Lean and Green
I’ve been asked to participate next April in a panel discussion at the Woodworking Industry Conference in Monterey California. The program is entitled “Green User’s Forum, Simple Steps To Take To Go $Green”. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Michael Galiazzo, Director of the Regional Manufacturing Institute (www.rmi……com) and along with myself and Dr. Galiazzo, David Beachley President of Beachley Furniture Company and Greg Moores Vice President of DEWALT Construction Engineering will share the podium.
In my experience, it is difficult for most small companies to make significant progress towards becoming greener. We have enough of a challenge just to keep the doors open, the product going out and the money coming in, especially in tough economic times. However, at Tanglewood, we’ve discovered that “going Green goes hand-in-hand with going Lean.”
What I mean by this is that if looked at from the right perspective, “green” initiatives can actually be major contributors to higher levels of efficiency in a company and increases to the bottom line. Oftentimes, we think of green initiatives as costing more money in the short term but yielding some long term or greater benefit in the larger picture. An example of this might be the recycling and re-use of our scrap wood into material that can be used in new product.
This is actually quite labor intensive and costs much more than using virgin material but we understand that the resources of the world are finite and we must do our part to utilize them in the least wasteful manner. If we were a larger company, we could purchase specialized equipment that would automate much of the process and bring down the costs however most small companies (and by far most companies out there are “small businesses”) cannot justify the expense of something like this.
In the big picture however, the recycled material is actually stronger and more stable than the virgin product so there is a bit of an advantage there to offset the higher cost. If we looked at the picture close enough and spent enough time, we might be able to verify this with real numbers. Right now however, we are content to just “know” that we are doing the right thing.
Another opportunity to combine Lean with Green is through our use of technology. For example, for years we’ve put our construction documents on sheets of paper and passed out multiple copies to everyone on our shop floor and in our office. This is not only expensive (uses lots and lots of paper) and very wasteful, but it is difficult to keep all those sets of drawings up to date with changes that one person or another might be making to the job.
The solution of having electronic copies instead of paper copies avoids wasting a huge amount of paper, eliminates the need for all the printing from ink to electricity AND makes it much easier to keep everyone updated on changes which could affect them and the job. Instead of having to have someone run around the company collecting and updating paper and hopefully not missing any copies, the electronic update is done instantaneously and everyone is always working off the same pages. A nice win-win situation. Green and Lean.
I will be presenting examples of Tanglewood Conservatories’ efforts to become a greener and more environmentally friendly company at the conference and in my blog in the future.
Here’s the blurb on the conference session in case anyone is interested in attending.
“Going $Green means cost savings, increased profits and less impact on the environment. Over the past two years, The Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland brought together leaders of business, education government, labor and the community at large to talk and learn about Going $Green. The results were surprising. In this presentation you will find out what companies are doing to be more sustainable and why. Increased sales, decreased costs, employee involvement, supply chain value, and corporate responsibility will be discussed. You will learn about the Lean To Green initiative of the Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing and Engineering (TIME) Center, a National Science Foundation sponsored initiative through the Community College of Baltimore County. EPA programs, like the Green Suppliers Network will be discussed. Specific ways your company can save money by Going $Green will be presented. Most important, this session will call on the audience to respond to questions about Going $Green and to engage in discussion, questions and information sharing.”
The 2010 Woodworking Industry Conference will be held this year at the Monterey Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Monterey California April 22- 24th 2010.
Alan
