Lean Principles
Lean and Environmental Pilot Project
Case Study: Lasco Bathware, 2007
Project Activities Conducted: May 2006 through January 2007
Publication Date: July 2007, Revised April 2008
Project Conducted by:
Washington State Department of Ecology, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program
(www(dot)ecy(dot)wa(dot)gov/programs/hwtr)
Washington Manufacturing Services (www(dot)wamfg(dot)org)
Pilot Facility Participant:
Lasco Bathware, Yelm, Washington (www(dot)lascobath(dot)com)
Case Study Prepared by:
Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Seattle, Washington (www(dot)pprc(dot)org)
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd., Seattle, Washington
Lean & Environment Case Study:
Lasco Bathware
The Washington State Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program and
Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS) partnered in a lean and environment pilot project to provide technical assistance
to a Lasco Bathware (Lasco) facility in Yelm, Washington. Lasco manufactures fiberglass and acrylic bath and shower
fixtures. Ecology provided environmental expertise for this pilot project, while WMS provided lean expertise and
management of the on-site activities at the Lasco facility from May 2006 through January 2007. Funding for the pilot project
was provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The primary pilot project objectives were to:
? Evaluate the benefits and synergies of deliberately integrating environmental considerations into on-the-ground lean
practices.
? Improve product quality, production efficiency, and product flow in specific areas of the Lasco facility.
? Gain experience to offer and promote lean and environment projects to manufacturers statewide.
Project Activities and Results
Pilot project participants formed teams to address three target areas: (1) packaging and shipping, (2) fiberglass-reinforced-
plastic (FRP) spray operations, and (3) acrylic vacuum mold changeover. The teams included cross-functional staff from
Lasco and Ecology, as well as a WMS facilitator. The team developed current state value stream maps for the FRP and
acrylic lines to identify and prioritize lean and environmental improvement opportunities and participated in three kaizen
(improvement) events to implement the identified improvement opportunities.
The collective efforts of Lasco Bathware, Ecology, and WMS produced considerable operational, financial, and
environmental benefits. Process improvements include reduced production bottlenecks and cleaner and more organized
work areas, decreased variability in spray operations, and reduced energy use and FRP wastes. The facility was also able to
reassign over 3,500 annual labor hours to other value-added activities. These improvements also positively affected the
plant as a whole by improving ergonomics and internal communication and fostering a more proactive stance toward
continuous improvement among production staff.
Cost savings for Lasco Bathware totaled approximately $135,200 per year for process changes implemented to date, as
shown in Table 1. Lasco expects to save another $60,650 annually for planned process changes that were identified
during this project but are not yet complete.
Download and read this case study about Lasco Bathware and its efforts in Lean improvements. Skip the Executive Summary. Start on page 1 and read about the training and the VSM event and then read about the three different Kaizen projects and choose only one to discuss. Write a paper discussing the Lean activities for this project. Include discussion about the training, the VSM and the Kaizen project that you chose. The paper should review in detail the original situation, the specific activities that were done in the project and the results that were obtained. Make sure you specifically point out the Lean techniques and methods that were used. Write a two to three page paper discussing the Lean activities for this project. Do not copy any of the content of the paper word for word. Summarize portions that make sense to summarize and report in detail in your own words the parts that need detailed discussion.
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Lean improvement seeks to eliminate wastage through continuous process improvement meant to increase efficiency, productivity, and improve competitiveness (Schonberger, 2008). The main aspects of lean improvement in Lasco Bathware facility were increased efficiency in packaging and shipping better efficiency in spray operations, and improved layout of acrylic vacuum mold change over (Ecology, 2008). This paper highlights on improved spray efficiency and variability in Lasco, following implementation of lean improvements
Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Spraying is the second process in the kaizen improvement project. The need to reduce spraying variability is the main aim of the event as this would reduce the total amount of spraying required and hence cut wastage in the manufacturing process. In essence, there was tendency overspray, and variability in thickness made it harder to monitor spraying that was optimal. The FRP occurs when the fiberglass reinforced plastic has further reinforcement with wood and corrugated material. Nonetheless, cases of cracking presented a challenge to the manufacturing unit. After application of lean manufacturing, there was a fall in the spray unit usage per unit from 13 pounds to 4 pounds.
To achieve efficiency in the spraying process, the team identified controlling activities of gun operators as being vital to improve the manufacturing process. This included taking into account, the role of weight in determining the spraying required by gun operations, and the team relied on data collection to identify the ideal parameters to maximize spraying. Furthermore, the team improved performance by ensuring that there was a likelihood of more paint transfer, with this having the potential to reduce overspray and make the products stronger (Ecology, 2008). Through focusing on the interaction of product weight and spraying, there was increased coordination among gun operators and the management. The monitoring system enabled the team to evalua...