Press Releases

Safelite a Finalist for Environmental Award

May 11, 2009 - COLUMBUS, Ohio -Safelite AutoGlass®, was recently honored for its Mobile Resource Management (MRM) technology as a finalist for an Emerald Award in the Innovation category from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). The Emerald Awards honor businesses and individuals that focus on waste reduction and environmental stewardship in central Ohio. Safelite AutoGlass® was selected for its effectiveness of waste reduction.

The MRM tool, first deployed to a handful of markets in 2006 with the national rollout in 2008, allows Safelite AutoGlass's field-based vehicle glass technicians across the country to download work orders using BlackBerry technology. The technology also provides turn-by-turn directions and job-site credit card processing, real-time schedule updates, receipt printing and signature capture. The application utilizes Bluetooth technology by pairing a wireless printer and signature capture device directly to the phone. The technology allows Safelite AutoGlass® to virtually eliminate paper used by field technicians, which has significantly reduced waste.

"With the 3.7 million customers that Safelite AutoGlass® serves each year, this change has resulted in 94 percent less paper being used per job, which equates to saving 51 million sheets of paper each year from being turned to waste," said Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Safelite AutoGlass. "We're proud to be a finalist for an Emerald Award and will continue doing all we can to protect our surroundings and be effective environmental stewards."

Safelite AutoGlass® submitted the MRM tool for an Emerald Award based on the tool's impact on waste reduction not only in Central Ohio, but throughout the country as well. For example, prior to using MRM, each work order was printed an average of 4.5 times on an 8.5" x 11" printout. The company's new MRM wireless printers utilize a smaller, 4-inch roll of paper and the technician only produces two printouts per work order. The total amount of paper used for each work order now is less than half of what it was previously.

All Emerald Award nominations must involve actions, projects, programs or individuals that occurred or live/work within the SWACO district, which includes Franklin County, Ohio, the county in which Safelite AutoGlass® is based.

All awards will be presented at a luncheon on May 12. Along with Safelite AutoGlass®, 20 other companies are finalists in the categories of Litter Clean Up, Environmental Education, Entrepreneurship, Partnership, Innovation and Leadership.

About Safelite AutoGlass¿
Safelite AutoGlass®, founded in 1947, is the nation's leading provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, providing mobile service more than 90 percent of the U.S. population in all 50 states. A subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based Belron® US, Safelite AutoGlass® serves more than 3.7 million customers each year through its company-owned operations. For more information, visit safelite.com.

About Belron® US
Belron® US, a subsidiary of Belron SA, is a multi-faceted vehicle glass and claims management service organization based in Columbus, Ohio. The company is composed of three major business operations that include vehicle glass fulfillment services, operating under the trade names Auto Glass Specialists®, Cindy Rowe Auto Glass^TM, Diamond Triumph Glass^TM, Elite Auto Glass^TM and Safelite AutoGlass®; windshield manufacturing; and Safelite® Solutions which offers fleet and insurance claims management services. The company employs more than 7,700 people throughout the United States.

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