SUPPLY CHAIN & INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable Manufacturing and Warehousing
According to the NACFAM (National Council for Advanced Manufacturing USA) sustainable manufacturing is defined as “the creation of manufactured products that use processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural resources, and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers.”
Sustainable manufacturing goes beyond traditional manufacturing practices by focusing on environmental and social impacts in addition to the traditional focus on process efficiency.
The aim for sustainable manufacturing is to enable manufacturers to maximize revenues and quality, while conserving natural resources and protecting the health and safety of the workforce.
Implementing Sustainable Manufacturing: Modeling and Optimizing
Sustainable manufacturing requires the supply chain and operations professional to work closely with process and product engineers, systems engineers, and environmental health and safety, and other key internal and external subject matter experts.
According to Gunther Seliger in Sustainable Manufacturing, Shaping Global Value Creation (2012) process involves modeling the system and then selecting tactics to improve operations.
Modeling Steps
- Building modeling – drawing the facilities infrastructure
- Qualitative modeling – mapping manufacturing operations and facilities
- Quantitative modeling – modeling manufacturing operations and facilities
- Optimized process model – improvements implementation
Strategies and Tactics
Prevention
- Align resource input profile with production schedule
- Remove unnecessary resource usage
- Switch off/standby mode when not in use
- Remove unnecessary technology
Reduction (waste generation)
- Waste collection, sorting, recovery, and treatment
- Repair and maintain
Reduction (resource use)
- Optimize production schedule to improve efficiency
- Optimize resource input profile to improve efficiency
- Change set points/running load, reduce demand
- Monitor and control performance
- Change resource flow and technology layout
Reuse
- Synchronize waste generation and resource demand to allow reuse
- Reuse waste output as resource input
Substitution
- Replace resource input for better one
- Add high efficiency resource
- Replace technology for better one
- Add high efficiency technology
Sustainable Warehousing Design
In addition to sustainable manufacturing, integrating sustainability into warehouse design and operation design is also proving to be a win-win proposition. It mitigates harmful effects to the environment, encourages worker safety and comfort, while winning the respect of your customers and community. From a more straight business perspective, it also lowers operating costs and risks, ultimately improving a company’s financial performance.
According to Sustainable Chain Dive, there are seven sustainability considerations for sustainable warehouses:
- Location
- Building materials
- Sensors
- Lighting
- Heating and cooling systems
- Roofs
- Landscaping and water usage
Tour of Surfdome’s Super Sustainable Warehouse
Attributes include high efficiency heat recovery system, solar PV panels generating electricity from the sun, solar thermal panels generating heat from the sun, and a grey water systems utilizing rain water (Source: Youtube, Surfdome)
Learn about more sustainability concepts within this major.
ADVANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF SUPPLY CHAIN & INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Learn what sustainable supply chain is all about and its importance
Learn the important things to know in this field
Learn how sustainability fits into your courses
Learn how sustainability relates to your career