ONA has won the European Environment Prize to Business 2002. This is a prize awarded in the European Union (Basque Country section) to acknowledge environmental innovation.
The awards ceremony was held on April 17th in Vitoria, seat of the Basque Government. The President, Mr Juan José Ibarretxe, delivered the prize to José María Onandia, General Manager at ONA. Mr Onandia expressed his thanks "on behalf of everyone on the ONA team." He continued, "It's an achievement to which all of us have contributed. This prize will encourage us to progress further and to stand fast by ONA's commitment to its clients, to the society of which it is part, and to the environment in which it operates."
One of the principal factors that have contributed to ONA's winning this prize is the use of eco-filtration systems in the manufacturing process, along with the incorporation of such systems into the machines that ONA designs and makes. As the result of its dedicated research and its commitment to the environment, ONA's filtration systems are supreme where ecology is concerned. In addition, they are the most highly appreciated in EDM circles. To take an example, ONA's AQUAPRIMA filtration system is the first one in which the filter element never needs replacement. Maintenance costs are thus eliminated, and it is no longer necessary to destroy pollutants. With an ONA filtration system, costs are reduced and effects on the environment are minimized.
Quality control at
ONA is practised in accordance with ISO 9001, and environmental management
in accordance with ISO 14001. ONA is the first machine tool firm in Spain
to be certified under this latter standard.
