Lean Six Sigma Online Trainging and Certification

Green Six Sigma Project Examples

Reduce

Kahiki Foods: Kahiki Foods, located in Gahanna, OH is a premier supplier of high-quality Asian-style frozen foods. In December of 2008, Kahiki began receiving extra-strength surcharges from the City of Columbus division of Public utilities for its water quality. Of the three metrics used to quantify water quality, BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) accounted for 74% of charges bringing Kahiki’s total extra strength bill to an astounding $204,000 for FY2009. Given these costs and Kahiki’s support for the environment, and ocean conservancy, A Six Sigma team was chartered to dramatically reduce BOD levels using the DMAIC roadmap. Six months post project charter, BOD has been reduced almost 70% with a goal of 95% reduction by Dec. 2010.

> Read the entire Kahiki Foods Lean Six Sigma case study

3M: Over the last three decades, 3M has prevented more than 2.6 billion pounds of pollutants and saved more than $1 billion by preventing pollution at the source-in products and manufacturing processes. As of 2006, 3M employees have completed more than 6,300 projects focusing on product reformulation, process modification, equipment redesign, or recycling and reuse of waste materials. In 2006, more than 70 percent of the projects relied upon Lean Six Sigma methodology. Key environmental metrics target VOC emissions, TRI releases, water releases, waste generation, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as shown below:

Environmental Goals (2000-2005)

Goal

Results

Reduce volatile air emissions indexed to net sales	25%	61%
Reduce U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Releases indexed to net sales	50%	64%
Improve energy efficiency (energy use indexed to net sales)	20%	27%
Reduce waste indexed to net sales	25%	30%
Double the number of Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) projects from the previous five-year period from 194 to 400 projects	400	1262

Source:"3M Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 28 June 2007

The United States Army: U. S. Army personnel working at Red River Army Depot in Texas launched a variety of fuel-recycling initiatives that saved more than 37,000 gallons of fuel, with a value of roughly $85,000 in a single year. In addition, they saved nearly $600,000 as a result of projects related to the Bradley fighting vehicle.
Source: "Lean Six Sigma techniques save Army money."

Reuse

Oshkosh Truck: In September 2006, Oshkosh Truck Corporation and Red River Army Depot announced a partnership to remanufacture and upgrade the U.S. Army's Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) fleet. The program's objective is to restore the HEMTT vehicles to meet mission requirements and to make the vehicles combat-ready. This type of recapitalization books the vehicles in a zero miles/zero hours status.
Source: "Red River Army Depot Partners with Oshkosh."

Recycle

University of Kentucky / Fayette County: A minimal 1% change in the national can recycling rate would result in savings of about $16 million and produce 40 million pounds of aluminum per year. In addition, this 1% change would generate annual energy savings of 1 trillion BTUs. These estimates are based, in part, on the Container Recycling Institute's report that over the past 40 years, 1 trillion aluminum cans have been discarded amounting to approximately $21 billion of wasted potential revenues.
Source: "Improving Aluminum Can Recycling Rates: A Six Sigma Study in Kentucky"