Using Lean Methodologies for Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Foundries

摘要

Lean manufacturing is often seen as a set of tools that reduce the total cost and improve the quality ofrnmanufactured products. The lean management philosophy is one which targets waste reduction in every facet of thernmanufacturing business; however, only recently have studies linked lean management philosophies with improvingrnenvironmental sustainability. These studies suggest that lean manufacturing is more than a set of lean tools that can optimizernmanufacturing efficiencies; it is a process and mindset that needs to be integrated into daily manufacturing systems tornachieve sustainability. The foundry industry, as well as manufacturing in general, has significant challenges in the currentrnregulatory and political climate with developing an economically and environmentally sustainable business model. Leanrnmanufacturing has proven itself as a model for both economic sustainability and environmental stewardship. Several recentrnstudies have shown that both lean and green techniques and "zero-waste" policies also lead to reductions in overall cost.rnWhile these strategies have been examined for general manufacturing, they have not been investigated in detail for thernfoundry industry. This paper will review the current literature and describe how lean and green can provide a relevantrnframework for environmentally and economically sustainable foundries. Examples of lean and green technologies andrntechniques which can be applied to foundries in a global context will be described.