Environmental Professional’s Guide to Lean and Six Sigma: Contents & Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Chapter 1: Why Lean and Six Sigma Are Important to the Environment
- Chapter 2: What Is Lean?
- Chapter 3: What Is Six Sigma?
- Chapter 4: How Do Lean and Six Sigma Relate to the Environment?
- How Lean Improves Environmental Performance
- Environmental Benefits Arise From Eliminating Lean Wastes
- Environmental Blind Spots of Lean
- Lean’s Relationship to Regulatory and Permitting Requirements
- How Lean Compares to Environmental Initiatives
- Where to Find More Information on How Lean Relates to the Environment
- Chapter 5: Why Does It Matter How We Talk About Lean and Environment?
- Chapter 6: Lean and Environment Applications
- Chapter 7: Conclusion
- Appendix A: Lean and Six Sigma Resources
- Appendix B: Lean and Environment Resources
- Appendix C: Lean and Six Sigma Glossary
- Appendix D: Environmental Glossary
- Appendix E: Summary of the Washington Lean and Environment Pilot Projects
Boxes
- Lean “Deadly Wastes” (Box 1)
- Results from “Lean and Environment” Efforts (Box 2)
- Lean & Environment Business Case (Box 3)
- Results from Lean and Environment Efforts (Box 4)
- Characteristics of Lean and Six Sigma (Box 5)
- Many Names for Lean and Environment (Box 6)
- Learning How to See Environmental Waste at TRUMPF, Inc. (Box 7)
- Seven “Deadly” Wastes (Box 8)
- Expanding the Definition of Lean (Box 9)
- Kaizen Event Overview (Box 10)
- Environmental Benefits from Lean (Box 11)
- Environmental Health and Safety Expert’s Role in Lean Events (Box 12)
- Examples of Addressing Environmental Blind Spots (Box 13)
- Addressing Lean Friction in Air Permitting at Baxter Healthcare Corporation (Box 14)
- Key Messages about How Lean and Six Sigma Compare to Environmental Improvement Initiatives (Box 15)
- Checklist for Bridging the Parallel Universes of Lean and Environment (Box 16)
- Lean and Environment Efforts at Columbia Paint & Coatings (Box 17)
- Metalworks Lean and Clean Project (Box 18)
- Common Pitfalls When Environmental Professionals Engage with Lean (Box 19)
- The Power of “Walking the Shop Floor” and Asking Questions (Box 20)
Figures
- Model of a Lean Learning Organization (Figure 1)
- Toyota Production System House (Figure 2)
- Lean Tactical Tools (Figure 3)
- Value Stream Map (Figure 4)
- Current State Map (Figure 5)
- 5S + Safety Diagram (Figure 6)
- Photo Taken Before 5S (Figure 7)
- Photo Taken After 5S (Figure 8)
- Example Plant Layout for Traditional“Batch and Queue” Production (Figure 9)
- Example Structure of a Lean Manufacturing Cell for a Single Product (Figure 10)
- The Six Sigma DMAIC Process (Figure 11)
- Example of Normal Probability Distribution (Figure 12)
- Example of a Pareto Chart (Figure 13)
- Example of a Cause-and-Effect Diagram (Figure 14)
- Failure Mode Effect Analysis Diagram (Figure 15)
- Plan-Do-Check-Act Model (Figure 16)
- Visual Controls and Standard Work to Encourage Compliance (Figure 17)
Tables
- Selected Lean Tools (Table 1)
- Comparing Lean and Traditional Manufacturing (Table 2)
- Environmental Impacts of Lean’s “Deadly Wastes” (Table 3)
- Washington Lean and Environment Pilot Project Results (Table 4)
Acknowledgements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is grateful for the valuable assistance of the individuals who helped develop this guide and shared experiences and techniques for integrating Lean, Six Sigma, and environmental improvement efforts. EPA’s National Center for Environmental Innovation and Green Suppliers Network Program participated in the development of this guide.
This guide has benefited from the collective expertise and ideas of many individuals. In particular, EPA would like to thank the following individuals for their thoughtful contributions:
- Jenni Cawein, Corporate Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Engineering Manager, Baxter International
- Chris D. Chapman, Senior Program Manager, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Michelle Gaither, Environmental Engineer, Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center
- Newton Green, Business Manager, New York State Pollution Prevention Institute
- Gretchen Hancock, Project Manager, General Electric
- Judy Kennedy, Environmental Engineer, Washington State Department of Ecology
- Scott Lakari, Vice President of Operations, Metalworks
- Kurt Middelkoop, Field Specialist, Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center
- Jeff Monaghan, Manufacturing Engineer and Lean Practitioner, Climax Portable Machine Tools, Inc.
- Hugh O’Neill, Lean and Environment Project Supervisor, Washington State Department of Ecology
- Joanna Pierce, Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
- Laura Rauwerda, Senior Environmental Analyst, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
- Judy Wlodarczyk, Environment and Energy Director, CONNSTEP, Inc.
This guide was prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by Ross Strategic in association with Industrial Economics, Inc. (EPA Contract # EP-W-04-023).