Apator Metrix - Green Lean

Green Lean is a working name of author’s development of methodology, which is the adaptation of Lean’s Manufacturing techniques to environmental needs. The methodology is the result of works based on experiences and observations of Lean’s Manufacturing functioning system and ISO 14001 on Production Department of Apator Metrix Company. The starting point was the assumption that – as in comparison of ISO 9001 to Lean Manufacturing – ISO emphasizes the process approach and gives general guidelines, whereas Lean Manufacturing provides specific techniques for improving the efficiency of processes, while Green Lean is to give efficient techniques in response to ISO 14001 guidelines. Unfortunately, pure Lean Manufacturing emphasizes reducing losses, which indirectly enhances the environment; however it does not exhibit the direct relationship with the environment.

The idea was born when The Production Department was working on improving environmental protection processes and the management of the Department pointed out two dependencies: when tools focused solely on the protection of environment are implemented, it is associated mostly with generating costs, which subsequently is demotivating. However, when we consider ecology through Lean Manufacturing, this “lean” management including environmental elements gives benefits not only to the company itself but also to the environment. At the turn of 2013/2014 Metrix S.A. established a team consisting of Dariusz Kobiela, Marcin Sawczuk, Piotr Matczak and Marcin Ormianin, and begun the work connected with formulating methodology and indicating practical solutions and implementation practices. The team adopted and modified to its own purposes a set of tools created by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This Agency developed (based on its experience) a toolkit which allows to implement Kaizen, 6S (5S + Security) and Value Stream Mapping for environmental protection. It was decided that combining seemingly inconsistent goals – ecology and reducing costs – will be executed by taking what is best from the toolkit made by EPA and company’s experience with Lean Management and ISO 14001 system of environmental protection. These actions of the team allowed developing a new Lean formula in the field of environment, giving it the working name of “Green Lean”.

The methodology of implementing “Green Lean”, in short, depends on identifying the basic fields of activity of the department, where the efficient use of resources will help the environmental protection. In this field, the particular processes, operations or media will be mapped and ranked; then elements with the biggest influence both on the environment and the costs will be reduced as first. It is vital to fulfill the basic dependency acquired by the implementing team – activities supporting the environmental protection must be accompanied by costs’ reduction.

One of the first elements of the project’s execution is the reduction of wastes in the Department of Plastic Processing. Less wastes results in less material requisition. Besides reducing the materials’ costs, it also reduces the fumes emission done by the material supplier, the internal transportation and the waste receiver. In this case, the activities include: reducing wastes by exchanging the sheet metal by rings of adequate width and exchanging the existing scissors by an unwinder, a straightening machine and a guillotine. This change, besides reducing the amount of wastes, additionally, will result in reducing the buffers, the time of operations, and economizing on the necessary work surface. Less work surface needed to performing the cutting operation will result in reducing the requirements for heating and lighting energy. In the field of costs’ reduction, this project will bring estimated savings of about 15 000 PLN per month. The team has also designed the graphical trademark for the project, which is supposed to promote the pro-ecological activities and initiatives.



Green Lean
Green Lean is a working name of author’s development of methodology, which is the adaptation of Lean’s Manufacturing techniques to environmental needs. The methodology is the result of works based on experiences and observations of Lean’s Manufacturing functioning system and ISO 14001 on Production Department of Apator Metrix Company. The starting point was the assumption that – as in comparison of ISO 9001 to Lean Manufacturing – ISO emphasizes the process approach and gives general guidelines, whereas Lean Manufacturing provides specific techniques for improving the efficiency of processes, while Green Lean is to give efficient techniques in response to ISO 14001 guidelines. Unfortunately, pure Lean Manufacturing emphasizes reducing losses, which indirectly enhances the environment; however it does not exhibit the direct relationship with the environment. The idea was born when The Production Department was working on improving environmental protection processes and the management of the Department pointed out two dependencies: when tools focused solely on the protection of environment are implemented, it is associated mostly with generating costs, which subsequently is demotivating. However, when we consider ecology through Lean Manufacturing, this “lean” management including environmental elements gives benefits not only to the company itself but also to the environment. At the turn of 2013/2014 Metrix S.A. established a team consisting of Dariusz Kobiela, Marcin Sawczuk, Piotr Matczak and Marcin Ormianin, and begun the work connected with formulating methodology and indicating practical solutions and implementation practices. The team adopted and modified to its own purposes a set of tools created by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This Agency developed (based on its experience) a toolkit which allows to implement Kaizen, 6S (5S + Security) and Value Stream Mapping for environmental protection. It was decided that combining seemingly inconsistent goals – ecology and reducing costs – will be executed by taking what is best from the toolkit made by EPA and company’s experience with Lean Management and ISO 14001 system of environmental protection. These actions of the team allowed developing a new Lean formula in the field of environment, giving it the working name of “Green Lean”. The methodology of implementing “Green Lean”, in short, depends on identifying the basic fields of activity of the department, where the efficient use of resources will help the environmental protection. In this field, the particular processes, operations or media will be mapped and ranked; then elements with the biggest influence both on the environment and the costs will be reduced as first. It is vital to fulfill the basic dependency acquired by the implementing team – activities supporting the environmental protection must be accompanied by costs’ reduction. One of the first elements of the project’s execution is the reduction of wastes in the Department of Plastic Processing. Less wastes results in less material requisition. Besides reducing the materials’ costs, it also reduces the fumes emission done by the material supplier, the internal transportation and the waste receiver. In this case, the activities include: reducing wastes by exchanging the sheet metal by rings of adequate width and exchanging the existing scissors by an unwinder, a straightening machine and a guillotine. This change, besides reducing the amount of wastes, additionally, will result in reducing the buffers, the time of operations, and economizing on the necessary work surface. Less work surface needed to performing the cutting operation will result in reducing the requirements for heating and lighting energy. In the field of costs’ reduction, this project will bring estimated savings of about 15 000 PLN per month. The team has also designed the graphical trademark for the project, which is supposed to promote the pro-ecological activities and initiatives. Implementation of Green Lean methodology on workplace level oblige-to-use Green Lean logo, which is availible for download on subpage. The team is ready to share its experiences – contact us! ^[1]http://www.epa.gov/lean/environment/toolkits/index.htm
2014 - Marcin Ormianin