8 Ways To Reduce Waste In Manufacturing

Waste is a huge problem in the US and across the world, and every year, nearly 10 billion tonnes of waste come from the manufacturing industry alone. These statistics might seem alarming, and you’re not wrong for thinking that while producing waste is a by-product of performing certain processes, being able to reduce waste and, therefore, your impact on the environment allows you to lessen your contribution to an ever-increasing problem and play your part in recycling and more efficient practices that are mindful of what you use and how much waste you produce.

For those in the manufacturing industry, these tips are not just helpful; they are crucial. They can empower you to significantly reduce waste production and adopt more proactive waste disposal practices, thereby playing a pivotal role in environmental sustainability. Your actions can directly contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment, making a significant difference in the global waste crisis.

Identify Waste

It may sound simple, but it’s a crucial step in waste management. Understanding the type, volume, and source of your waste is key to controlling it effectively. Take a comprehensive look at the resources you use and the processes in place, and identify the specific waste issues you’re dealing with. This knowledge will equip you to tackle them more efficiently.

Put Goals In Place

Next, you want to put achievable goals in place that allow you to work towards reducing your waste and making a better impact on the environment. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s highly unfeasible to put in a short-term goal. Instead, think of the long term. Is it possible to hit zero waste? And if so, when can you expect to achieve it fully? 3 years? 5 years? So, maybe you want to cut waste production by 25% in the next quarter. These are practical, realistic goals that you can work towards, giving you the confidence to make a difference.

Identify Recycling or Disposal Options

It is always a good idea to identify what type of waste you produce that can be recycled. For example, you can recycle all manner of metals and electronics, as well as paper, plastic, cardboard, etc, as a minimum. You can do so on-site by investing in metal shredders, so you can repurpose the metal for future use so it does not produce as much waste. You can partner with other companies to allow them to remove any recyclable waste that they can repurpose; i.e. plastic bottles can be made into many different things, including roofing, insulation, decking, furniture and even flooring. Within the manufacturing sector, it’s also possible to make better decisions, such as by opting for investment casting where possible. This helps to produce precision components that minimizes material waste and energy while cutting down on subsequent manufacturing. Knowing how to dispose of your recyclable waste and choosing the right partners can be instrumental in waste reduction within manufacturing.

Improve Inventory, Overstocking and Underproduction

Controlling your stock is one of the best ways to reduce waste, especially if what you manufacture is food or has a short shelf life. To remove excess from your production, you can use a pull-based system in which you only manufacture what you need when you need it to remove excessive use of resources and to avoid over or under-stocking items that might otherwise be wasted. Plus, this is a more efficient use of your time and finances too. By reducing waste, you’re not just benefiting the environment but also your bottom line, making these practices even more valuable.

In addition to this, you need to implement a more robust inventory management system to allow you to see what you have in stock and what you are signing and ensure that levels are correct for your volume of production at all items so you are only operating with and holding what you need immediately, not items that need to be stored as they are surplus to requirements.

Preventative Maintenance

Another waste aspect to consider is the lifespan of your facility’s equipment, machinery and tools. The lifespan of the equipment you need to rely on to do what you should be something you are proactive in prolonging. The reason is that once anything no longer fits the purpose, it needs to be removed, producing waste. The more frequently this happens, the more waste you will produce. And the more it will cost you, the company and the environment. Instead, you should have a preventative maintenance schedule in place that assesses and checks the status of everything you use, carries out repairs when needed and ensures that everything is working correctly and any incidents are prepared and rectified fast to avoid further damage being caused or a loss in production.

Metrology Solutions for Precision Manufacturing

Implementing precise metrology solutions is crucial for maintaining high product quality standards in large equipment manufacturing. By utilizing advanced measurement tools and techniques, manufacturers can detect and correct errors early in the production process, ultimately reducing waste and optimizing resource allocation. To learn more about metrology solutions and explore the available products for the manufacturing industry, click here. Discover a wide range of metrology equipment and services tailored to your specific needs.

Reduce Packaging

This is for the packaging you use, that of your vendors and your customers. The type of packing you use, the amount and manner of how you package items, how you prepare them, and what you can do to avoid waste. Small tweaks to the size of the packaging you use or switching from plastic air-filled padding to soluble packing peanuts or paper can not only be more environmentally friendly but allow you to package items tighter in smaller boxes, thus saving on excess packing and costs associated with this.

Implement a Circular Economy

While recycling was touched upon in a previous point, a circular economy is more than simply reusing what you don’t need or are finished with in different ways. It implements processes that allow anything and everything to be repaired, reused, recycled, and repurposed so that its life is extended once it’s past its original lifespan and no longer fits its purpose. For instance, in the manufacturing industry, this could mean using recycled materials in your production, repairing and reusing equipment, and repurposing waste products. The more you can reuse within your business, the less waste you will produce, and this isn’t just for equipment and tools; it’s for materials, too. A circular economy needs to encapsulate your whole production process and identify and minimise waste as much as possible.

Reducing waste within manufacturing isn’t impossible, and to make sustainable changes, you need to implement methods slowly and efficiently so that you can make lasting changes everyone is on board with and that benefit the company as well as the environ