Begging for Innovated Improvements

TMAC staff met with NPIC Executive Vice President Josh Liu and toured their Plano, Texas location to gain a better understanding of their operations. TMAC returned and provided 3 days of onsite training working with a cross-functional team from NPIC. The team was introduced to the concepts of lean manufacturing and spent some time talking about adding value for their customer. The classroom training continued on day 2 with the introduction on how to identify and calculate savings and reductions by looking for energy and environmental opportunities. The group quickly recognized that the hand washing sinks on the production floor were using a large amount of water every time an employee washed their hands. The team took several videos and determined that each employee was using at least 20 ounces of water each time they washed their hands, over 150 gallons a day. NPIC installed low flow nozzles to each of the 8 faucets, which will now save over 30,000 of gallons of water each year.

Next, the team observed an opportunity to separate cardboard from their solid waste collection. NPIC is now adding a cardboard compactor and bailer which will recycle 2.4 tons of cardboard and prevent future disposal of cardboard to the landfill. TMAC also used a thermal camera to help the team see how heat is escaping from their injection molding machines. NPIC is now working to install additional heat shielding around their heating coils to help reduce heat loss and maintain a consistent injection temperature to reduce rejects. 

Finally, the team identified opportunities to reduce compressed air consumption by repairing leaks and adjusting compressor settings to better match the actual demands of their equipment. These improvements will reduce energy consumption by 69,000 kWh annually and will reduce energy costs by more than $5,800 annually.