Corporate Social Responsibility

Impact on society
 
We strive to play an integral role in society and our core value is to meet the needs of forward-thinking surgeons and clinicians by supplying high-quality, cost-effective instrumentation that empowers surgeons and provides patients with an improved quality of life.
 
We have chosen to bring manufacturing home to West Yorkshire – a goal that has been achieved through total capital investment of £2.6 million since moving facilities in April 2008. This strategic move has enabled us to design and manufacture all products in-house thereby tripling our workforce by the end of 2010. It has also led to a significant reduction in the Group’s carbon footprint.
 
On a fundraising level, we organise internal activities to raise money for a local children’s charity and we actively encourage employee  participation in local fundraising events, such as a recent abseiling event at the Royal Armouries (Leeds). Many members of the SI team also regularly participate in sponsored sporting challenges for their own individual charities for which we have a policy of financially matching employee sponsorship contributions.
 
Environmental impact
 
Our objective is to create a climate of excellence, not only for our products and services, but also for employees and persons affected by our activities and the environment. In order to achieve this we have an Environmental Policy and are committed to regular monitoring of our environmental performance against objectives regulated by a committed managed system.
 
The Environmental Policy reviews the impact of all SI’s policies, operations and investment decisions and covers emissions and fuel efficiency, noise, waste, energy use and recycling.
 
Relationships with suppliers, partners and contractors
 
SI uses criteria of a reputable standard to select major suppliers, partners and contractors and ties to ensure that all our major suppliers meet the requirements of ISO 9001 and, where appropriate, ISO 13485.
 
Recently we helped two of our major suppliers to implement this criteria by continued support and encouragement. In all cases we will  try to ensure a long-term partnership which benefits all parties involved.
 
Relationships with regional stakeholders
 
Working with key stakeholders across the region allows us to play a key role in the healthcare sector of Yorkshire and Humber, and enjoying  a long-standing relationship with both Medilink and Medipex enables the Company to benefit from the sector expertise available.
 
Relationships with regional educational institutes
 
We strive to play an integral role in society and recognise the importance of investing in the younger generation by working with local schools and universities. A group of BTEC Science students from a local high school visited earlier in the year to learn about the potential career opportunities available to them before being given a tour of the factory and set a design challenge.
 
Alongside this activity, we have been working with the Thackray Medical Museum to create an individual exhibit for the museum which will go on display soon. The purpose of the exhibit is to showcase our world-leading products, explaining our history and encouraging schoolchildren to understand the diverse opportunities available in a medical career – from doctor to designer.