Lean and Sustainability

Lean and Sustainability

Upon launching Georgia's governor initiative to voluntarily cut water use by 10 percent to diminish a drought of exceptional proportion. Southwire began searching for opportunities to reduce its water use at the company's Utility Products Plant in Carrollton, Georgia. At the same time, Southwire began its sustainability effort and established companywide goals to reduce water use by 15 percent and its overall carbon footprint by 10 percent by the end of 2010.

Following a review performed by Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, the facility implemented a water-looping system that recycled process water without affecting the quality of the wire. Southwire added a filtration system that allowed water to be reused several times. Southwire also added energy efficiency opportunities to the expanding focus of its operational perfection culture. Since the review event, the company has retrofitted its Carrollton facility with high-efficiency light fixtures.

In 2007, Southwire joined in with Green Suppliers Network. Southwire was already incorporating the fundamentals of lean manufacturing into its daily operations. With the help of the Green Suppliers Network, the review would help the company capitalize on the connection between its lean manufacturing initiative and its path toward environmental sustainability. As a result of implementing process-water recycling, Southwire reduced its publicly-supplied water use at the Carrollton Utility Products Plant by more than 9 million gallons annually, which reduced the facility's demand on Georgia's water resources by more than 90 percent--far exceeding the governor's request and saving more than $70,000 annually. Retrofitting the facility with high-efficiency fluorescent light fixtures allowed the facility to cut its electricity use for lighting in half and take steps forward toward meeting the company's carbon footprint goals. Southwire's Carrollton facility also reduced scrap from its processes by 30 percent, following the Green Suppliers Network review. While some scrap reductions can be attributed to improved order management through better planning, Emory Barber, the Carrollton plant manager, states that there are no low hanging fruit when it comes to reducing scrap rates. He said the facility now tracks scrap rates by the hour, focuses on the details when filling orders, and proactively makes adjustments to production to optimize efficiency and reduce scrap wastes. Southwire is now well on its way toward meeting its sustainability goals and the company is also striving to achieve a zero-landfill status by 2017 Recycled/Recyclable - Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper

Jeff Herrin, Executive Vice President of Operations wrote: "The Green Suppliers Network approach complements Southwire's lean manufacturing