Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing

SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING:
Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total
Quality Manufacturing

SSC White Paper

Sustainable Manufacturing

With growing environmental and social concerns,
many organizations are feeling the pressure to
reevaluate their business practices in accordance with
sustainability standards. Retailers, costumers, and
stakeholders expect manufacturers to develop
production methods which will have minimal
environmental impacts.

How are manufacturing facilities making these mass
shifts in business? Through both independent
initiatives and in conjunction with management
systems that have already been created.

For those with manufacturing facilities, this one is for
you!

www.sustainabilityconsulting.com
Copyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.


This presentation provides a summary of the white paper Sustainable
Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality
Manufacturing, which provides information on Lean Manufacturing, Six
Sigma, and Total Quality Management and it takes a closer look at
environmental and social decision making as part of a manufacturing
organization’s sustainable strategy.



The white paper provides information on:
 How sustainability can improve
manufacturing operations.
 Lean, Six Sigma and TQM comparisons.
 The philosophy, history, pros and cons, and
some practical examples of sustainable
manufacturing.

Download this complimentary white paper to
learn more!


Sustainable Manufacturing at a Glance

At A Glance

Industry Week reports that a 300%
increase in climate change
regulations occurred between 2002
and 2007.

Meaning that in order to stay in
business, drastic changes are
having to be made.


At A Glance

Manufacturers are turning to
systems such as Lean
Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and
Total Quality Management (TQM)
to reevaluate their businesses.

However, these systems are only
successful when aligned with
sustainability principles.


At A Glance

Sustainability according to the United Nations

“Meeting the needs of the
present without compromising
the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs” (UN, 1987, Para. 2).


At A Glance

Key ideas behind
sustainable manufacturing:
 Standing out from your
competitors.
 Reporting annual greenhouse gas
emissions to the Carbon Disclosure
Project.
 Following G3 guidelines
 Creating sustainability reports and
assessments
 Planning for the future through
risk management programs.


At A Glance

Key ideas behind
sustainable manufacturing:
 Finding where the production
process is wasting resources and
energy.

Learn more by downloading
Sustainable Manufacturing:
Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and
Total Quality Manufacturing


Key Issues

requires a holistic approach to
the manufacturing process that
monitors inputs and outputs in
order to reduce the amounts of
materials and energy being
consumed, improve health and
safety, and reduce the life-cycle
impact of products.


Key Issues

Consider the following when
assessing your product life-cycle:
 Use low impact materials and as
few raw materials as necessary.
 Address the amount of water
consumed and the quality of
water wasted.
 Implement programs such as water
recycling or filter backwash
contamination reduction.
 Check out more ideas on water usage
here!


Key Issues

 Lower energy use by making
production more efficient or by
improving equipment.
 In turn this will also reduce waste and
production cost
 Improve social sustainability by
ensuring that employees:
 Earn a livable wage
 Are of legal age to work
 Work a reasonable amount of hours
Learn more by downloading
 Work in a safe environment
Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and

System One: Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing is concerned with “the elimination of
many types of waste while delivering quality products on
time and at least cost” (US EPA, 2005, P. 1). Waste is
defined as any non-value adding elements in the
production process whose removal will reduce operating
costs and improve consumer product quality.


The Seven Deadly Wastes
Recognized by Lean Manufacturing

Overproduction The production of goods that do not have an
immediate demand creating risk in storing
and preserving goods.
Inventory The space and resources necessary to store
excess raw materials or overproduction to
ensure that weather, animals, or the
production process does not damage items.
Defects Products that are produced below consumer
standards, wasting materials, energy,
inventory space, and transportation energy
and space.
Transport The excessive movement of a product that is
in the production process or between storage
facilities, wasting fuel, storage, and human
energy.
Motion Any excessive human energy mainly due to
poor organization.
Over-processing The processes during production that
consume more materials and energy than
necessary for the final product.
Waiting The delays or idle time in the production
processes that increase storage spoilage risk
and energy resource consumption.

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing is a value driven
approach that relies on a system of
continual improvements through the
application of:
 Understanding Customer Value
 Value Stream Analysis
 Flow
 Pull
 Perfection


Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing relies on a collaborative atmosphere between all
sectors of the manufacturing process to identify waste and develop
solutions. The methods below are often carried out to find these solutions.

Value Stream
Kaizen 5-S
Mapping
• A visual and collaborative • A quick process • Order in the workplace is kept
exercise • Employees map and measure through:
• Employees identify each step in current processes • Sorting
the production process • Then institute solutions and • Setting in order
• Then insert them into a testing • Shining
“production tree” • Improvements must be seen • Standardizing
• Thus seeing clearly at which over only a few days • Sustaining
step waste may occur


Lean Manufacturing

 Where Lean Manufacturing
falls short:
 High susceptibility to disruptions
due to a sudden change in the
production process.
 The continual improvement used to
streamline efficiency can create an
inflexible production system.
 Fails to address the environmental
value of products.
 Also fails to consider the effects that
the production process has on
workers.

Learn more by downloading Sustainable
Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma,
and Total Quality Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a calculated approach which relies on
verifiable data to improve the success rate of
production processes though defect reduction. The
ultimate goal being to reduce these defects in the
production process to less than 3.4 defective
products per million (Anderson, et. al, 2006).


Six Sigma

 Application
 Involves only five to ten
individuals from both the
manufacturing team and
a team of highly trained
Six Sigma experts.
 Takes several months to
a year to pinpoint issues,
construct solutions, and
implement changes.


Six Sigma

Stages of the Six Sigma Process
Find out more about the five stages in
the complete white paper here!

Control
Improvement
Analysis

Measurement

Definition


Six Sigma

Throughout these stages
of problem solving the
team will often rely on:
 Descriptive Statistics
 The 5 Whys
 Pareto Charts
 Design of Experiments
 Failure Mode Effect Analysis

Learn more by downloading Sustainable
Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six
Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing

Six Sigma

While this method of reaching
sustainable manufacturing is
more precise than lean
manufacturing, its incredibly long
implementation time is off
putting for many manufacturers.
Not to mention that the training
and intense involvement of
employees can temporarily slow
production rates, as well as The sustainability of the product can
compromise social sustainability. also be questioned when this method
alone is used.


System Three: Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management

The goal set out by this method focuses on
achieving system-wide quality improvements and
continually meeting stakeholder demands. By
reducing risk-associated costs, costumer
satisfaction is improved and revenue is driven up.



 Attributes
 TQM utilizes a continual
improvement approach
where the focus of these
improvements is flexible.
 Flexibility allows for
shifting in order to
foresee future needs and
exceed all future
stakeholder demands.



 Attributes
 TQM recognizes specific
failures which derive from
a stagnant improvement
plan such as:
 Prevention Costs
 Appraisal Costs
 Internal Failure Costs
 External Failure Costs


Factors of Applying TQM
Committed Leadership Long-term commitment by management to TQM

Adoption and Communication Using mission statements and slogans

Closer Customer Relationship Determining customer demands and meeting them

Closer Supplier Relationship Working with suppliers who can routinely provide
materials that will meet customer demands

Benchmarking Observing the best competitive practices

Increased Training TQM principles, team skills, and problem solving

Open Organization Relaxed hierarchy, open communication, and small
working groups

Employee Empowerment Involve employees in planning and decision making

Zero-defects Mentality System to catch defects as they occur, rather than
through inspections

Flexible Manufacturing Just-in-time inventory, cellular manufacturing,
statistical process control and design of experiments

Process Improvement Reduce waste and time through whole process
analysis

Measurement Goal-oriented approach with statistical methods
applied to constant improvements



 Problems with the TQM
system:
 Implementation is prolonged
due to training and cultural
changes that may occur
within the organization.
 Relying solely on stakeholder
pressure stifles innovation.
 This reliance on the
stakeholder can also
Learn more by downloading compromise sustainability.
Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and  TQM lacks clear framework.


A Brief System Comparison

Lean Six Sigma TQM
Manufacturing
Material Reduces raw material
purchasing through
Through reducing defects
and improving process
Reducing operating costs
will find options to reduce
Efficiency material recycling and efficiency, material use is material use
defect reduction minimized
Recycles scraps and
accepts end-of-life
products for recycling into
new products

Water Use To avoid over-processing
water use is evaluated to
Through reducing defects,
water is less often in a
Water use is evaluated and
reduction goals are set to
minimize waste wasted production reduce costs

When water use is By using Six Sigma Wastewater is recycled
minimized, storage assessments, water quality whenever possible to
capacity is reduced saving is improved reduce water use
space and money.
To improve brand
management, water
contamination is
minimized

Lean Six Sigma TQM
Manufacturing
Energy Use To avoid over-processing,
energy use is evaluated to
Reducing defects reduces
energy wasted on failed
Energy is analyzed and
reduced to cut costs
minimize waste production
Options to purchase or
Energy use is monitored produce renewable energy
and improved using are explored to
statistical tools to prevent differentiate from
spiking during competition
manufacturing

Waste and Reduces solid waste
through material recycling
Through reducing defects,
solid waste is reduced
Waste is reduced for brand
management
Emissions and defect recycling
Waste is reduced through
Emissions are difficult to recycling and in re-use
monitor with Kaizen event products
changes
Emissions are measured
and reported

Social Regulatory compliance can
be an issue with Kaizen
Material safety is a concern
for customer satisfaction to
Employee health and fair
treatment are major
Sustainability even process changes reduce defects priorities due to employee
involvement in process
Employee safety is Only a fraction of
considered as part of the employees are engaged in Community development is
deadly waste of motion Six Sigma process a priority for brand
management
Material safety is a concern
to reduce defects and
improve quality

Building a Sustainable Future

Each of the systems that have been discussed are viable
options for manufacturing improvement, but only when aligned
with sustainability concerns. A manufacturer already using Lean
Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or TQM must consider their
environmental and social impacts to achieve sustainability.



Learn more by downloading Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing
Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing, which provides
information on Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Total Quality
Management and takes a closer look at environmental and social
decision making as part of a manufacturing organization’s sustainable
strategy.


Download the complimentary white paper in it’s
entirety by visiting the SSC website today:
Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality
Manufacturing

What are your thoughts? Join the
conversation on twitter @jenniferwoofter!

Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing

Similar to Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing