YAMAHA GRAND RAPIDS FACILITY RECEIVES ISO 14001 REGISTRATION

Michael Bennett, Vice President/General Manager, Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division; Derek Humphries, Safety & Environmental Engineer; Seiji Abe, Executive Vice-President/Production General Manager

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (July 30, 2002)—The environmental management system of Yamaha Grand Rapids (MI), associated with the manufacture, sales and marketing of band and orchestral instruments, has received ISO14001 registration from Underwriters Laboratories (UL). These facilities include Yamaha Corporation of America's Band & Orchestral Division, which heads up the sales and marketing of band instruments in the U.S. and Canada. Yamaha Musical Products (YMP) is the domestic manufacturer for the Band & Orchestral Division. ISO14001 registration in the U.S. is relatively new, with only select companies achieving third party registration. Yamaha's Grand Rapids facilities follow Yamaha Music Manufacturing in Thomaston, GA (the domestic piano and professional audio speaker assembly facility) to become the second Yamaha facility in the western hemisphere to secure this achievement. Third party registration by UL was issued on April 26, 2002. This effort is part of a global endeavor to obtain ISO 14001 registration worldwide at all manufacturing subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation of Japan.

ISO14000 is an internationally recognized series of voluntary standards for organizations that address environmental management systems, auditing, labeling, performance evaluation and life cycle assessment. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, produces these standards. UL is one of several organizations in the U.S. authorized to perform audits of ISO14001 conformance.

Derek Humphries, Safety and Environmental Engineer at the Grand Rapids facility, oversaw the ISO14001 certification process, which began in earnest in October 2000. "This registration process brought together a cross-functional team of individuals to share ownership in the identification and implementation of environmental improvements," said Humphries. "The real value we experienced was the team effort involving all employees in Grand Rapids, uniting both divisions for one common goal."

Band & Orchestral instrument assembly in Grand Rapids began in 1974, where both divisions, including the offsite warehouse, currently employ 275 people.

"Under the direction of Executive Management, implementation involved designating environmental responsibility at the appropriate level throughout the organization. Assigning this responsibility to all employees whose jobs impact the environment helped us achieve our goals," said Michael Bennett, Vice President and General Manager, Band & Orchestral Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "This is a very high honor and the certification is very timely, considering the current state of the environment. It serves to solidify Yamaha as an environmentally-friendly manufacturer."

Organizations seek out ISO14001 certification as a tangible demonstration to customers, suppliers and the community at large that they are committed to the best environmental practices.

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, 3445 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49518; call (616) 940-4900; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/band.