that will meet the growing demands of
their customers - and their competitors' customers.
About the Author: Tony Diamantidis is the General
Manager of
Chemical Safety Software and has been in the
software and Environmental Information Management
industry for over 25 years. He can be reached at
ems@chemicalsafety.com.
Copyright 1999 by Donley Technology - ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED |
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