Global warming seems to be in everyone’s awareness. Business magazines write about “green” businesses. Movie stars drive hybrid cars to look “green”.
But nobody seems to have noticed that Lean Six Sigma could have a massive impact on the planet.
Eliminate Waste
If, as Juran suggests, most businesses spend 25-40% of their budget on waste and rework, isn’t it reasonable to assume that eliminating that waste would reduce various planetary problems?
Think about your office. How much paper do you trash or recycle from printers and copiers because of rework and waste? How much printer ink, toner cartridges, and other consumables are wasted? How many trees, plants and animals could we save by reducing this pollution?
In a hospital, how many supplies and patients could you save without the mistakes and errors? Imagine being able to save lives and reduce waste and be kind to the environment at that same time.
In a factory, how much scrap could you prevent and rework could you save? Imagine all the frustration and time you could save too.
In a printing shop, how much paper, ink and toner could you save if you got every job right the first time? Imagine all the trees you could save.
In your business, how much waste could you save if you got everything right the first time? Imagine how you could double your profits while eliminating waste.
Invisible Low Hanging Fruit
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to reduce the 25-40% waste without Lean Six Sigma or some systematic improvement methodology. Every business gets stuck at about 3-Sigma (66,800 PPM). However, with the application of essential Lean Six Sigma tools like 5-S, value stream analysis, line chart, pareto chart, fishbones and SPC any business can rapidly move to 5-Sigma (233 PPM) and start saving big bucks (dollars and deer).
There’s a lot of low hanging fruit (i.e., waste) in every business, but it’s invisible to the naked eye without the tools of Lean Six Sigma. Start today. Use the tools to reduce delay, defects and variation which will benefit Mother Earth as well.
Here’s My Point
Reduction in waste will reduce consumption which will reduce the energy required to produce the stuff in the first place. Less energy use means less warming. Less waste means a greener planet.
Lean Six Sigma is not just about the bottom line, worker satisfaction, or customer satisfaction; it’s also about the future of the planet and its inhabitants. Haven’t you waited long enough to go Green Lean Six Sigma?