Visualization of Environmental Waste by Manufacturing : Equip VSM with Green Perspective

Abstract: This thesis is a subtask of the research project “Green Production System”, which is jointly launched and run by Volvo/Volvo Technology, Haldex, Saab and All-Emballage J.E. AB as industrial party, and Mälardalen University as academic party. The whole project is dedicated to develop “green production system” to be a competitive mean to Swedish automotive and manufacturing industry through four work packages, which are “Wet preconditions and frames of a green production system”, “Visualization of environmental impact and added value”, “Development and implementation of tools for green control and management” and “Development of guidelines for environmental value improvement and cost decrease” respectively. And this thesis is an effort to package 2. Value stream mapping is assumed to be a potentially effective tool to be developed for visualizing environmental wastes produced by production processes. Thereby, the focus of this thesis is on the transformation of VSM into EVSM (Environmental Value Stream Mapping). By reviewing literature, the reduction of environmental wastes is additionally counted into a characteristic of lean production. Meanwhile, seven environmental wastes are identified and defined. The development of EVSM is on an absolutely great degree based on the identification and measurement of environmental wastes. Thus, waste measurement and production data collection are supposed to be the prerequisite of EVSM implementation. In order to verify the supposition, a test practice was carried out in CH Industry AB, which is a metal processor. After the practical study, CH’s incompetence of working on EVSM is analysed, and advice is proposed. At the end of thesis, analysis of EVSM is made in terms of its prerequisite, difference from VSM, pros and cons, etc. In addition, suggestions for further research are given.