Revolutionizing Packaging of Material: A Lean and Sustainable Approach

Abstract

The packaging processes of the metal parts industry, constituting several challenges, proved time consuming, costly, and a risk to the environment. The aim of the study was to find and propose a very good framework for revolutionizing of the metal parts packaging by using lean approaches and sustainable packaging practices whereby Mitor Kft in Debrecen, Hungary which deals with metal working, including bearing ring cutting was used as a case study. A sustainable approach to the issue consists of a systematic combination of lean manufacturing principles and sustainable packaging practices was proposed. The study was based on lean principles and used such key metrics as Total Circle Time, Takt Time, Overall Equipment Effectiveness and the Integrated Performance Index (IPI). The results indicate that the stages of cleaning and packing that take most of the time could be improved.