Leadership Briefing from
CST I
Publication Date: January 2001
"Corporate Strategy Today:
The Role of Design for Environment"
By Michael R. Splinter
Executive VP and
General Manager, Technology & Manufacturing Group, Intel Corp.
ABSTRACT:
Why one of the world's leading technology companies thinks it's important not only to design great products, but to design great manufacturing processes to go with them.
EXCERPT:
As one of the world's leading technology companies, Intel competes successfully in a fast-paced, extremely demanding business climate. In order to achieve success, it invests billions of dollars annually in research and development, factories and people. Underlying those investments is a philosophy focused on constant improvement and performance as measured by our success in the market. At Intel we pursue our environmental performance in the same way we pursue performance in the marketplace.
Semiconductor manufacturing has an extremely complex flow requiring multiple steps in various manufacturing processes, many involving the controlled use of hazardous chemicals with the potential for significant environmental impact. Many years ago Intel set an objective to become a world leader in environmental performance. We have always believed that we have an obligation to take steps to reduce the potential environmental impact of our manufacturing operations. In the context of highly sophisticated manufacturing processes, Intel sets measurable environmental goals that are on par with other business measurements for success.