Many manufacturers are using Lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, optimize processes, and cut costs. Many “Green” Practices support Lean Manufacturing.
Green Manufacturing reduces the impact on the environment. We found that green manufacturing is good for the environment, and also makes economic sense. Keddie Enterprises implemented Green Manufacturing practices years ago.
Some examples of Keddie’s Green practices include:
- LED Lighting Conversion
- Our facility lighting had fluorescent fixtures. The system was high maintenance. We replaced the the old system with LED fixtures with zone lighting. The cost of the LED system is a less than the old system. The energy savings have paid for the conversion costs.
- Closed Loop systems
- Waterjet cutting utilizes water and abrasive to cut metals, plastic and stone. Keddie Enterprises uses a closed loop system to clean and recycle the water. The water recycling allows Keddie Enterprises to reduce the use of this natural resource. It also makes “Lean Manufacturing” sense. It enables Keddie to better control the quality of the water in its system.
- Nesting and scrap reduction principles
- Keddie Enterprises uses techniques to reduce the generation of scrap material when producing parts. “Nesting” is the process of arrangement of parts to be cut from a piece of raw material. We minimize scrap material. The scrap material does not end up in a landfill. It is recycled through scrap collection centers.
- Work Schedule
- Keddie Enterprises operates Monday through Thursday, from 6:00 AM to 4:30 PM. We work 4 day – 10 hour schedule. The employees’ commute time is less resulting in reduced vehicle emissions. Our facility is also air conditioned to provide the constant temperature critical for the manufacture of precision parts. The energy usage is highest from 10AM to 4 PM. The AC system uses less energy by working 24 hours/week during this time, versus 30 hours in a 5 day week. The system is also shut down for three days while the business is closed.
These are just a few examples of how Keddie Enterprises uses Green Manufacturing principles to produce Lean Manufacturing results. Our processes are improved, enabling us to provide quality products to our customers at lower cost. The link below is a good blog on how to implement Green Manufacturing Principles in your process.
Keddie Enterprises, a full-service Machining and Fabrication Shop, is committed to providing our customers the best service and value. Contact us today to request a quote or schedule a time to review a project.