Lean and Green: New Ideas for Improvement

Manufacturers across the state are finding value in joining the Green Suppliers Network

Workers at Central Container in Brooklyn Park are now entering their names in the company's first-ever drawing to win a green product. This week it is a reusable cloth shopping bag. Sometime soon it might be an environmentally-friendly pen, or reusable water bottle.
 
This drawing  is just one fun activity inside Central Container's company-wide green initiative first launched two years ago. Lean enterprise manager Ed Polin says that the company is finding "green" comes into everyday actions throughout the plant and employees are buying into it. "[Green] is easy to sell," Polin said. "People are aware of the environment and trying to protect it."
 
Last fall, Central Container took a passion for green initiatives outside of their business, to their suppliers and customers, becoming the first company in the state to join the Green Supplier Network (GSN). The GSN is a collaboration between industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), that works with all levels of the supply chain to achieve environmental and economic benefits.

With more than 150 companies nationwide having participated, GSN is now catching on in Minnesota..
 
Polin says that the first step was to create a green value stream map, which helped devise eight projects to reduce energy waste. One finding showed that the company could be more energy efficient by only running machines that they used. After eliminating extra operating machines, they have saved energy, increased safety around running equipment, and saved money in the process.
 
Central Container also is working with one of its major suppliers to  use electronic invoices to save paper, administration time, and costs. They're working with each customer to match packaging dimensions closely to the product, reducing the amount of waste and byproducts. They are also using partially agri-based ink and their cardboard is 60 percent post-consumer recycled material. To date, Polin estimates Central Container's green waste savings at $205,000.
 
Still, as Central Container works with key customers and suppliers to implement changes and complete all projects, new ideas keep coming up..
 
"This is like peeling back the layers of an onion," Polin said. "We keep identifying additional opportunities beyond just the initial improvements."
 
Another green-minded company in southern Minnesota is embracing the GSN. Harmony Enterprises manufacturers waste management and recycling equipment that helps others be green, but this year Harmony considered how their own company could be more efficient and reduce waste, said president Steve Cremer. In April, the company began working with the GSN, eventually identifying more than 20 ways to improve their business using green waste-saving processes.
 
Most of the ideas are "simple things on green" said Cremer, like fixing leaky lines and insulating a water heater. "Maybe it only saves you a hundred dollars a year, but it costs ten dollars to do it."
 
In addition, Harmony is doing larger projects, completing a green value stream on one of their most popular product lines and outlining steps to improve efficiency. Even on more complex initiatives, Cremer expects a pay-back to be only six months.
 
"A lot of people have done the lean part, but never considered green," Cremer said. "Joining the Green Supplier Network will help set us apart."
 
Yet just like going lean, becoming green is a "journey" Polin says. "We've found that [green] is not a one-shot program, or a program of the month; the more you do it, the stronger it gets."

Boost Work Performance Through New Safety Solutions

When: June 24, 2009, 8:00am - 11:00am
Where: RJF Agencies (map)
Cost: Early Bird Rate $79 (before June 10), Group Rate 4 for $237, or Regular $110
Continental breakfast provided.

<

Who should attend:
CEOs, General Managers, CFOs, CIOs, VPs, Mid Level Managers, & Supervisors

What to expect:
Discover how best practices for safety affect your bottom line and deliver Return on Investment (ROI). Accidents cause injuries, damages to equipment, scrap, lost time, and decreased morale. Hear from industry experts about how to engage employees in identifying and eliminating potential hazards, and analyzing the chain of events that lead to accidents and hazardous situations.

Presenters:

Register online today!

For questions or more information email events@enterpriseminnesota.org or call our events line at 612.455.4239.

Enterprise Minnesota Magazine

May/June 2009

 
Features

Generation Next: Minnesota schools, companies and organizations cultivate tomorrow's manufacturing workforce.

Introducing Lean 2.0: Enterprise Minnesota works with clients to streamline manufacturing processes while incorporating green practices.

Recession-Proof Roast: Despite the downturn, Le Center-based European Roasterie, Inc. remains the nation's largest independent coffee roaster.

In Every Issue

Editorial: Enterprise Minnesota advises companies to prep for a turn in the market.

The Final Word: Paul Soubry discusses Vice President Joe Biden's message to Minnesota

Innovations

Back Onshore

The Bright Side of Green

Recruiting Tomorrow's Workforce

The Emerald City

Four Questions with Judy Wlodarczyk

Eyes on the Future

Perfect Phitch

Enterprise Minnesota Magazine Archive

View Archive Issues