ABSTRACT
Opportunities to increase profits from improving material, labor, and production processes are potentially much larger than for energy or waste reductions since material, labor, and production expenses typically comprise a larger part of the overall budget than energy or waste expenses. Savings opportunities can be identified by applying principles of Lean production such as minimal inventory, quick changeovers, one-piece flow, and preventive maintenance to a manufacturing process. A general approach for identifying possible productivity improvements is described next.
