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Waste minimisation in processing

TANGRAM TECHNOLOGY minimisation in glass processing

Waste minimisation in glass processing Practical worksheets for industry

Waste Worksheets

CONTENTS

Part 1 - The business reasons ...... 3 Part 2 - The walk-around ...... 4 Part 3 - Finding hidden costs ...... 5 Part 4 - The process ...... 6 Part 5 - Waste minimisation tools ...... 7

Produced by Tangram Technology Ltd.: www.tangram.co.uk

2 Waste minimisation in glass processing

The business reasons Direct waste costs are visible and Customers are asking for proof of good Waste costs UK industry at least £15 include and disposal environmental performance. Waste billion/year - about 4.5% of total costs but the largest waste costs are minimisation shows this and is a key turnover. This cost could be reduced indirect and hidden. They include: part of any environmental management by 1% in most companies by a simple ·Raw material costs system. waste minimisation programme. This ·Energy consumption Employees know that materials and series is designed to help reduce your ·Water consumption resources are being wasted and can waste costs by introducing the tools ·Effluent generation see that cost benefits make the and techniques of waste minimisation. ·Packaging company more competitive and Effective cuts ·Factory & office consumables safeguard their future. costs and raises profits. ·Wasted time and effort Investors want the best return on These costs are hidden and not shown capital and dividend growth and banks in the accounts, but exist even for want to see efficient use of any A ‘Waste Minimisation efficient companies. They arise borrowed capital. Waste minimisation Programme’ can improve whether you like it or not, and are can help to deliver both of these profits by at least 1% from no significant whether you realise it or not. requirements. cost and low cost measures Companies have found waste costs 5. Legal requirements over 20 times the initial estimate, Companies - and key directors and under-estimating the cost of waste is managers - face stiff penalties for The five important reasons for starting very common. failing to comply with legislation. to minimise waste are: 3. Good returns Effective waste minimisation helps to 1. Waste is lost profit Cost-effective waste minimisation is a prove conformance with the law and Waste is costing real money that is lost valuable investment that pays save future expensive changes. profit. The below gives initial dividends. Small capital spends can The way ahead estimates of the basic and total cost of generate large savings and money The benefits of minimising waste only waste. At a gross margin of 7%, a spent on waste minimisation is a sound come from action. To reap the benefits reduction in waste costs by 1% is the investment. Minimising waste has the start to work on your own action plan equivalent of increasing turnover by potential to save a significant amounts based on the following: over 14%. Internal effort spent in waste of money. ·Establish a Board Level commitment minimisation produces the same 4. Your reputation to minimising waste. benefits as substantially increasing Environmental performance is ·Contact the free Environment and sales. becoming increasingly important and Energy Helpline (0800 585 794) for 2. The hidden costs waste minimisation shows effective further information and to get a free There is a large difference between the and efficient control of operations in copy of GG263 - ‘Waste minimisation ‘visible’ and the ‘true cost of waste’. this area. in the glass and glazing industry’. ·Appoint a part-time waste The potential benefits minimisation ‘Champion’ to establish the true cost of waste and to motivate Calculate your potential savings based on raw materials losses: the workforce. ·Produce regular financial one line Amount of main raw material used last year, e.g. tonnes A reports on the cost of waste collection and disposal and on the total cost of Amount of product produced last year, e.g. parts B waste Amount of main raw material/unit of product, e.g. polymer/part C ·Follow this series for further essential information on waste minimisation in Quantity of main raw material in parts last year = (B x C) D glass processing. Wasted main raw material = (A – D) E Purchase cost of main raw material F

Cost of wasted raw material = (E x F) G

The calculations above only show the visible purchase cost of wasted raw material. The true and total cost will also include wasted production costs, labour, storage etc. Consideration of all areas of waste will give a much higher figure.

1% of turnover £ Profit margin as % of turnover %

Turnover last year £ Potential saving = turnover ÷ 100 £

3 Waste minimisation in glass processing

The walk-around Grinding Input: Glass Waste is all around us. Some belts & Rejected companies put up signs urging staff to powders sheet material ‘STOP WASTE’, most people would Labour Edge trim stop waste if only they knew where to Heating & Transit find it. The signs should really read Lighting packaging ‘FIND WASTE’ - only after finding the Glass hidden waste can you really start to Utilities Dirty oil processing stop it. The first step in waste Rinse Wasted minimisation is to start to find the Water time inevitable waste in the business and the best tool for this is the ‘waste walk- Lubricants Breakage around’. A ‘walk-around’ is designed to Cleaning Output: Glass Heat gain an overview of the processes and materials to identify some rapid no-cost or low- products cost improvements to save money. The survey should be carried out as A process flow chart showing some typical inputs and outputs during soon as possible - waste is happening glass processing now and it is costing money now. Take an unannounced walk around the site inputs and outputs during glass ·Check for leaks in the water system at mid-shift. If there is no night shift, it processing. and repair dripping taps as soon as can also be profitable to take a walk ·Optimise waste segregation and possible. around the factory when there is no to minimise the amount of ·Check that hot water controls are set production being carried out. Always waste requiring disposal. Skip disposal to stop heating one hour before the look in the skips as a first step - it is an costs real money. end of daily work. excellent starter for locating waste! ·Estimate the true cost of waste. The ·Fit flush controls to urinal systems in cost of waste glass is not just the all men’s toilets. disposal cost, it is the cost of the glass ·Fit trigger controls to hosepipes. Cut waste, and you will boost and the embodied processing costs to Utilities profit. Money saved from the stage at which it was wasted. ·Implement no-cost and low-cost waste goes straight to the Materials management methods to improve energy efficiency bottom line. ·Avoid breakages by improving storage and reduce costs. and handling techniques (especially ·Compressed air is a major energy after value has been added by user. Typically, 40% of generated processing). compressed air is wasted in feeding Simple no-cost and low-cost ·Record glass utilisation wherever leaks. A 3 mm hole leaks about 11 ideas possible. Track, locate and reduce any litres/sec and costs £1,000 per year. Eliminate, reduce, re-use, recycle variations. ·Get a free copy of ‘Focus’ from the The waste ‘hierarchy’ is vital to save ·Plan production to minimise Helpline to provide ideas for reducing the most money: first eliminate the changeover losses. energy costs. source of waste, then reduce the ·Establish the total material losses for Other measures amount of waste, then re-use any the process. Compare these losses ·Train employees to understand the waste that does arise, then recycle the with utilisation rates to find the relative effects of their actions. waste and only when these have been importance of process and materials The action plan handling losses. eliminated should we dispose of the ·Once you are looking for waste, a . walk-around will identify obvious areas ·Identify the various waste streams ·Re-use any packaging for your for improvement. Make some ‘fast produced on-site. The process flow products, where appropriate. starts’ to reduce waste. chart gives an outline of the typical ·Find ways of minimising packaging ·Start to monitor utility and packaging with both suppliers and customers. usage. Best and Eliminate Packaging is paid for twice - once to ·Find out where and why waste glass cheapest buy it and again to dispose of it. is being created. Reduce Water ·Record the starting position and ·Make everyone aware of water costs - publicise improvements to motivate Re-use especially the difference between employees and maintain commitment purchase and effluent disposal costs. from senior management. Check the bills to make sure that you ·Contact the Helpline (0800 585 794) Recycle are paying only for what you are for free resources to identify more Worst and disposing of; consider metering opportunities for waste minimisation Dispose most discharges if there are large and profit improvement. If your expensive evaporative losses. company has fewer than 250 ·Turn off the water supply to processes employees, ask the Helpline for a free The that are not operating. Fast Track visit to help you get started. 4 Waste minimisation in glass processing

Finding hidden costs Calculating the true cost of waste The total cost of waste is generally Process waste Raw material Treatment and Lost production Total ‘true’ cost around 20 times the first estimate that cost (£) disposal costs time and of waste (£) a company makes. Most of these costs (£) processing are hidden and companies simply do (1) cost (£) not consider them when looking at the cost of waste. A first step in assessing Glass (4 mm) performance is finding the true cost of waste. The 'true cost' of waste is not Glass (6 mm) only the cost of the raw materials but is also a function of how much added value has been put into the product before it is lost from the production Solid waste, process. e.g. For example, if a product is broken in packaging the goods-out department, causing it to be lost as waste, the true cost of that Water input waste will be: True cost of waste = Cost of wasted Effluent costs raw materials + lost time + cost of utilities used + waste treatment + Energy used disposal costs. £ £ £ £ To find out the current costs and TOTAL performance, use the table at right. …………….. …………….. …………….. …………….. The information needed should be (1) easy to obtain: This should account for the lost costs of processing until the waste happens. For example, breaking a finished unit will also cost the time and resources spent in making it to that stage.

“If you don’t measure it then better to have an informed estimate regular basis as part of Board level you can’t manage it.” than no estimate at all. reporting - it is done for labour costs, The ‘true total cost of waste’ will why not do it for the much larger ‘true probably be between 5 to 20 % of cost of waste’? ·Use existing accounts records for raw turnover and will come as a shock to ·Contact the Helpline (0800 585 794) material purchases. many people. The cost of waste is for free publications and improvement often a deciding factor between not ·Use production records to find out ideas. If your company has fewer than only profit and loss but also between how much glass is used, rather than 250 employees, ask the Helpline for a success and failure. A formal waste how much is ordered and delivered. If free Fast Track visit to help you get minimisation programme can save up more than one type of glass is used started. to 1% of turnover from effective and then use additional lines in the table. ·Get a copy of GG263 ‘Waste low cost waste minimisation efforts. ·For the main glass process , minimisation in the glass and glazing These are substantial gains. include edge trimmings, off-cuts and industry’. damaged finished product. Benchmarking ·Get a copy of ET30 ‘Finding hidden profit - 200 practical tips for reducing ·Use waste transfer notes (a legal Production performance in the glass waste’. requirement) to find out how much fabrication and processing industry is solid waste has left the site and often measured by overall output and invoices for waste disposal costs. 'due date'. Using performance ·Companies or suppliers covered by measurements directly related to the packaging waste regulations will process efficiency and waste already have data on packaging use. minimisation will improve overall ·Use utilities bills to assess and record control and help to develop good energy and water usage. practice. Examples of performance benchmarks ·Tip - always check that the correct include: tariffs have been applied and that any Power Factor correction equipment ·cutting yield. fitted has been switched on! ·glass waste/tonne of saleable product. ·If you do not have all the data to fill in These types of performance the table then the accounts department benchmarks should be used to monitor can provide details of materials and internal improvements from the waste services bought, product sold and minimisation programme. waste disposal costs. If in doubt, Next steps estimate the appropriate number - it is ·Calculate the true cost of waste on a 5 Waste minimisation in glass processing

The process ·Tip - Take photographs to record the Glass recycling Improving performance to reduce changes. ·Collect waste flat, float and clean waste in any company means The ‘fast start’ areas glass separately from other glass types changing ‘the way we do things around Benchmarks and contaminants (e.g. wood and here’ and the best process is to use ·Set performance benchmarks that are metals) for recycling. some ‘fast starts’ to convince people directly related to production efficiency. ·Collect coated, coloured and that it is worth the effort. Quality laminated separately for recycling. ·Carry out quality checks at critical stages to prevent further processing of Packaging waste Improving performance is not rejects. ·Increase the size of the glass blocks a ‘quick technology fix’. It is a ·Monitor the cost of processing to reduce the amount of timber end- continuous process of defects. cap. attention to detail and holding Delivery and storage Washing and finishing the gains. ·Use 'Just-In-Time' delivery to ·Ensure that the water supply to minimise storage time and damage. washing and finishing machines is ·Develop delivery quality checks to turned on only when needed. A typical 5 step process is: improve the quality of glass used and ·Use reverse flow cleaning-in-place for glass washing. This allows 1. Gather the information. reduce defects/breakages. demineralised water to be recycled and Information is needed to find the ‘fast ·Measure all breakage in deliveries and charge back to the supplier. reduces water usage and effluent starts’ in the business. Gather the ·Increase the stillage size to reduce generation. information available in the company ·Install conductivity monitors to check (see last month’s article) before space and number of glass lifts. 0 water quality and maximise recycling. starting to prioritise the ‘fast starts’. ·Maintain stillages at an angle of 5 or 0 Maintenance ·Tip - Take photographs of waste and 6 . where it is being produced. These will ·Use battens to optimise storage ·Ensure that all machinery is well- show where waste is, and help in conditions and avoid glass damage. maintained and clean to reduce future comparisons. ·Keep storage areas free of water mistakes, accidents and breakage. 2. Identify the priorities leaks and dust to reduce staining. ·Assign machines to operators to Cutting increase operator ownership. Using the information, find some major ·Train staff to handle glass and end- sources of waste and identify the ·Set aggressive improvement targets products correctly to avoid bruising, priority areas. These may be the for glass utilisation that are relevant to scratching and damage. largest quantities or the highest net your business. costs. It is best to focus on areas with ·Fully optimise cutting to minimise Site layout the largest financial savings and where waste - do not stop optimising at the ·Lay out production areas to optimise there are practical ideas for making first ‘acceptable’ result. material flow logistics. This reduces changes. ·Check for any surface and edge both the potential for breakage and the In one day you should be able to defects before cutting. time taken to move the product. identify potential actions to make ‘fast ·Check the accuracy of the start’ savings and to put them in order ‘squareness’ of cutting equipment. of priority. ·Box in cutting tables so that cullet 3. Make the first savings does not fall underneath them. Make a ‘fast start’ action plan. The plan Contaminated cullet decreases in value should involve the ‘front line’ staff and is often disposed of rather than because they have first hand recycled. knowledge of the processes and know ·Catalogue and store significant off- the ways to make them better. The cuts for future use. action plan should include some simple Glass handling and processing measuring systems to quantify the ·Use tracking systems to identify glass results. by batch. If a batch causes preventable Start the plan and regularly review process waste, this will allow the batch progress against the aims. to be quarantined and prevent further 4. Measure the savings wastage. Use the measuring systems to ·Stack glass correctly to avoid demonstrate quantified savings and problems with de-stacking.. record the measurements for ·Ensure that the correct lifts and reference. equipment are used for lifting and 5. Achieve more savings manoeuvring glass from delivery Carry out progress reviews to provide vehicles to factory storage areas. evidence that waste reduction is worth ·Maintain racks with unworn felt/rubber padding and set at the correct angle, i. the commitment and effort. Use the 0 evidence to extend the operations. e. 3 .

6 Waste minimisation in glass processing

Waste minimisation tools The key waste minimisation tools are Value Supplier ‘waste tracking’ and the ‘cause and added effect diagram’. These both help to find (£) ‘fast starts’ and to develop the systematic approach for long-term Delivery and Waste Other £ savings. inputs storage Waste tracking To manage waste effectively and pinpoint savings opportunities, the Other Glass Waste different wastes produced by a inputs £ company (and the step at which they Processing are produced) needs to be identified. The tools used for this are the ‘process flow chart’ and the ‘waste tracking Other Waste sheet’. inputs Assembly £ Process flow chart Consider the production process as a series of steps. Each step has its own Other Packing and Waste inputs, outputs and waste. Each step £ adds value to the product but also adds inputs warehousing a cost from the labour, materials and Output utilities used in the process step. ·Tip - The true waste cost includes the cost of wasted resources and rejects at Customer Total £ each step in the process. The cost of rejects includes the value added to the A process flow chart showing some typical inputs and outputs during material by the time it is rejected and glass processing this increases through the process. A general ‘process flow chart’ for glass causes. In manufacturing, the major processing is shown at right. groups of causes are: Process description: Glass processing Waste tracking sheet · people Supplier/input: From the process flow chart it is Monthly Cost · methods Resource/ (include possible to create a waste tracking Quantity Wasted · materials Material/Utility purchase and sheet for each individual step. The · machinery. disposal) waste tracking sheet measures and It is important to look for improvements Rejected material Dirty oil lists the amounts and costs of the to solve the root cause (or causes) of waste for the step considered and Wasted time the problem and not simply to restate Transit packaging provides a detailed ‘opportunity list’ for the symptoms. Edge trim each step. The waste tracking sheet Breakage ·Tip - Ask the people who work on the Heat also provides an accurate picture of the process to suggest reasons (without ‘cost of waste’ for the step. Combining blame) for the problem. the details for the individual steps gives ·Tip - List their suggestions against the overall cost of waste to the each cause (they know the process company. The results can also be used better than you! to see if there are any discrepancies in ·Tip - Involve everyone in the Total overall values, i.e. between identified development of solutions. Customer: and total actual water use, and raw or next process material and energy consumption. Dig ·Tip - Implement no-cost measures as soon as possible. deeper if there are major Waste tracking sheet for specific discrepancies. They can be a major People process step. cost and a major savings opportunity! People are at the heart of waste minimisation. Talk to the staff involved The ‘cause and effect’ diagram surface of waste minimisation. The in the process producing the waste to ‘Cause and effect’ diagrams (also implementation of these powerful understand why it is produced. Is it known as ‘Fishbone’ diagrams) are a techniques can save real money as because no-one had seriously standard tool for quality improvement well as making the company more considered there was a problem or and will be familiar to many people. environmentally friendly. For further because it is an established practice They are used to identify potential free details, information and assistance may no longer be relevant? Using opportunities for eliminating waste in contact the Helpline (0800 585 794) ‘waste reduction teams’ and ‘waste each process step and are used to champions’ will produce major savings. identify possible causes of a problem in a structured manner. For each effect The future there are likely to be several possible This short series has only touched the 7