Lean, Energy, and Savings: Energy Impacts of Lean Manufacturing

Abstract

Most utility energy efficiency programs for industry focus on equipment replacement. A key result is confidence in the amount of resulting energy savings. Utility programs focusing on behavior - that is, using a piece of equipment more optimally - often suffer from a perceived inability to accurately quantify resulting savings. The last few decades have seen a proliferation of Lean Manufacturing practices across industry, where organizations focus on eliminating waste. Energy is often a component of these wastes, but challenges in quantifying results have slowed the inclusion of Lean in utility energy efficiency programs. In 2011 the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance completed an effort that applied energy concepts within the Manufacturing Extension Partnership organizations of the Northwest. A critical project component was quantifying the energy savings from a Lean implementation at a food processing facility. This paper provides details on that project's approach, results, and next steps.