Sustainable Manufacturing Practices for Electrically Powered Garden Tools - Coursework Example

The Circular Economy Table of Contents Introduction 3 Task 3 Task 2 7 Task 3 10 Conclusion 12 References 14 Introduction The work outlines sustainable manufacturing practices for electrically powered garden tools. Powered garden tools use various structural, electrical and functional parts in its manufacturing process. The structural and functional parts are manufactured by the in house manufacturing facilities. The electrical parts are not manufactured and are procured from its suppliers and are used in the assembly of the powered garden tools. Manufactured powered garden tools include leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, wood chippers, lawn mowers, etc. The company does not follow any practices that will reduce its energy and resource consumption. It plans to implement practices that will streamline its production process and reduce its energy flows. It wants to achieve a circular economic model by which it can recycle and reuse its manufactured products to minimise its resource utilization as well as cost. Developing manufacturing facilities that use less energy and reduces emission will create greater sustainability as well as reduce the impact on the environment. It aims at procuring the used products from its customers at an agreed price or by offering them discounts on their new purchase. This will not only help the garden tools manufacturing company to reuse various structural and functional parts in the assembly of new equipments but will also market its strategy successfully which is aimed at long term sustainability. Task 1 The gardener’s job became much easier in the year 1830 when first mechanical land mower was invented (Jenkins, 2015). Now days most of the land mowers are either powered by electricity or gas. It turns blades that either cut like scissors or rotate like a propeller in order to chop the grass. The gas mowers have rotary plates that spin horizontally on a vertical crank shaft. In order to make the blade housing which is called the deck, a machine first applies a lubricating chemical to sheet steel that is coiled when it first comes to the factory (Bralla, 2007). The chemical helps flatten the steel so that it is easier to cut the steel. A press is then used to perforate the sheet every 60 cm. After the press separates the sheet and rounds it off the corners a robotic arm is used to move each segment on to a dock (Koren, 2010). The 500 tonne press then bends the steel like steel foil in between two loads in order to give the steel its basic shape. A robot then leaves the oily deck with the suction cups and then they are moved to another press. The new machine trims the excess around the decks edges. Then another machine is used to bend the sharp bottom lid inward so that it is easier and safer to handle (Winston and Albright, 2015). Robots are used as these are faster that humans and are used to make around 500 decks an hour. The part is then thoroughly cleaned by dipping then in alkaline and then in phosphate solutions. Then the parts are transported through the conveyers. While being loaded on the conveyor the parts are transported through a paint shop. In the paint shop fine particles of paint are sprayed from a paint gun on the parts and it charges the parts electro statically (Tucker, 2010). The charge on the sprayed paint is opposite to the charge on the body parts. This helps in the fact that the paint is spread evenly on the body surface and stick to the surface. The paint is baked at 190degrees for 15 minutes. Figure 1Land mower parts Handle bar A press is used to bend the two and half meter long tubing to form the upper handle and another bends a 1.8 metre tube to make a shorter handle. These two handles are later attached by the workers in order to form a folding handle so that the machine is easier to ship and takes less space. The press is also used to flatten the handle bar at the ends and piercing of round or square holes into the tubing (Garmo, Black and Kohser, 2011). Engine and other body parts The 5 horsepower engine of the mower is brought to the facility by the suppliers of the company. The engine that is purchased is according to the physical qualities and specifications of performance as lay down by the manufacturer. Same can be said about the tires that are used by the machine and the plastic components that form the discharge chute and the cover of the handle. The plastic body parts that are purchased are injection moulded. Injection moulding is a process by which the molten plastic is applied to a mould and is then allowed to cool (Emmanouilidis, Taisch and Kiritsis, 2013). As the plastic cools down it takes the shape of the mould. Other things that are purchased from outside include the bearings, shift mechanisms wiring harness, plugs, chutes for discharging etc. Figure 2 lawn mower manufacturing process Assembling of the components The 5 horse power engine is attached to the deck with three bolts. The engine is attached with the deck with three powerful torque guns. This is done so as to ensure that the deck does not loosen due to vibrations. The blades are then mounted to the crankshaft of the engine that protrudes through an opening that is in the deck. The workers also install a plastic rear door through which it is possible to eject the grass that is cut (Radam, 2011). The door in turn is attached to the brackets which have levers that are used to adjust the mower to nine different height positions. Next in line the plastic rear wheels and an adapter is used to stabilize the blade on the crank shaft. The blade is wider at each end to create a larger airflow inside the deck. The blade is secured tightly as it is going to spin at 3300 RPM. The front wheel is then attached. The front wheels are 1/3rd smaller than the rear wheel. This makes it easier to move the mower on uneven terrain. The rubber covers are then put on the height adjustment lever which makes them easier to operate by hands. The mower can adjust from 2.5 to nearly 9 centimetres of the ground. The lower handle is secured and the upper handle is loosely attached to the lower one so that the consumers can tighten the upper handle after shipping. They attach an additional safety handle that is used to turn the engine off if it is not squeezed against the upper handle. It is attached to a calibre system similar to a bicycle. As seen from the manufacturing process as described above only certain parts like the housing of the machine is manufactured in house where as other parts like the machine, wheel and other functional part are manufactured by the outside vendors. All these parts are brought together and assembled in the premises of the factory. Task 2 There are various stages of the product life cycle of any particular product. The various stage of the product life cycle is design, manufacturing, distribution, customers, End of life, recycling and then back to the design phase. The various phase of the product life cycle are mainly concept, design, and manufacturing, support, servicing and recycling. It is said that the company which manufactures the lands mowers makes the items through linear process flow model. There is no concept of reuse. However the company would like to bring in sustainability in the manufacturing process. In order to achieve the company intends to make the manufacturing process circular. If the product life cycle of a particular product is circular then what happens is that the parts of the product is reused after it has been used for a single use. The idea is to judge the components that the company will be able to reuse and recycle. There are several phases in the product lifecycle of any particular product. It starts with the concept phase. The concept phase is the phase in which the design of the item is thought about by the design team that is engaged in designing the product. Once the design is thought about then the next step is to actually engage in designing the product. If there has to be a change in the manufacturing process then the process should start from the concept phase. It is in the concept phase that is responsible for thinking about the design of the products and the type of material that is to be used in the product. After the concept phase the next step is the design phase. The main function of the design phase is to design the product according to the concept. It is the design phase that the specification about the type of material to be used in manufacturing of the product is decided. It is also required that in the design state the feasibility of the concept is also studied. If the particular type of concept that is thought of is not feasible then it is not fruitless to make or manufacture the product. Then the manufacturing process commences as per the design of the product. The materials that would be used for the manufacturing process is norm ally supplied by the raw materials that is procured from outside. Of the different components or parts of a land mower the company only manufactures the body of the machine. Rest of the parts are mostly acquired by the company from outside. The parts that are mainly acquired by the company from outside include the engine, wheel, plastic components etc. The parts that are not the main body of the machine are acquired from outside and assembled in the main body of the machine. If circular flows of materials are used in the manufacturing process then the machines that are once used up by the customers are brought back after their effective life is over to the company warehouses for recycling (Floyd, 2012). Once these machines that have already been sold are brought to the warehouses of the company then the best way for the company would be to keep a team who can sort the components to find out and segregate those components that can be reused in the manufacturing process. It is in all probability that the main body structure of the machine that is composed of the steel parts can be reused. The electric components can also be checked to find if those could be reused. For this to happen however the company has to enter into contract with the supplier. There might be some conflicts that might arise if the circular model is to be applied in case of the electrical parts that are used in the manufacturing of powered garden tools. Conflicts might arise due to disagreements with the supplier or high supplier bargaining power. It is quite likely unlike the structural and functional parts that the electrical parts would be unusable. Extensive use would make the electrical circuits, motors, switches, etc highly unusable, thus it requires close monitoring in reusing it in the assembly of manufacturing new powered garden tools. The company should either setup its own unit of electrical parts that will assess the feasibility of its use or partner with its vendors (McDaniel, 2002.). Long term servicing agreements with suppliers will allow the manufacturing company to enjoy reduced usage of electrical parts and low cost benefit. Following the circular economic model, the company can optimise its resource utilization, but it will also have to ensure servicing warranties (Seliger, 2012). Products made from used structural and functional parts should ensure the same quality and performance standard. There should be a separate unit both at input point and output point. Quality of the reused spare parts should be assessed prior to the assembly of the product and should also be checked after the final product is manufactured. It is not always necessary to use the spare parts in producing new products, but it can also be used for servicing old equipments that need repairs. This will help save the company in resource utilization in terms of raw materials, man power, energy, time etc as well as reduce its cost of operations and unit cost of production (Taylor, 2012). Task 3 In order to incorporate the sustainable process that has been discussed above in the manufacturing process the system has to be incorporated in the manufacturing process of the business (Hoffman, 2000). If in the manufacturing process, the company intends to use circular manufacturing process with the intend to reuse the materials and the energy then the company has to first develop a contract with the junkyard or the customers of the company so that the company can repurchase the sold land mowers back at a depreciated or junk price. After the company signs or enters into the contract with the customers or the junkyard it receives the sold mowers back to its premises after it has been used by the customers till end of life of the product. After the used land mowers are brought into the factory premises once their useful life is finished the company has to employ the services of a dedicated tem whose only purpose will be to identify the usable components from the used land mower so that these parts can be reused. The main parts that can be recycled include the body parts of the machine. The body of the lawn mower is made of steel and it can be recycled (Saunders, 2008). Once the materials that can be reused are identified then it can be reinserted into the assembly lines to be used again. The plastic moulds and certain components of the machine can also be reused. However, since the company does not manufacture the electric components and other ancillaries themselves so they can contact the supplier and can supply the electric components back to these companies. In supplying the electric components back to the company which manufactures them it is to be judged whether these components are in good shape to be reused. If the company supplies the used electric and other machine components back to the suppliers then the company can charge for those components or parts. However in doing so the company has to enter into an agreement with the supplier company. The company can also use the energy that is used in the manufacturing of the lawn mower. The certain processes which generate energy in the process of manufacturing can be reused in those processes that use energy. In the process of painting the paint that is used in painting the body parts of the machine some extra paint falls off the body parts when the paint is applied. These paints can be collected in a collecting trough and this paint can be reused in painting other parts of the machine. Some of the other processes can also be designed sustainably. Some of the processes that can be designed sustainably in order to reduce the wastes and reduce the environment impact of the business involve the cutting of the steel sheet in making the body of the machine. While cutting the steel sheet some of the parts of the steel sheet can fall off. This can result in the fact that the company might lose valuable materials. In order to rectify the situation the company can install a process in which the fragments of the steel sheet that is cut off in the manufacturing process is collected in a trough and can be remoulded and used again in the manufacturing process. As an example from the industry sustainability in manufacturing is turning out to be the key word for the business processes. There are several companies that are trying to put on sustainable practices in order to boost their image and have a lasting impact on the customers. Some companies are using the term zero to emphasize on the sustainable practices of the company. For example some of the colours that are marketed by the DuPont are pre-consumed colours that were earlier used by the consumers. The company’s building innovation products has been able to reduce the landfill waste from 81 million pounds to 0 in a span of three years. In another example from the industry companies like GM are using sustainable strategies to turn the once waste treatment centres which were considered as cost centres and turn them into profit centres. The reuse and recycling efforts the company is able to generate about $1 billion per year (Winston, 2012). As part of the long step action in sustainability the company that is engaged in the manufacturing of the land mower can develop technologies by which they can aim to use the solar power to run the land mower. Since most of the land mowing operations is done in the day time so, the Solar cells can be used to directly power the land mower. However this will require research to be done by the company in this direction. Solar powered technologies for the land mower can be used in two different ways. Either the solar power will be used to charge a battery which will then be required to power the land mower. In an alternative design the solar power can directly be used to power the devices. Conclusion In analyzing the above case it is found that there are three parts in the manufacturing of a lawn mower. These are structural parts, electrical parts and functional parts. In case of the lawn mower company it is found that structural parts of the machine are manufactured by the company where as the electrical and functional parts are manufactured by the suppliers of the company and are then supplied to the company that is assembled by the company to the main body part that is manufactured by the company. In analysing the manufacturing process that was used by the company it is found that the company used linear production process and there was no emphasize on reuse or recycle. However these things are important to consider is related to ensuring sustainability of the manufacturing processes. Ensuring sustainability is not only helpful in boosting the public image of the company but also in regards to the fact that it will help ensure the fact that the company becomes more profitable in the future. There are several things that the company can do to ensure this and some of these practices have been described in the writing above. References Bralla, J., 2007. Handbook of Manufacturing Processes. New York: Industrial press, pp.-1-100. Seliger, G., 2012. Sustainable manufacturing: shaping global value creation. UK: Springer Science & Business Media, pp 9-83. Emmanouilidis, C., Taisch, M. and Kiritsis, D., 2013. Advances in Production Management Systems. Competitive Manufacturing for Innovative Products and Services. NY: Springer, pp. 20-120. Floyd, R. C., 2012. Liquid Lean: Developing Lean Culture in the Process Industries. NY: CRC Press, pp. 50-120. Garmo, E. P. De, Black, J. T. and Kohser, R. A. 2011. DeGarmos Materials and Processes in Manufacturing. 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