grand river foods waste management project proposal

Grand River Foods Michael Armel 20416836 Team 8 Kimberly Jogie 20411797 ENBUS 402A Kai Shimizu 20431621 Jacqueline Widjaja 20436948 Alexander Yuan 20408879

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Disclaimer: This proposal was developed by a team of students from the Environment and Business

program at the University of Waterloo in partnership with Grand River Foods. It is intended solely for

the internal use of Grand River Foods and may not be provided to any other person or entity without

the expressed written consent of the Environment and Business program. While every effort was

made by the students to ensure accuracy and completeness, neither the Environment and Business

program nor the proposal authors are able to warrant the degree of accuracy or completeness of this

report. This proposal was prepared on a best effort basis and is intended to be of assistance to

management only. The reader should not rely solely on the content to make any business decisions.

1.0 Summary of Proposal

Product waste is the main source of production inefficiency, especially within the food

production industry. To remain competitive within the food industry, it is important to close all

possible loops to divert waste from reaching landfills and increase profit margins. Grand River Foods,

a food manufacturing company located in Cambridge, is seeking improvements to its approach to

drive eco-efficiency within their operations. The goal of this project is to increase revenue by

avoiding material waste, which will be done by improving the efficiency and productivity of capital

and material flows. The question that this project aims to answer is: How can concepts of

sustainability be integrated into Grand River Foods’ business strategies? This will be accomplished by

designing and creating a waste flow map that highlights all areas of opportunity of improvement.

To narrow the scope of this project, focus will be made on one specific product line or

product within the facility. To address this problem, the team has prepared a five-phase process that

will be implemented in winter of 2016. The phases, outlined in the Methodology section of this

proposal, will address the client’s vision and strategy, use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

within the Balanced Scorecard framework, waste flow mapping, analysis of findings, and creation of

recommendations. Quantitative and qualitative data in these phases will be collected through

methods such as one-on-one interviews, documentation analysis, and visual audits.

The key measure of success for this project is to create a waste flow map and use this tool to

identify areas for improvements and gaps in the process flow of waste at the facility for a specific

product line or product and provide recommendations. These recommendations will be based off of

information gathered from previously mentioned methods. We hope to recognize positive changes

in waste management practices, where the use for waste is no longer limited to compost or energy

generation.


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2.0 Statement of Problem

The question that this research aims to answer is: Based on an environmental impacts

baseline, how can sustainability concepts, theories and frameworks be integrated into Grand River

Foods’ operations with the purpose of driving eco-efficiency from a food product waste perspective?

The overall issue that this project will address is the inefficiencies within manufacturing systems

from a food product waste perspective.

Sub Questions:

1. What are some ways food product waste can be prevented, reduced, repurposed or

recycled?

2. Can a management framework be implemented to effectively track and manage the

efficiency of usage within Grand River Foods?

3. How can food product waste be used to Grand River Foods’ advantage?

Currently, Grand River Foods lacks a method to track the facility’s inputs and outputs of food

products and its wastes, and the efficiency of the process. To address this problem the team will

implement a five-phase process with a framework based on a combination of the Balanced

Scorecard and KPIs that will be further detailed within the methodology section of the report.

The waste flow mapping process and resulting analysis will focus on a product line or

product. This will provide a foundation with which Grand River Foods can utilize in the future. The

team will develop the frameworks, concepts and waste flow map in hopes of various applications to

other products and product lines within the facility. This is possible with the flexibility of the

management tool this project will create.

3.0 Project Objectives

The overall objective of this process is to design and create a waste flow map that highlights

all areas of opportunity for improvement. This tool will identify problems within the waste processes

and that will help organize and breakdown the gaps and inefficiencies that need to be addressed.

From this, the team will establish recommendations that can drive product and material efficiency.

In order to narrow the scope of the project, the focus will be on improvements for a specific

product or product line within the facility. The project is measurable in that the indicator of progress

will be the information gathered from the map process waste flow and the findings and

recommendations. The goals of the project are attainable due to the academic resources available at


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the university, and it is realistic given the time constraints of the project. In terms of the timely

manner of the project’s completion, the timeline shows the breakdown of the specific dates of tasks

to be completed and the date of completion for the final project.

4.0 Context

Product waste is the main source of production inefficiency, especially within the food

production industry (Thogersen, 1996). In most manufacturing scenarios, increasing productivity and

product yield from materials is the more reliable technique for increasing profit margins (Thogersen,

1996) Grand River Foods, being no different, aims to achieve a higher level of productivity through

reducing their environmental impact and improving food production in order to achieve their goals

and daily operations.

Currently one of Grand River Foods’ main techniques to reduce food waste sent to landfill is

to send their organic waste to Rothsay. Rothsay is a recycling company that reclaims materials from

organic waste in order to create biofuels for research and consumer use. In addition to partnerships

with recycling firms, GRF also hopes to establish an environmental framework to create baseline

data to determine product line efficiency. GRF also is a part of the SaveONEnergy Program and are

working alongside consultants to integrate energy efficient techniques into their new extension of

their facility.

In order to contextualize and assess the best means of reaching GRF’s mission, several

techniques for reducing or improving the use of food waste were assessed. Through our research we

discovered that the by-products from daily operations can be given to third party recycling

companies. These companies take food manufacturing by-products and conduct research to create

cooking oils, soaps, lubricants, livestock feed, and even biofuels (Lin et al., 2013; Farmani &

Rostammiri, 2015; Arvanitoyannis & Ladas, 2008; Frenkel et al., 2014). This technique is commonly

used. This option also covers a potential reclamation of finances as food manufacturing waste is

unused material, or unclaimed profit.

The second technique is an adjustment to food packaging to assist in the reduction of food

loss. In a study by Williams et al., (2012) it was discovered that innovations to the package,

independent of whether or not the packaging gains a higher environmental impact, can lower overall

environmental impact of the product. Changing the shape, material, or content of the package,

which allows the end user to receive as much product as possible, reduces food waste. The

prevention of food waste, which embodies a larger environmental footprint than that of the

packaging waste, thus reducing overall environmental impact.


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4.1 Balanced Scorecard and KPIs

The last two techniques will be the ones implemented by this project. This includes the use

of a Balanced Scorecard and KPIs. The significance of the Balanced Scorecard is that it utilizes

strategy to drive focus in key areas. It is effective in establishing a baseline and continuously

monitoring those areas against the desired outcome. The Balanced Scorecard will create a

methodology in which Grand River Foods can identify KPIs through analysis of production lines and

factory audits. KPIs are metrics identified by Grand River Foods and the project team that will be

material to improving the environmental impact and financial performance of Grand River Foods.

These KPIs will be observed over time and be evaluated according to their current environmental

impact (Bai & Sarkis, 2014). Using the Balanced Scorecard and KPI, the project team will be able to

separate, analyze, and assess the level of Grand River Foods’ environmental impact and strategize

how to eliminate low hanging fruit (Kaplan & Norton, 2005). In addition to this, the Balanced

Scorecard will help identify primary steps within the chosen production line that are inefficient, or

can be improved to prevent waste, reclaim more product from material, or improve productivity.

4.2 Lean Manufacturing and Waste Flow Mapping

Upon the use of the Balanced Scorecard, Grand River Foods will be required to implement a

waste management program. However, to complete this task, the appropriate framework for the

waste management analysis is required. As a common manufacturing tool, lean manufacturing

principles and tools are often used in many industries (Kurdve et al., 2015). Lean manufacturing is a

method that was first used in the automobile industry to eliminate any unnecessary waste or losses

during the production phase of the products, including the optimization of equipment and labour

performance efficiency (Lopes et al., 2015). Not only does the uniqueness of lean manufacturing

include environmental aspects (material waste), but also it involves the reduction of losses in

operation (Kurdve et al., 2015). Lean manufacturing holds two fundamental principles that makes

the tool unique: “visualization” and “go and see” (Kurdve et al., 2015). These two principles are very

important concepts to acknowledge within the company to fully comprehend the manufacturing

process.

Within lean manufacturing, there are several complementing tools that can be concurrently

used to better assess the efficiency rate within a manufacturing facility. One tool is the Value Stream

Map (VSM). The VSM is a visualization tool that can be widely applied from single product lines to an

entire supply chain. The VSM can be drawn out without heavy details and can be used to easily

identify potential opportunities in efficiency improvements (Kurdve et al., 2015). Additionally an


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environmental VSM (E-VSM) can be used to identify waste hot-spots and opportunities in energy

efficiency upgrades.

With the use of lean manufacturing tools, the visualized maps will be analyzed and the

opportunities for further production efficiency will be identified. To be able to prioritize and choose

the opportunities, the waste hierarchy, shown on Fig. 1, wi ll be used (Smith and Ball, 2012). This

waste hierarchy displays which prevention and minimization of waste opportunities are the favoured

and should be pursued immediately.

Figure 1. Waste Hierarchy (Smith and Ball, 2012)

Lean manufacturing tools previously mentioned are often integrated with each other and

used in many industries. However, through company case studies of lean manufacturing tools, many

issues and gaps were identified. One of the main issues are time constraints. Many case studies

identified that there was not enough time and labour for these tools to be effectively integrated into

everyday operations. Another key issue identified is that most of the facilities identifying as lean

manufacturing only concentrated on the lead and labour time efficiency instead of material waste

efficiency. These key components of the lean manufacturing tool and principles were often

ineffectively integrated within the pre-existing process (Curve et al., 2015). GRF, having limited

resources and time, would not be a viable candidate for this technique.

Putting these tools and principles into the context of GRF, the gaps and issues identified in

lean manufacturing provides an opportunity for improvement in material waste efficiency. Lean

manufacturing is the basis for efficient manufacturing. A technique that branched off from lean

manufacturing tools and principles was Waste Flow Mapping (WFM). The WFM solely concentrates

on the improvement of the material waste efficiency. In addition, the WFM is a concept that can be

implemented within a shorter amount of time and with higher efficiency rates in waste

management, thus within the reach of GRF’s constraints. WFM is similar to lean manufacturing in

the visualization of waste hot spots. Yet more effectively, the WFM also identifies opportunities for


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improvements on a map horizontally, mapping results on a facility-wide scale, and vertically, per

product line (Fig. 2) (Kurdve et al., 2015).

Figure 2. Example of an eco-map of waste generation points (Kurdve et al., 2015)

Through our research, methodology, and collaboration with Grand River Foods, we as a team hope

to contribute this case to the body of research regarding food manufacturing. The usage of our

Balanced Scorecard, KPIs, and waste flow mapping, will demonstrate a case example for how these

tools can be synergized. It will also be looked into how these tools can work together to identify the

problem, assess and visualize gaps, as well as devise and execute a solution. The identified KPIs will

be heavily assessed upon what and how they can improve GRF’s daily operations. The research will

demonstrate the effectiveness of a waste flow map and how it can be used as a visualization tool to

analyze and identify waste improvement opportunities. The GRF case will highlight how a WFM can

be applied to a food manufacturing setting.

4.3 Key Terms

Balanced Scorecard - A framework that utilizes strategy to drive focus in key areas. It establishes a

baseline to continuously monitor areas against the desired outcome. The Balanced Scorecard can

serve as a method to identify KPIs through analysis of a firm’s strategy.

Lean Manufacturing - The process of eliminating waste through improving the quality of production

time and cost as opposed to reducing product. The focus is upon improving the "flow" or

smoothness of work, thereby steadily eliminating unnecessary steps through the system and not

upon “waste reduction”.


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Key Performance Indicator - A business metric used to evaluate factors that are crucial to the

success of an organization.

Waste Flow Mapping - A visualization tool used to identify the waste generating hotspots. This tool

is used hand in hand with the lean manufacturing framework.

Value Stream Map - A visualization tool from the lean manufacturing framework that is used for any

product or service. This map is used to analyze the whole process from the beginning to the end of

the product, including the supply chains and end of life.

Eco-efficiency - The delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs

while progressively reducing ecological impacts and maintaining quality.

5.0 Methodology

The overall goal of the proposed study is to integrate sustainability concepts, theories and

frameworks into Grand River Foods’ operations with the purpose of driving eco -efficiency. Within

the overall goal, the following study will seek to action these areas of sustainability. The proposed

study will utilize interviews, on-site audits, and document analysis as methods to drive the

integration of eco-efficient solutions. The study will seek to separate sections as “Phases” to allow

for the integration and utilization of these methods.

In regards to topics or aspects that will be included in the study, the project will consider:

Grand River Food’s manufacturing facility, direct input to food production, direct waste from food

production. Direct input to food production includes all materials (i.e. ingredients, packaging, water)

required to create a final product. Direct waste from food production refers to all direct waste on

site or during the product manufacturing life cycle where waste is defined as any output of material

that is not intended as final product.

Topics or aspects that will be considered out of scope for this project include: wastewater

and wastewater treatment, direct air emissions, direct energy consumption, indirect energy use and

waste, and process changes. Wastewater and wastewater treatment will not be covered in this study

because of pre-existing concerns regarding potential impacts to food safety. As well, direct air

emissions will not be considered because current emissions caused by the facility are negligible.

Indirect energy use and waste will also be scoped out of this project due to the complexity and

extended analysis required for examination. Process changes refer to any changes in regards to food

production that deviate from the current modular nature of the facility. These changes will be

omitted because of client requirements for this configuration.


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Phase 1: Conduct Preliminary One-on-one interview with management

Within the first component of the proposed study, the understanding of Grand River Foods’

strategy and vision will need to be established in order to drive the entirety of the project. To

determine what strategy GRF employs and what the firm sees its overall vision as being, a series of

one-on-one interviews will be conducted with management. Because the scope of the study has

been established as only considering the Cambridge facilities, the series of interviews will be

directed at the Plant Manager, Katie Kuzuchar. Katie’s senior management position oversees a ll

operations at GRF. She has been selected as the point of contact for the strategy and vision aspect of

the study because she brings an understanding of all processes and can help to identify which

product or line to focus on.

Phase 2: Apply Strategy and Vision into a Framework

Following the completion of the one-on-one strategy and vision interviews, the study will

implement the framework. The specific framework that will be applied to GRF is the Balanced

Scorecard. This framework is non-prescriptive, meaning that it is flexible and can be applied to any

organization. The Balanced Scorecard works by applying the strategy and vision to a four pillar

structure that consists of financials, customers, internal business processes, and learnings and

growth. Within each of these four pillars, KPIs are developed to measure specific goals or to highlight

areas of focus. This study will seek to apply the strategy and vision of GRF into a scorecard that will

reflect key areas of focus for the four pillars that is specific to the topic of waste.

KPIs that are developed during the scorecarding process will be used during the next several

phases in order to highlight materiality considerations for the business. They will also serve the focus

of measuring baseline and progress for issues and tactics regarding waste.

Phase 3: Waste Flow Mapping

Within the framework, there will be a focus on waste. The input and output of commodity

and materials will be tracked using a waste flow mapping tool. Waste examined will include

materials such as ingredients, packaging, water usage, yet exclude energy or time wasted as often

prescribed in lean manufacturing. The goal of the implementation of WFM is to increase the

efficiency of current waste management practices. Frequency of site visits and other details in

regards to client engagements are displayed in the Gantt chart (Appendix D).


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Phase 3.1: Identifying a Product or Product Line

With the cooperation of the plant manager, a specific product, product line, or a group of

products will be chosen for further analysis. This also includes defining the limits and boundaries of

the waste flow map or in other words, specifically determining the points at which the visual audit

will commence and conclude. In the interest of time, narrowing the scope of this research to a

product or product line will allow for more thorough and comprehensive results. As opposed to

implementing this tool facility wide, implementation of this tool on a smaller scale will allow any

challenges to be resolved efficiently and with less risk.

Phase 3.2: Review of Documentation

Types of documentation reviewed can include and are not limited to Standard Operating

Procedures (SOP), any existing Process Flow Charts, and data sets that pertain to production

information such as batch size, scrap rate, and cycle times. By gathering background i nformation,

the team will gain a better understanding of the history and operational processes of Grand River

Foods as well as study trends of how the company operates year-round. Document review will also

help prepare the team for further interviews with GRFs’ personnel. All data gathered will have the

potential to be used to develop the waste flow map of a product or product line and will be kept

confidential as per the client’s request.

Phase 3.3: Conducting interviews

The main purpose for conducting additional interviews is to add a human dimension to the

quantitative data that was gathered through documentation review. It is also to discover and

deepen the understanding of production and waste management related processes that are relevant

to the chosen product or product line. The following positions have been chosen for interviews

because of the roles that they play at Grand River Foods. A total of 7 employees will be interviewed.

The extensive knowledge and expertise they have acquired from their positions will provide valuable

insight that may be helpful when making conclusions and recommendations at the end of this

research.

Waste Material Handler - At least one waste material handler will be interviewed for this research.

Waste material handlers will be helpful when determining most common wastes and quantities

generated by GRF on a recurring basis, current waste disposal practices, and any issues regarding

current processes. Because of their exposure to the facility’s operations, their feedback will allow for


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the identification of inefficient processes identified from personal observation.

Production Engineer - Production Engineers specifically will help identify the process flow steps of

the product or product line observed in this research. They should also be knowledgeable and

provide the team with technical information such as input and output quantities required or

produced by a machine and its efficiency rates. In addition, other information that the interview

hopes to reveal includes prior improvement modifications that have been unsuccessful or existing

problem areas that are currently being observed.

Line Leader - Line leaders ensure that production runs smoothly and meets the daily or weekly

quota. Line leaders from morning and night shifts will be interviewed regarding process inefficiencies

that they have personally observed to determine if any discrepancies lie within different production

shifts

Phase 3.4: On-Site Visual Audit

This step of conducting the Waste Flow Mapping will require the team to perform on-site

monitoring of on-going operations and detailed note taking. At this stage, specific process steps for

the WFM will be defined by walking through the processes that the product undergoes or what

components are set within the product line. Examples of possible process steps include insertion of

raw materials, mixer, former, oven, freezing, packaging, and so forth. Waste collection points such as

containers will also be mapped.

Phase 3.5: Mapping Waste Flows

All data collected as a result of the documentation review, interviews, and visual audits will

be used to plot a waste flow map of the product or product line investigated. The waste flow map

will plot all inputs and outputs of the production line pertaining to the topic of waste. Microsoft Visio

will be used to create the map/chart. The final product will serve as a visualization tool used to

observe the company’s environmental impact in regards to waste.

Phase 4: Identifying Problem Areas

The completed material flow map will be interpreted to identify opportunities for

improvement within a product line. Any process steps that are identified as having an inefficient or

unexpected amount of inputs or outputs will be flagged during this analysis. Inefficiencies can be

identified by utilizing the scorecard developed from Phase 2. This scorecard will include material

indicators or KPIs that will enhance the ability of the study to understand concerning high or low

resource use. Once process steps are flagged, the analysis will attempt to reconcile why they are


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particularly high or concerning. If there are still discrepancies, efforts will be made to explain the

issues at hand. Examples of possible sources of waste include excessive inventory, poor quality of

product which results in reworking, or mixed waste that can be further sorted.

Phase 5: Recommendations

Upon the completion of the analysis in Phase 4, the results will be discussed and reflected in

Phase 5. This will entail a close examination of the findings and further analysis into potential

recommendations based off of the findings from the previous phase. A brief review of options within

the recommendations will detail how findings from the prior phases can be translated into GRFs’

operations. Recommendations that are developed will use the Waste Hierarchy from Figure 1 to

determine priority for communication to the client. Recommendations will also be scored in a

prioritization matrix based on relative benefit, cost, and risk.

6.0 Communication of Results

The intent of this project is to gather findings that will be used to form recommendations to

be applied to Grand River Foods. These recommendations will focus on any issues found in the

overall process of waste flows within the facility, including inputs and outputs. A detailed research

document of the findings and recommendations of the project will be created and presented to the

plant manager of Grand River Foods, Katie Kuzuchar. As plant manager, she is interested in making

improvements to increase the efficiency of internal operations. As stated in previous meetings,

waste related issues will become a focus of GRF in their upcoming management plan. The findings

and recommendations outlined by this study will help to supplement integration of waste

management practices and efficiency strategies.

It is up to the client’s discretion whether or not this research document is to be distributed

internally. In the future, GRF may face challenges in implementing the framework and KPIs due to

the project having a smaller scope relative to GRF’s larger operations. Issues may arise when

applying concepts learned in this project to other products or production lines. Additional

deliverables for the client include the audit reports, the waste flow map, project poster, and a

presentation discussing project findings.


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7.0 Project Schedule

Phase 1 of this research will begin as soon as the team receives the appropriate ethics

approval as required. Phase 1, where we will gather the information needed for creating the

technical strategy, is to be completed by January 8 to allot more time for the other phases of this

project. Phase 2 involves the integration of our framework. This will begin upon the completion of

Phase 1 and will be completed by January 15. Phase 3, the waste flow map, will require the most

time as it involves many activities that are highly dependent of each other. For this reason, the

activities of Phase 3 is spread out over the course of 4 weeks, to be completed by February 12. Phase

4, identifying problem areas, is to be completed by February 19. This phase will consist of compiling

all findings and establishing a gap analysis. Last but not least, Phase 5 will bring together all possible

recommendations and organizing them by priority. Phase 5 is to be completed by February 22.

Upon the completion of the five Phases, the project team will work to synthesize our results

and prepare the appropriate documents to disseminate our findings and recommendations. The

final report and other deliverables will be submitted to the client by April 4 at the latest. A detailed

overview of the project schedule, tasks, and persons responsible is outlined below in the Gantt

chart.


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References

Arvanitoyannis, I. S., & Ladas, D. (2008). Meat waste treatment methods and potential uses. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 43(3), 543-559. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01492.x

Bai, C., & Sarkis, J. (2014). Determining and applying sustainable supplier key performance

indicators. Supply Chain Management, 19(3), 275-291. doi:10.1108/SCM-12-2013-0441[MA1]

Farmani, J., & Rostammiri, L. (2015). Characterization of chicken waste fat for application in food

technology. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 9(2), 143-150. doi:10.1007/s11694-014-9219-y

Frenkel, V. S., Cummings, G. A., Maillacheruvu, K. Y., & Tang, W. Z. (2014). Food-processing wastes.

Water Environment Research, 86(10), 1498-1514. doi:10.2175/106143014X14031280668056 Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2005). The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance .

Harvard Business Review, 83(7-8), 172-180+194. Retrieved from www.scopus.com Kurdve, M., Shahbazi, S., Wendin, M., Bengtsson, C., & Wiktorsson, M. (2015). Waste flowmapping

to improve sustainability of waste management: A case study approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 98(Complete), 304-315. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.06.076

Lin, C. S. K., Pfaltzgraff, L. A., Herrero-Davila, L., Mubofu, E. B., Abderrahim, S., Clark, J. H., . . .

Luque, R. (2013). Food waste as a valuable resource for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels. current situation and global perspective. Energy and Environmental Science, 6(2), 426-464. doi:10.1039/c2ee23440h

Lopes, R. B., Freitas, F., & Sousa, I. (2015). Application of lean manufacturing tools in the food and

beverage industries. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 10(3), 120-130.

Smith, L., & Ball, P. (2012). Steps towards sustainable manufacturing through modelling material, energy and waste flows. International Journal of Production Economics, 140(1), 227-238.

Thogersen, J. (1996). Wasteful food consumption: Trends in food and packaging waste.

Scandinavian Journal of Management, 12(3), 291-304.

Williams, H., Wikström, F., Otterbring, T., Löfgren, M., & Gustafsson, A. (2012). Reasons for household food waste with special attention to packaging. Journal of Cleaner Production, 24, 141-148. DOI:10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.11.044


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Appendix A: Interview Questions

Management Interview Questions: 1. Four areas of focus for the balanced score card include, Finance, Internal Business Processes, Learning

and Growth, and Customer Satisfaction. At a high level, can you explain the most important components of Grand River Foods’ strategy (environmental, business, marketing)?

2. Is there a system in place whereby KPIs are measured according to this strategy? a. If yes, what is the system called?

b. Who currently manages and monitors this system? 3. Where do you see Grand River Foods in the next 5 or 10 years? How will Grand River Foods get there?

Waste Material Handler Interview Questions:

1. How many years have you been employed with this company? 2. How is waste sorted? 3. What are the different types of waste that you observe?

4. Where are wastes stored, until they are removed off the property? 5. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or waste audits

during your time at Grand River Foods? 6. From your observation, what waste management processes can improve?

a. How would you change this process? 7. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product l ine? 8. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced about

communicating your thoughts to management?

Production Engineer Interview Questions:

1. How many years have you been employed with this company?

2. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or waste audits during your time at Grand River Foods?

3. Have there been any kinds of process audits performed in the past 5 years? a. What were the procedures used in this audit?

b. What were some of the challenges that came up as a result of this audit? 4. What are current problem areas that the engineering department is working on improving? 5. On average, at what capacity are the machines in this product l ine operating?

a. What are their efficiency rates? 6. How often is preventative maintenance performed on the machines in this product l ine? 7. From your observation, can you comment on the different waste streams created by Grand River

Foods?

8. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product l ine? 9. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced about

communicating your thoughts?

Line Leader Interview Questions: 1. How many years have you been employed with this company? 2. At what capacity do the machines run during your shift?

3. Does the machinery or equipment often malfunction? a. If so, can you identify which machines? b. Do you know of potential reasons why they break down?

4. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or waste audits

during your time at Grand River Foods? 5. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product l ine? 6. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced about

communicating your thoughts?


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Appendix B: Description of Team

Project Manager & Framework / KPI Subject Matter Expert (Michael Armel) : Michael has experience with project managing and corporate reporting in his last two co-op placements. While helping to launch a new rail service in Toronto, he had the opportunity to learn about project management principles and how corporate reporting systems can be integrated/implemented into an organization’s operations. Upon completion of his undergraduate program, Michael will seek his project management CAPM designation. In regards to the project, Michael will be responsible for producing timelines and coordinating deliverables. Within his role, he will also hold group members accountable for agreed upon deadlines. Michael will be responsible for introducing the Balanced Scorecard Framework and will lead KPI development. Any queries regarding the framework or K PIs will be directed to this to him. Client Communications / Interview Facilitator (Alexander Yuan): Having previous experience as a Business Analyst, Alex meets the requirements to accurately envision the needs of the client through effective communication and balancing scope and project needs. Alex will be the main point of contact for all client communication. Alex will also facilitate communication and will track all outgoing/incoming communication. In addition to a communications role, Alex will also be responsible for contacting, conducting, and arranging interviews for the desired interviewees. In addition to data collection through interviews, a heavy analysis of results is also expected. Advisor Communications Facilitator / Waste Flow Mapping Analyst (Kai Shimizu): Kai is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate time slot is chosen and confirmed with Sean within an appropriate time frame. Ensures that an agenda is created and sent to Sean within 24 hours of the advisor meeting. Designate/appoint at least two team members to attend the meeting. Ensures that any documentation required for the meeting are readily available. Kai will be responsible for summarizing collected data and plot findings to create a waste flow map. As the WFM Analyst, he will also lead the team with identifying areas of opportunity by summarizing the quantitative data associated with each step of the product line. Kai is qualified for the position as he worked as an analyst in past co-op positions and has built his analytical skills through multiple projects. Any queries regarding the waste flow map will be directed to this to him. Documentation Analyst (Kimberly Jogie): Kim will be responsible for collecting and gathering all documentation within each phase throughout the project. The role will also include analyzing all documentation throughout each phase and analyzing and compiling all final documents. She will also coordinate with and provide support to all members and help in all documentation requirements. Kim has the necessary experience through previous team and individual projects she has worked on during her previous academic background. On-Site Audit Specialist (Jacqueline Widjaja): Jacqueline will provide leadership in conducting on-site audits. Her main responsibilities will be to create and provide audit schedules and checklists as required, and to ensure that site visits and audit goals are met. Her work experiences in manufacturing facilities make her highly qualified for this role. She is also currently working to become a certified ISO 14001 Lead Auditor and strives to bring forward the knowledge and vision required for a successful audit.


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Appendix C: Project Schedule

Client Deliverable Complete By

Phase 1: Vision and Strategy January 8

Phase 2: Integrating Framework January 15

Phase 3: Waste Flow Mapping February 12

Phase 4: Identify Problem Areas February 19

Phase 5: Recommendations February 22

Final Project and Client Deliverables April 4


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Appendix D: Gantt Chart


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Appendix E:

ENBUS 402A – Team Application for Approval from the Office of Research

Ethics

Student Names:

Michael Armel

Kimberly Jogie

Kai Shimizu

Jacqueline Widjaja

Alexander Yuan

Email Addresses of team:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Type of Method: (interview, survey, focus groups, observation, photos, video)

Interview, Observation, Voice Recording

Brief Description of Project:

The goal of this project is to determine how sustainability concepts, theories, and frameworks

can be integrated into Grand River Foods’, a food manufacturing company, operations with the purpose of driving eco-efficiency from a waste perspective. This will be accomplished by

designing and creating a waste flow map that highlights all areas of opportunity of improvement.

Type of people to be surveyed (adults, customers of client company, students, alumni, etc.):

Internal employees

Company Management

Identification of people to be contacted (client introduction, from public sources, etc.):

Katie Kuzuchar, Plant Manager

Waste Disposal Personnel

Production Engineer

Line Leaders

Number of people to be contacted: 7


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Specific Location for Survey or interviews: Grand River Foods Facility & Office

685 Boxwood Dr, Cambridge, ON N3E 1B4

Permission has been received from Katie Kuzuchar Plant Manager)

Note: participant must be of 18 years or older and may not be a member of a vulnerable population

Management Interview Questions:

1. Four areas of focus for the balanced score card include, Finance, Internal Business Processes, Learning and Growth, and Customer Satisfaction. At a high level, can you explain the most important components of Grand River Foods’ strategy (environmental, business, marketing)?

2. Is there a system in place whereby KPIs are measured according to this strategy? a. If yes, what is the system called? b. Who currently manages and monitors this system?

3. Where do you see Grand River Foods in the next 5 or 10 years? How will Grand River

Foods get there?

Waste Material Handler Interview Questions:

1. How many years have you been employed with this company? 2. How is waste sorted?

3. What are the different types of waste that you observe? 4. Where are wastes stored, until they are removed off the property?

5. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or waste audits during your time at Grand River Foods?

6. From your observation, what waste management processes can improve? a. How would you change this process?

7. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product line? 8. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced

about communicating your thoughts to management?


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Production Engineer Interview Questions:

1. How many years have you been employed with this company? 2. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or

waste audits during your time at Grand River Foods? 3. Have there been any kinds of process audits performed in the past 5 years?

a. What were the procedures used in this audit? b. What were some of the challenges that came up as a result of this audit?

4. What are current problem areas that the engineering department is working on improving?

5. On average, at what capacity are the machines in this product line operating? a. What are their efficiency rates?

6. How often is preventative maintenance performed on the machines in this product line? 7. From your observation, can you comment on the different waste streams created by

Grand River Foods? 8. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product line?

9. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced about communicating your thoughts?

Line Leader Interview Questions:

1. How many years have you been employed with this company?

2. At what capacity do the machines run during your shift? 3. Does the machinery or equipment often malfunction?

a. If so, can you identify which machines? b. Do you know of potential reasons why they break down?

4. Have you ever been involved in any of the company’s waste management initiatives or

waste audits during your time at Grand River Foods? 5. What ideas do you have, do you think can increase the efficiency of this product line? 6. If you have suggested any ideas in the past, what were some of the challenges you faced

about communicating your thoughts?

For survey: By signing this form, we acknowledge that we will first gain permission from the manager of the building/business before surveying people at the location(s) identified.

For interview or survey: By signing this form, we acknowledge that we will use the research ethics letters of information, consent and feedback and list of questions approved.

For video or photos: By signing the form, we acknowledge that we will use the research ethics letters of information, consent and feedback approved.


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Student Signatures:

Michael Armel

Kimberly Jogie

Kai Shimizu

Jacqueline Widjaja

Alexander Yuan

Date: December 4, 2015


x

Information letter for Interview

December 4, 2015

Dear (insert participant’s name):

This letter is an invitation to participate in a project we are conducting for a final year undergraduate course in Environment and Business at the University of Waterloo called “Environment and Business Project” (ENBUS 402). The course instructor is Professor Patricia

MacDonald. We would like to provide you with more information about this project and what your involvement would entail if you decide to take part.

We are researching and writing about how sustainability concepts, theories, and frameworks can be integrated into Grand River Foods’ daily operations order to improve eco-efficiency from a waste perspective. We consider you to be a subject matter expert on company strategy or operations and would like to interview you in order to gain more insight into areas of focus. The project will help us learn more about our topic area and also develop skills in research design, collection and analysis of information, and writing.

Participation in this project is voluntary. It will involve an interview of approximately 30 minutes in length to take place in a mutually agreed upon time and location or by telephone

or Skype. If we use SkypeTM which is a United States of America company, USA authorities under provisions of the Patriot Act may access data or meta-data related to these

communications. If you prefer not to talk via Skype, please tell us so you can participate using an alternative method such as the telephone.

We have attached a copy of the interview questions for you to review. You may decline to

answer any of the interview questions if you so wish and stop the interview at any time or decide to withdraw from this project by advising one of the student researchers or the

course instructor. With your permission, the interview will be audio-recorded to facilitate

the collection of information, and later transcribed for analysis. All information you provide is considered completely confidential. You will not be identified to your employer and we

will not attribute any comments to you in our communications with your employer. In reporting our work neither you, your company, nor your position title will be identified

without your permission.

Quotations from the interview may be used in our final paper, but only with your permission. If you agree, we will send you a summary of the interview and the quotations

we would like to use so that you can change or withdraw any quotations that will be directly attributable to you. Notes and/or audio-recordings collected during this study will be

retained for up to 12 months in a secure location and then confidentially destroyed and the recordings erased. Even though we may present the study findings to our classmates, only


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the course instructor and our team will have access to all the data. There are no known or

anticipated risks to you as a participant in this study.

If you have any questions regarding this project, or would like additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please contact us by email at a2yuan@uwaterloo. You can also contact our course instructor, Professor Patricia MacDonald at 519-888-4567 ext. 31898 or by email at [email protected].

We would like to assure you that this study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo research ethics committee. However, the final decision

about participation is yours. If you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation in this study, please contact Dr. Maureen Nummelin, Director, Office of

Research Ethics, at 519-888-4567 Ext. 36005 or [email protected].

We very much look forward to speaking with you and thank you in advance for your assistance in this project.

Yours Sincerely,

Michael Armel Kimberly Jogie

Kai Shimizu

Jacqueline Widjaja

Alexander Yuan

University of Waterloo

School of Environment, Enterprise and Development [email protected]


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INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM

I have read the information presented in the information letter about a project being conducted by Michael Armel, Kimberly Jogie, Kai Shimizu, Jacqueline Widjaja, and Alexander Yuan for an ENBUS 402 Environment & Business course project at the University of Waterloo. The course instructor i s Professor Patricia MacDonald.

I have had the opportunity to ask any questions related to this project, to receive satisfactory answers to

my questions, and any additional details I wanted. I am aware that I have the option of allowing my interview to be audio-recorded to ensure an accurate recording of my responses.

I am also aware that excerpts from the interview may be included in the course project paper to come

from this research, with the understanding that the quotations will be used with attribution and my name attached but only if I provide consent to do so and if I have approved the quotations to be used.

Otherwise all quotations will be anonymous.

I am aware that the paper from which the interview is based, if chosen, may be posted on the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED) Department website.

I was informed that I may withdraw my consent at any time during the interview by advising the student researcher or the course instructor.

This project has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, a University of Waterloo research ethics committee. I was informed that if I have any comments or concerns resulting from my

participation in this study, I may contact Dr. Maureen Nummelin, Director, at the Office of Research Ethics at 519-888-4567 ext. 36005 or [email protected].

With full knowledge of all foregoing, I agree, of my own free will, to participate in this project.

☐YES ☐NO

I agree to have my interview audio-recorded.

☐YES ☐NO

I agree to the use of quotations attributed to me in the final paper after I have a chance to review the quotation, revise it if needed.

☐YES ☐NO

I agree to the final paper where I am named being posted on the University of Waterloo’s School of

Environment, Enterprise and Development website at the end of term.

☐YES ☐NO

Participant Name: ____________________________ (Please print)


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Participant Signature: ____________________________

Witness Name: ________________________________ (Please print)

Witness Signature: ______________________________

Date: ____________________________


xiv

Follow-up Letter for Interviews, Video and Photo-Journalism to

Share Quotes or Recordings or Photos

December 4, 2015

Dear (Name);

Enclosed is a copy of the paper we have written for the Environment and Business (ENBUS 402) course project that includes quotations from our interview.

We hope you like the paper we have prepared, and in particular we hope you will find that

we have been faithful to the information you gave us and to the general circumstances of the (situation/occurrence discussed) as you described them. You will note that some other

sources, listed in footnotes, had views somewhat different from your own. If you feel that we have misrepresented you in any way, or if my presentation of events with which you

were connected is not as you remember them, we invite you to send us your comments and we shall take them into consideration as we prepare the final version of our paper. And of

course, you may, as always, contact my course instructor, Professor Patricia MacDonald at 519-888-4567 ext. 31898 or by email at [email protected].

This project was reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, a University of Waterloo research ethics committee. If your participation in this project raises concerns you may contact Dr. Maureen Nummelin of our Office of Research Ethics, at 519-888-4567 ext. 36005 or [email protected],

We look forward to hearing from you by email within the next two weeks with your comments or questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Armel

Kimberly Jogie

Kai Shimizu

Jacqueline Widjaja

Alexander Yuan

University of Waterloo

School of Environment, Enterprise and Development [email protected]

APPRECIATION LETTER


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December 4, 2015

Dear (Name);

We would like to thank you for your participation in our ENBUS 402 course project. As you may recall, the purpose of the project was to identify how sustainability concepts, theories, and frameworks can be integrated into Grand River Foods’ operations to increase eco-efficiency from a waste perspective.

The information collected during interviews will contribute to a better understanding of the firm’s operation and potential opportunities for improvement.

Please remember that any information pertaining to yourself as an individual will be kept confidential unless you have consented to sharing this information in our final paper. We will be sharing our final paper with our class, the course instructor, and our Department through a presentation. There is the possibility that our paper may be chosen to be posted on the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development’s Website at the end of term.

If you are interested in receiving more information regarding this project, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of us at either the email address listed at the

bottom of the page or you can contact my course instructor, Professor Patricia MacDonald at 519-888-4567 ext. 31898 or by email at [email protected].

As with all University of Waterloo projects involving human participants, this project was reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, a University of Waterloo research

ethics committee. Should you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation in this study, please contact Dr. Maureen Nummelin in the Office of Research Ethics at 519-888-4567, Ext., 36005 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Michael Armel

Kimberly Jogie

Kai Shimizu

Jacqueline Widjaja

Alexander Yuan

University of Waterloo School of Environment, Enterprise and Development [email protected]

grand river foods waste management project proposal

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