Lean Principles

Lean and Environmental Pilot Project
Case Study: Lasco Bathware, 2007
Project Activities Conducted: May 2006 through January 2007
Publication Date: July 2007, Revised April 2008
Project Conducted by:
Washington State Department of Ecology, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program
(www(dot)ecy(dot)wa(dot)gov/programs/hwtr)
Washington Manufacturing Services (www(dot)wamfg(dot)org)
Pilot Facility Participant:
Lasco Bathware, Yelm, Washington (www(dot)lascobath(dot)com)
Case Study Prepared by:
Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Seattle, Washington (www(dot)pprc(dot)org)
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd., Seattle, Washington

Lean & Environment Case Study:
Lasco Bathware
The Washington State Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program and
Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS) partnered in a lean and environment pilot project to provide technical assistance
to a Lasco Bathware (Lasco) facility in Yelm, Washington. Lasco manufactures fiberglass and acrylic bath and shower
fixtures. Ecology provided environmental expertise for this pilot project, while WMS provided lean expertise and
management of the on-site activities at the Lasco facility from May 2006 through January 2007. Funding for the pilot project
was provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The primary pilot project objectives were to:
?  Evaluate the benefits and synergies of deliberately integrating environmental considerations into on-the-ground lean
practices.
?  Improve product quality, production efficiency, and product flow in specific areas of the Lasco facility.
?  Gain experience to offer and promote lean and environment projects to manufacturers statewide.
Project Activities and Results
Pilot project participants formed teams to address three target areas: (1) packaging and shipping, (2) fiberglass-reinforced-
plastic (FRP) spray operations, and (3) acrylic vacuum mold changeover. The teams included cross-functional staff from
Lasco and Ecology, as well as a WMS facilitator. The team developed current state value stream maps for the FRP and
acrylic lines to identify and prioritize lean and environmental improvement opportunities and participated in three kaizen
(improvement) events to implement the identified improvement opportunities.
The collective efforts of Lasco Bathware, Ecology, and WMS produced considerable operational, financial, and
environmental benefits. Process improvements include reduced production bottlenecks and cleaner and more organized
work areas, decreased variability in spray operations, and reduced energy use and FRP wastes. The facility was also able to
reassign over 3,500 annual labor hours to other value-added activities. These improvements also positively affected the
plant as a whole by improving ergonomics and internal communication and fostering a more proactive stance toward
continuous improvement among production staff.
Cost savings for Lasco Bathware totaled approximately $135,200 per year for process changes implemented to date, as
shown in Table 1. Lasco expects to save another $60,650 annually for planned process changes that were identified
during this project but are not yet complete.

Download and read this case study about Lasco Bathware and its efforts in Lean improvements. Skip the Executive Summary. Start on page 1 and read about the training and the VSM event and then read about the three different Kaizen projects and choose only one to discuss. Write a paper discussing the Lean activities for this project. Include discussion about the training, the VSM and the Kaizen project that you chose. The paper should review in detail the original situation, the specific activities that were done in the project and the results that were obtained. Make sure you specifically point out the Lean techniques and methods that were used. Write a two to three page paper discussing the Lean activities for this project. Do not copy any of the content of the paper word for word. Summarize portions that make sense to summarize and report in detail in your own words the parts that need detailed discussion.