Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Founded by Jerry Sanders and friends in 1969, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) started by making copies of the existing microprocessors in the market. The company overgrew touching revenue of U$ 26.5 million by 1974. In 1975 AMD expanded its operations globally and emphasized innovation, introducing its first memory product RAM. The growth of AMD was driven by two initiatives ‘Age of Asparagus’ representing the company’s drive to increase the number of proprietary products by strengthening its R&D and ‘Catch the way’ representing recruitment drive intended to tap the talent pool. The company responded to changing market conditions by venturing into networking and production of the communication chips, programmable logic devices, and high performances devices. AMD also signed cross-licensing agreements with IBM and joint venture with Fujitsu to stay ahead of the game.
Featured on top 50 ‘America’s most admired companies for two consecutive years from 2003 and 2004, ADM is renowned for its commitment to business ethics, social and environmental issues. It had won several national and international prestigious awards for exceptional achievement in environmental performance and sustainable development sector. The company also received several accolades for its employee benefit schemes, workplace safety, and welfare programs.
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In 1992 the world business council for sustainable development (WBCSD) made it mandatory for all businesses to incorporate sustainability in their activities, which translates to the conservation of irreplaceable resources and environmental maintenance. The focus of AMD’s priorities is evident from its philosophy “people first, products and profit will follow.” The company highlights the socioeconomic and environmental values in its decision making process and practice controlled natural resources consumption through waste management.
The company retains a highly knowledgeable, skilled workforce and ensures competitive compensation & benefit and facilities to the employees by providing profit sharing, employee stock options, and bonus plans. The other employee benefits include health coverage, retirement savings, life, and disability insurance, and work-life balance. The company’s commitment towards employees is evident from U$. Million budget allocation for workforce development in 2003. AMD is recognized as a leader in workforce development.
The company was very successful in ensuring a safe and healthy workplace that extended beyond the regulatory requirement. The results were evident from noticeable drop occupational injuries and illness by implementing stringent engineering and administrative control systems. Manufacturing equipment was pretested, and employees were provided with proper training. The company also adopted a comprehensive health surveillance program that potential health risk assessed the impact of physical and chemical hazards, maintaining the performance level of employees. With about U$ 6.3 million company strategically invested its corporate resources for strengthening community activities and education at different fabrication sites.
Under its “environmental health safety” program, AMD aims at producing safe products that are not only environmentally benign but also technically and economically feasible as they mitigate environmental hazards. Environmental hazard that was created due to dumping of the chemical waste is controlled by banning usage of certain materials like lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium etc. ADM has also replaced its polyvinyl chloride and cadmium packing material with recycled brown boxes that are environmental friendly. Nylon pins and plus used in packaging are also returned with recyclable PVC pins. AMD introduced “automatic sleep mode” in its products to conserve electrical energy. It is also the first member of the semi-conductor industry to join the US environment protection agency’s (EPA) “Green power partnership program. AMD remarkably contributed towards sustainable development by reducing social and environmental imbalances and fulfilling its duty towards the triple bottom line people, planet, and profit.
