Are You Playing the Clean Manufacturing Game?

A 10 part blog series discussing important aspects of clean manufacturing technology and implementation strategy.

Clean Manufacturing Technology (CleanTech) – Part 2 of 10

Clean manufacturing technology (CleanTech) includes equipment, processes, policies, practices and continuous improvement measures that concentrate on optimizing manufacturing resources to minimize or eliminate wastes of various forms. CleanTech helps companies achieve maximum productivity and profitability with minimal waste. CleanTech is a hybrid manufacturing strategy involving Lean Manufacturing techniques; a waste reduction focus that emphasizes manufacturing actions and operations to maximize efficiency, and Green Manufacturing techniques; a waste reduction focus that emphasizes manufacturing actions and operations to minimize environmental waste.  Its principal benefit to companies is that CleanTech reduces operating cost in the form of time, transport, chemical management, material consumption, waste treatment, and end-of-pipe pollution control.   CleanTech provides opportunities to reduce regulatory obligations, risks, and associated costs, and increases manufacturing process efficiency and productivity.

Are You Playing the Clean Manufacturing Game?

A 10 part blog series discussing important aspects of clean manufacturing technology and implementation strategy.

Wasting Away Your Manufacturing Profits – Part 1 of 10

Manufacturing waste is generally thought of as any resource used in a production process that does not go out as part of the product and costs money to get rid of it.  However, manufacturing waste also exists in many other forms, for example excessive factory space utilization for equipment (production and waste treatment equipment), inefficient material and process flows, inefficient use of facility labor and lost productivity of both labor and equipment.  These types of wastes significantly impact a company’s bottom line too, but are often obscured in overhead accounts or generally overlooked in the manufacturing operation.