Ohio manufacturer illustrates value of Lean process management

H.C. Starck, a global producer of refractory metals and technical ceramics, has been honored for its implementation of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Sustainable Energy Management systems, as well as general excellence in manufacturing execution.

Last week, the company was ranked in the 2012 Northeast Ohio Evolution of Manufacturing Awards, which recognize leaders in green manufacturing and sustainable production. Sponsored by Smart Business magazine, the awards define “green” as being fully compliant with local, state, federal and international environmental regulations.

“We are honored to receive this award in Euclid for the second year. Since 2011, H. C. Starck has increased its involvement in environmentally friendly technologies such as solar power, 'green' energy generation and transmission, and energy-efficient lighting such as LED,” said Dmitry Shashkov, president and CEO of H.C. Starck's fabricated products department.

“This award reflects our ongoing commitment to both our employees and communities, as well as to larger environmental issues that H. C. Starck products can help address,” Shashkov added.

In 2011, the company was certified as a Sony Green Partner for having an environmental quality assurance system in place to meet Sony's strict international environmental standards. Lean and Kaizen activities are key to sustaining such results, providing a solid base from which companies can grow their quality systems. In addition, by focusing on the removal of wasteful activities and streamlining processes, quality is enhanced and a company’s environmental impact is lessened.

Other advocates of Lean Manufacturing and similar process improvement efforts argue that the standardization that these strategies implement helps to cut costs and improve one's bottom line. This is especially important in the manufacturing sector, where threats of overseas competition and supply chain disruptions are constant.

Daniel Markovitz, founder and owner of consulting firm TimeBack Management, further explains this imperative.

“The notion of having standardized work is incredibly powerful because you can ensure you're not forgetting stuff,” he told IT World. “You take the thinking away from the minutiae and allow yourself to focus on creative things.”

Stopping a production line can be extremely costly and wasteful, as evidenced by last year's tsunami and flooding disasters in Asia that left supply networks devastated. Accordingly, manufacturing facilities such as those managed by H. C. Starck work extra hard to ensure that the flow of products and materials on a production line rarely stops.