Articles – Page 3 – Lean Six Sigma and the Environment

Sofa manufacturer deploys Lean to reduce glue and electricity – Kaizen Institute

By -admin
Posted on January 11, 2024May 11, 2024
Posted in Energy, External Article, Raw Materials

A company aimed to increase mattress production efficiency, eliminate component overproduction in the sofa manufacturing process, and significantly reduce workplace accidents. In addition, they were looking to increase sustainability and business growth by implenting Lean. They focused on optimizing glue usage and electricity consumption. They reduced material waste by 2%, eliminated excess components by 95%, and

E108: Interview with Maria Grzanka and Reed Harrison

By -admin
Posted on December 21, 2023February 13, 2024
Posted in Employee Engagement, Government, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Management, Nonprofit, Podcast, Volunteering

In this podcast, I share an interview I had with Reed Harrison, Executive Director of Mind Matters Portland, and Maria Grzanka, a process improvement expert and prolific volunteer in Portland, Oregon. Reed worked in Supply Chain management and Operations with major companies like Adidas and Columbia Sportswear, but ended up as Executive Director at Mind

E107: Lean Methods for Sustainable Businesses – ISBF Webinar Series

By -admin
Posted on December 12, 2023December 25, 2023
Posted in Book Review, Employee Engagement, Energy, Government, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Management, Nonprofit, Podcast, Pollutants, Solid Waste, Volunteering

In this podcast, I share a presentation that was Part 1 of a 2-part sustainability webinar series sponsored by Iowa Sustainable Business Forum and Iowa Lean Consortium (part of CIRAS). It was geared towards introducing those in sustainability roles to Lean methods, which have become some of the most popular improvement methods used in high-performing

Growing sustainably with Lean Thinking

By -admin
Posted on December 8, 2023May 11, 2024
Posted in Employee Engagement, External Article, Solid Waste

Norwegian furniture manufacturer Haugstad Møbel expanded its lean transformation and employee engagement efforts towards the future. They were able to transform their culture and unlock the potential of sustainable product growth through a program to teach the next generation how to re-sell, re-furbish, and re-use furniture. Circular HUB is a learning factory where kids aged

Using Lean to meet basic needs in society – Lean Global Connection

By -admin
Posted on December 1, 2023November 28, 2024
Posted in External Article, Nonprofit, Solid Waste, Wasted Food

In the 2023 Lean Global Connection, a panel discussion was organized to discuss the use of Lean to assist with basic needs and societal challenges such as hunger, healthcare and unemployment. The discussion features four panelists from diverse fields: The panelists strongly believe in the immense potential of lean thinking and practice to address complex

Can lean help battle climate change? – Lean Global Connection

By -admin
Posted on December 1, 2023November 28, 2024
Posted in Carbon Footprint, External Article, Raw Materials, Solid Waste

In the 2023 Lean Global Connection, a panel discussion was organized to discuss the use of Lean to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. A few themes emerged. While lean does not automatically equate to green practices, its principles and tools can significantly contribute to environmental sustainability. Sustainability is no longer about convincing people

E106: Lean and Green Case Study – Prefab Home Manufacturer Saves $300K

By -admin
Posted on November 27, 2023December 12, 2023
Posted in Employee Engagement, Land and Building Use, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Podcast, Solid Waste

In this podcast, I share a “Lean and Green” case study I supported for a prefab home manufacturer in California in 2020-2021. I was asked to speak to the Industrial and Systems Engineers class by Professor Corey Kiassat at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. He contacted me after my presentation at the Lean Global Connection

E105: Improving Government Services to Protect Children and Elections with Kerry L. Bass

By -admin
Posted on September 15, 2023November 27, 2023
Posted in Employee Engagement, Government, Nonprofit, Podcast, Uncategorized

In this podcast, I interview Kerry Lewis Bass, who has many years of experience improving processes in the corporate world and within government agencies. He has recently launched his consulting business to assist leaders in an organization to “develop, and successfully implement, assess and improve operational strategy and initiatives.” We discuss his work in government

E104: How Process Improvement Can Help Address Climate Change with David Saunders

By -admin
Posted on August 24, 2023October 12, 2023
Posted in Carbon Footprint, Employee Engagement, Energy, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Management, Nonprofit, Podcast, Pollutants, Transportation, Volunteering

In this episode, I speak with David Saunders, who is a retired Quality consultant and has focused his next career on using improvement tools to reduce the impact of climate change. He is a Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P) through the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), and volunteers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

E103: Applying Lean and Social Responsibility within Interface with Billy Ingram

By -admin
Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023
Posted in Carbon Footprint, Employee Engagement, Lean Six Sigma Tools, Management, Podcast, Pollutants, Solid Waste, Water

In this episode, I speak with my good friend Billy Ingram, who is the Director of Lean Product and Process Development at Interface. We discuss his process improvement background prior to Interface, then talk about his current work that is extending the environmental sustainability vision provided by founder Ray Anderson. He has helped developed more