Perspective Chapter: The Lean Approach in Waste Management – A Case Study

Abstract

This work presents a manufacturing case study focused on reducing waste in a corrugated paperboard packaging company located in Italy. Corrugated paperboard is the primary material used in transporting, distributing, and storing many products, particularly food productions. The project started in September 2020 with the aim of identifying the causes of some waste along the production process and the consequent planning of actions to reduce them. This project was implemented following the logic of lean manufacturing through the use of the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) methodology. The quality control tools for continuous improvement of the manufacturing process are used. The results achieved by the plant are significant in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. From an economic point of view, the measures implemented have allowed the plant to achieve, in the period between September 2020 and March 2021, a decrease from 10% to 9% of the percentage of the waste with a cost reduction approximately of € 17,000 for each of the first three months of 2021. From an environmental point of view, waste reduction is one of the objectives underlying the sustainability strategy adopted by the company, which has long been committed to the responsible management of its production processes to reduce its environmental impact.