Lean Manufacturing is a process management philosophy which improves an organisation's sustainability profile because it identifies and eliminates waste. Waste is any activity which adds time or cost to the operation.
Case Study
Rob Carter ( ZESPRI) has been spearheading the Lean Manufacturing Initiative with leading packhouses around New Zealand.
Trevelyan's Pack and Cool Ltd was involved in the initial trial to implement the Lean Principles, which has led to significant improvements in:
- Workplace order - equipment and material have permanent homes
- Waste reduction - to optimise resource utilisation
- Cleanliness - to improve quality and efficiency
- Visual management - where everyone in the business is aware of performance levels and potential problems
- Optimising supply levels - only ordering as needed to reduce overspending on unnecessary supplies
Trevelyan's is working hard with the grower network to reduce fruit waste and optimise fruit quality. "Inefficient processes have been removed and we will continue to monitor and make ongoing improvements which will benefit both us and the industry as a whole," says Alister Hawkey, Trevelyan's.
The ultimate goal is to optimise processes which will lead to a higher quality of service, and product, for customers.