MRC recently completed lean manufacturing assessments for mattress recycling companies through MWS & Associates. Lean is an improvement and problem-solving methodology that strives to reduce or eliminate activities that do not add value.
Twelve recyclers participated, with each facility receiving a confidential report detailing the results of the analysis, recommendations for improvement and associated potential impacts. Through the assessments, it was determined that all recyclers collectively have the potential to increase their productivity by an average of 30 percent by focusing on reducing non-value-added activities.
Recyclers that adopted recommendations from the assessments reported immediate benefits. “With MRC’s help, we implemented lean manufacturing techniques that radically changed our approach to mattress recycling,” said Jon Nasser, owner GMR NorCal, an MRC recycler based in Livermore, Ca. “It was a major inflection point in our business and we haven’t looked back since.”
A summary report of the lean assessments can be found here.