Manufacturing is usually expensive to get right and easy to get wrong, and mistakes can mean you let down clients, waste material, and lose out on repeat business. However, what can you do about the waste your manufacturing processes create even without mistakes? Making these processes more efficient and less wasteful will not only benefit your business but is also likely to help save the planet in the long run. Below are some interesting ideas to help you reduce your manufacturing waste.
Reducing Packaging Materials
Is all the packaging you use really necessary? Redesigning your product packaging to limit the amount used, especially the amount of non-recyclable materials, will mean you can save money in the long run. Plus, if you can use more recyclables, you may even be able to reuse them, ensuring you save as much money as possible.
Modernise Your Manufacturing Processes with 3D Printing
Online 3D printing services like rapid prototyping will mean you can quickly make small orders of products with efficient use of material. Unlike other manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining, 3D printing is constructive rather than subtractive, which means the material is added rather than taken away, meaning that it is far more likely to reduce wasted material. One more point worth mentioning is that, as 3D printing advances, more and more businesses are able to use the technique to complete their manufacturing in-house. This means less energy and money will be wasted on transportation. Not sure 3D printing will work for your company? Well it’s already being used by many industries involved in everything from fashion to medicine, so with a bit of luck you will also be able to benefit from this advanced type of manufacturing.
Create a Closed Loop Manufacturing System
Closed-Loop Manufacturing or CLM is a process of measuring and checking the machinery and manufacturing process through quality control, accurate planning and careful calculations to reduce waste. In addition to letting you keep track of and utilize your material, CLM can mean you can extend the life cycle of materials (like perishable chemicals) which is also likely to mean more saved money and less harm to the environment.
Recovering Waste Material Through New Processes
Recovering as much waste as possible by employing new techniques including filtration, electrolysis, centrifugation, and reverse osmosis can go a long way to decreasing your waste. This can not only have a knock-on effect on your budget by helping you recover losses and reduce spending, but it can also mean your business qualifies for other benefits by working in line with government green initiatives.
Whatever your plans, taking the time to research ways to reduce waste and go green is a good idea, and successfully implementing these ideas will give you one more selling point for your environmentally conscious customers.
