The Washington State Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction (HWTR) Program and Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS) partnered in a project to provide lean and environmental technical assistance to manufacturing facilities in Washington through three pilot projects.
Participating facilities included:
- Canyon Creek Cabinet Company (Canyon Creek), a large manufacturer of custom frameless and framed style cabinetry in Monroe.
- Lasco Bathware (Lasco), a manufacturer of fiberglass and acrylic bath and shower fixtures in Yelm.
- Columbia Paint & Coatings (Columbia Paint), a manufacturer of residential, architectural, and industrial paint and coatings in Spokane.
Ecology provided environmental expertise for the pilot projects, while WMS provided lean manufacturing expertise and management of on-site activities at the facilities. The overall project objectives were to: (1) develop a partnership between Ecology and WMS, (2) evaluate the benefits of deliberately integrating environmental tools into lean practices, and (3) gain the expertise to offer and promote future lean and environment projects to manufacturers statewide. Funding for the project was provided by Ecology, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.