Waste reduction in production process and reduction in use of raw materials gives significant effect on profitability and promoting cleaner environment

Waste reduction in production process and reduction in use of raw materials gives significant effect on profitability and promoting cleaner environment

Waste reduction in production process and reduction in use of raw materials gives significant effect on profitability and promoting cleaner environment:

Waste arising out from production processes can have a significant effect on your profitability. The challenge is to reduce this waste without undermining the effectiveness of the process. The reduction of waste generation also mitigates the wastes disposal and recycling problem; thereby improving the environment standard.

A. During the production process some typical problems include the excessive consumption of energy or raw materials, losses in the production process itself, rejection at the inspection stage and failure when the customer is using the end product. In order to reduce waste you have to be very much conversant with the process. To know where waste is arising, you need to understand your processes and technology used. To do this, you could produce a flowchart of your operations. You can then discuss the process with your employees and get their feedback on where waste is occurring, and what you can do to reduce it. This approach helps you focus on the most important areas, with more detailed analysis of the operation at various segments of the process, if necessary.

B. Common things you might do to improve the efficiency of production processes and reduce waste include:

(a) reusing rinse water in cooling systems;

(b) regularly checking that equipment is correctly calibrated;

(c) reducing unnecessary stoppages in the production line;

(d) upgrading or replacing old equipment;

(e) minimizing spills or leaks;

(f) using sealed systems to allow all the waste to be collected in one place, without leakage, so that as much waste as possible can be reused, recycled or disposed of correctly.

C. An effective waste minimization program scrutinizes the whole business from suppliers to product design, production practices to disposal. It will also enable you to minimize the different input resources, including water and energy, chemicals and solvents, and paper and electrical equipment.

Preventing waste from occurring in the first place is the most efficient solution. Constant monitoring of your production processes and preventive maintenance can ensure waste is avoided before it occurs.

D. Reduce your use of raw materials at the fullest extent - Given current levels of consumption; recycling rubbish isn't sufficient to tackle the amount and type of waste produced. Waste needs to be designed out of the system at source, and what cannot be designed out should be reused.

(a) Developing better "closed loop systems" - where waste is treated as a resource - eliminates the need for unused resources and waste disposal.

(b) If you're a manufacturer, using raw materials more efficiently can bring significant cost savings and environmental benefits. To do this, you should look at all aspects of your production process, including transportation and warehousing.

(c)Try to ensure you don't over-order materials for one-off or bespoke jobs. Check how you handle and store raw materials. Even failing to empty all bags and containers properly could lead to significant amounts of waste.

(d) Look carefully at the waste you're disposing of. Could any of it be reprocessed and put back into the production process? Could it be reused for another purpose? For example, packaging from suppliers can be reused to transport your own products. Also, waste water from manufacturing processes could be reused for low grade purposes.

(e) Another important area to consider is product design. Are there ways of designing your product so that it uses fewer raw materials? Try to use materials that have already been recycled or that are easier to recycle.

(f) Issues such as raw material use, waste production, energy consumption and emissions to the atmosphere should be considered at each stage of the product lifecycle.