TBM Consulting Group, the global business improvement leader for the manufacturing and service sectors, announced August 15 the launch of its new Lean Energy Practice to assist companies worldwide in applying “lean” principles to reduce energy consumption and waste.
Through its “Lean Energy Process,” which enables companies to rapidly achieve energy productivity, TBM will help clients conserve resources such as water, gas, compressed air, oil and electricity. The process has already helped manufacturing clients worldwide achieve improvement on energy costs. McCain Foods Limited, a global frozen foods company with over $6 billion in sales, had an energy savings of $300,000 at a single facility.
In addition to tracking energy flow, the Lean Energy Practice will also provide maintenance and sustainability initiatives for long-term savings. Its Total Productive Maintenance Services, a critical adjunct to “lean” manufacturing, is focused on waste elimination, preventing deterioration and reducing equipment breakdowns – a proactive approach that prevents any kind of process interruption before maintenance is needed.
Doug Kiss, a lean consultant at TBM with more than 30 years of manufacturing experience, will lead the practice. He has been certified in Total Productive Maintenance by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance. Formerly a corporate quality consultant for United Technologies, he led the operation’s transformation initiative involving more than 50 facilities and the supply base. Trained in Japan in 3P and in kaizen, Doug has led lean programs for facilities worldwide.
The practice will monitor the flow of energy through a breakthrough process called an energy kaizen (a Japanese word with two roots: kai meaning change and zen meaning good). By identifying and then eliminating waste, the kaizen creates immediate change, improving the flow to the company’s bottom line. A one-week energy kaizen event focused on a single source of energy can typically generate a cost reduction of four to eight percent annually for a company, resulting in a savings of $200,000 - $500,000 or more a year. Wasted energy, says Kiss, often results from improper machine conditions, lack of standard work, excessive inventories and unnecessary processing.
“The manufacturing community has an urgent need to exert control over rising energy costs,” said Anand Sharma, CEO, TBM Consulting Group. “To improve financial performance particularly during turbulent times, it’s crucial for manufacturers to conserve their energy resources.”
According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), more than 40 percent of all U.S. energy is used by industry, including transport of manufactured goods. It also reports that U.S. manufacturers can save the equivalent of $10.4 billion if it reduces energy consumption by just 10 percent.
About TBM Consulting Group
Headquartered in Durham, N.C., TBM Consulting Group is the leading provider of LeanSigma Consulting and Training Services in North and South America, Europe and Asia. With more than 150 experienced consultants operating on five continents in seven languages across the globe, TBM has grown to be the worldwide leader in “lean innovation” and business improvement in the manufacturing and service sectors. The company’s mission is to help discrete and process manufacturers and service companies create a competitive advantage to generate significant growth in sales and earnings. The company provides strategic direction and hands-on implementation to guide cultural and organizational transformation. TBM Consulting Group’s LeanSigma approach integrates Lean principles for market agility and responsiveness and Six Sigma’s focus on quality.