Lean Program Funding Application Form

Recyclers contracted with MRC may request reimbursement for lean manufacturing-related services or projects. Up to $20,000 can be awarded per company each year. Complete this form to submit a request for reimbursement.

Qualified projects

With the exception of capital investments, projects that explore the potential to increase throughput, improve commodity quality or reduce operational costs will be considered for funding. Some examples are given below.

• Employee training on lean principles and practices.
• Externally facilitated employee workshops to identify, test and deploy process improvements. Examples include value stream mapping, kaizen events, setup reduction and statistical process control.
• Consultant fees associated with designing and implementing process innovations (such as digital tracking and reporting systems, total quality management systems, waste reduction and process automation).
• Temporary resources such as interns, consultants or researchers deployed to study process improvement opportunities.
• Temporary process modifications to evaluate and/or validate productivity improvements.

Project expenses considered out of scope

The following is a list of project expenses that do not qualify for reimbursement. This list is not exhaustive, and each project budget is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Process equipment investments.
• Labor costs not directly related to approved lean project. Direct operational costs such as site utilities, storage or rent.
• Indirect costs such as overheads or equipment maintenance