Lean leads to sustainability; Jim Healy calls it a career; software tracks recycling data: Machinery Minutes, Dec. 16, 2024

In this week's episode of our Machinery Minutes podcast, you'll hear about a molding shop that implemented lean practices and discovered a side benefit: better sustainability.

We also wish Jim Healy of Sepro North America well as he heads into retirement, and tell you about Diversys, which has a software program to keep track of your recycling data so you can meet EPR or company goals.

Transcript

Welcome to Machinery Minutes, where at the beginning of each week I share with you three things you need to know in three minutes. You can find the complete stories on plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com.

No. 1 – Sustainability is increasingly important to manufacturers, according to lean manufacturing consultants, and PMM’s Karen Hanna recently profiled an Illinois injection molding company committed to going lean.

D&M Plastics credits lean manufacturing with tens of thousands of dollars in savings as well as environmental benefits.

Lean manufacturing doesn’t explicitly target environmental waste, but the U.S. EPA characterizes environmental benefits as “riding on the coattails” of lean’s other goals.

Learn more about the benefits of lean manufacturing and how D&M Plastics is saving about $20,000 per year by upgrading plant lighting by reading Karen’s story headlined: “Lean methods, green outcomes.”

No. 2 – Jim Healy, VP of sales and marketing at Sepro North America, is retiring at the end of this year after a career in the plastics automation industry that spanned more than 40 years.

Healy recently spoke with PMM about how he transitioned from selling farm equipment for International Harvester to selling robots to the plastics industry for Conair and Sepro.

Read in Healy’s own words about his upbringing, what led to his lengthy career in automation, and what the future holds for him in retirement.

The story is headlined: “Jim Healy retires after 40 years in plastics automation.”

No. 3 – Extended Producer Responsibility policies and recycling mandates are taking root in the United States, putting pressure on plastics recyclers and processors to track and report details of their operations.

In a recent PMM Insight podcast, Roger Barlow, CEO and co-founder of Diversys, told listeners about the company's cloud-based software that optimizes and tracks recycling data to verify compliance with EPR regulations and sustainability goals.

Hear Barlow describe what Diversys software can do, and how it might benefit your plastics recycling operations.

Look on the PMM website for the podcast headlined: “Software keeps track of recycling data: PMM Insight.” Or go to your favorite podcast platform and subscribe to PMM Insight so you will never miss an episode. You’ll hear informative interviews and our once-a-week Machinery Minutes roundup of the top news stories.

Those are my Top 3 items you need to know for this week. We will have a new list every Monday.