2010-02-11 - The Green Suppliers Network is a collaborative venture among industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP).
The ABB team in Pinetops completed its first assessment designed to take them to the next level of operational excellence. The assessment is part of our partnership with the Green Suppliers Network, an organization established to help manufacturers stay competitive and profitable, while reducing their impact on the environment. Our first step in the certification process began in the third quarter of 2009, when ABB's Pinetops site was nominated by a major utility to be a candidate for this exciting new program. The second part of the journey involved a series of site visits and data gathering by the Green Suppliers Network representatives to prepare for a three-day review of our facility.
On Monday, January 25, 2010, we kicked off the third step of the process, a comprehensive Lean, Green, and Clean Assessment. The assessment team included a joint task force from North Carolina State University and the IES (Industrial Extension Service), along with a cross-functional selection of local management, safety, engineering, and production employees. During the three day session, we first completed and updated the value stream map of one of our product lines using traditional lean assessment parameters. Next, we took that core process map and integrated the Green and Clean data – Environmental and Energy Waste.
The team developed 75 potential changes or adjustments to the production process that could significantly improve our productivity, while also reducing our energy usage and environmental waste. We then prioritized those actions based on projects that will provide the best overall improvement for our customers, our facility, and the environment. The entire group walked away from the experience with a new perspective on how to balance productivity with environmental responsibility. We look forward to implementing several of those strategies in 2010 and beyond.