Resource efficiency: cut costs in plastics processing

Workbook 4: operating resource efficiency

The greatest waste is the waste we don’t see

Not: stop waste!

But: find waste!

Operating resource efficiency 1

Business pressures for resource efficiency

Waste costs real money

The true cost of resource inefficiency and waste is hidden

Resource efficiency is good business

Legislation and the legal consequences

Our reputation and customer pressure

Operating resource efficiency 2

Words for waste

Operating resource efficiency 3

Conveyor loss, customer returns …

Defects, dirty solvent, dregs, dross, dust ...

Obsolete stock, offcuts, out-of-spec, overfill …

Reel ends, regrind, rejects, rework, rubbish …

Scrap, second quality, sprues, sweepings …

Usage allowance, usage variance ...

Workaway, yield loss ...

+ more that are being invented all the time

Where to find waste?

Incoming materials

Storage (raw materials, parts, finished products)

Production

Support services

Energy

Water

Other

Operating resource efficiency 4

What to do with waste?

Eliminate it Best and cheapest

Reduce it

Re-use it

Recycle it

Dispose of it Worst and most costly

Operating resource efficiency 5

Process flow sheet

Operating resource efficiency 6

Lubricants

Plasticsprocessing

Labour

Heating and lighting

Utilities

Storage

Packing and warehousing

Rejected material

Dirty oil

Wasted time

Transit packaging

Release agents

Purging materials

Cleaning materials

Sprues and runners

Tops and tails

Heat

OTHERINPUTS

OTHEROUTPUTS

MAJORINPUT

MAJOROUTPUT

Method waste

Operating resource efficiency 7

Moving

Storing

Plastics processing

Counting

Inspecting

Scrapping

Reworking

Assembling

Sorting

Activity Add valueAdd cost(waste)

The five whys

Get to the root cause of a problem

Ask ‘why’ at least five times

Remove the root causes - not just the visible symptoms

Operating resource efficiency 8

Cause and effect diagram (the Ms)

Operating resource efficiency 9

Environment Machines Materials

Men Measures Methods

Effect

How to reduce material waste

Take action in the following areas:

Materials management

Waste management

Energy management

Water management

Packaging management

Other measures

Operating resource efficiency 10

How to reduce method waste

Reduce stocks and work-in-progress

Improve worker involvement and quality

Increase flexibility and productivity

Choose the best machinery

Reduce lead times dramatically

Add value not cost

Improve workflow

Operating resource efficiency 11

Potential opportunities

Operating resource efficiency 12

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1

3

5

4

6

8

7

9

11

10

12

Potential opportunity analysis

What is the real cause of the concern?

What information is needed?

What are the available sources of information?

What do we need to fill in the gaps?

How are we going to get it?

Operating resource efficiency 13

Operator contributions

Vital understanding of how processes actually work

Day-to-day contact with the process

Hands-on ability to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency

Operating resource efficiency 14

Operator opportunities

Contribute to the business

Increase job satisfaction

Gain experience in problem solving

Increase understanding of their job

Operating resource efficiency 15