Forging Water Resilience: Engel Tool + Forge Achieves SCS Water Stewardship & Resiliency (WSR) Certification Engel Tool + Forge Co. | SCS Global Services | Water Connect Consulting
Company Background
Engel Tool + Forge, Inc. is a U.S.-based forging company operating a single production site in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company manufactures forged components for industrial applications, including customers in highly water-sensitive sectors such as mining. While Engel Tool + Forge’s operations are not water-intensive, water is a critical operational input, primarily used for process cooling to ensure product quality and equipment reliability. The company has an established history of engaging with sustainability and water management frameworks and is committed to responsible production practices and long-term operational resilience.
Why SCS Water Stewardship and Resiliency (WSR) Certification?
Engel Tool + Forge pursued SCS WSR certification to strengthen operational resilience and demonstrate credible water stewardship through third-party certification. Although the company’s water use is limited and primarily associated with process cooling, Engel Tool + Forge serves customers in highly water-sensitive sectors such as mining, where expectations around responsible water management are increasing. Drawing on prior experience with other sustainability frameworks, Engel Tool + Forge intentionally sought a site-level certification that was rigorous yet proportionate to a small, single-site, urban manufacturing operation: SCS WSR provided a practical, risk-focused, and third-party-verified framework that supports continuous improvement and business resilience rather than reporting alone:
“As a small company, we needed a certification that was rigorous but not so broad that large portions of it simply didn’t apply to our business. SCS WSR struck that balance and gave us a good framework that we can manage over time.” John Dolezal, Controller, Engel Tool + Forge, Inc
Certification Preparation Approach
To prepare for SCS WSR certification, Engel Tool + Forge worked with Water Connect Consulting to translate the requirements of the new standard into a clear, site-appropriate preparation process. While foundational water management practices were already in place, the SCS WSR certification framework required development of additional assessment, documentation, and clarity around roles, data, and ongoing responsibilities. Preparation focused on building a practical, right-sized management system that could be maintained over time, rather than assembling documentation solely for the audit. This included conducting a site-based water risk assessment and clarifying how water-related risks, baseline data, and responsibilities will be reviewed and updated over time.
Close coordination between Engel Tool + Forge, Water Connect Consulting, and SCS Global Services helped ensure that expectations were well understood and that the site was fully prepared ahead of the audit.
The Audit Experience
The success and efficiency of an audit depend on preparation from both the client and the auditor. SCS WSR audits have Two Parts: Part 1 is a pre-audit document review of requested documents and collected data to ensure the client is prepared for the audit. Should the client not be prepared in Part I, SCS will delay the initial on-site audit until the client is prepared. Part 2 is the full day on-site audit (occurring at Year 0 -Initial Certification and Year 3 – Recertification). The on-site audit is a standard process including:
- an opening meeting
- review of documents / data
- walkthrough of the facility, farm, or plant
- review of findings in conformance
- non-conformance with the SCS WSR Auditor
- procedures for closing the findings in an allotted period of time
The technical consulting assistance from Water Connect Consulting resulted in Engel Tool + Forge being extremely prepared both internally at the ETF plant and resulted in achieving successful SCS WSR Certification.
