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Author Offers Tips on Green Design
Return on investment for environmental programs is realistic
Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor -- Design News, September 23, 2009
A noted "green sustainability" author kicked off the Design & Manufacturing Midwest Show on Tuesday by telling engineers and executives that they should view environmental regulations as business opportunities instead of as headaches.
Pamela J. Gordon, who authored "Lean And Green: Profit For Your Workplace And The Environment," acknowledged that environmental compliance, customer's "green" demands," the tough economy and cost cutting form a "quadruple headache" for engineers. Still, she said, manufacturers need to understand that there's more to it than pain.
"When you put these four headaches together, you actually have a business opportunity," said Gordon, who also serves as president of Technology Forecasters Inc. Gordon made her comments as part of green manufacturing conference at the show, which is being held in Rosemont, IL, this week.
By looking for environmental opportunities, Gordon said, manufacturers can find between 1 - 5 percent savings on cost of goods sold. Moreover, investments in green energy, such as solar panels, can yield a return on investment in five to 10 years, she added.
Gordon also suggested that engineers can boost the reliability of their products by employing green sensibilities. "You need to use a good ‘design-for-environment' checklist for all your designs, just as you use a design-for-test or design-for-manufacturability' checklist," Gordon said. "About 80 percent of the items on that design-for-environment checklist will increase your product's reliability."
Engineers and executives in the audience pushed Gordon on the subject of return-on-investment for such programs and Gordon responded with stories of companies that realized benefits by cutting water and electricity usage. In particular, she said, Intel Corp. used a notable green program called "known good die" in some of its facilities, resulting in substantial reduction in electricity usage.
Gordon also cited "ten steps to best practices," which included: following the law; finding executive-level sponsors; forming multi-functional green teams; involving all employees; selecting champions; obtaining CEO approval; measuring carbon footprint; providing updates; publicizing green plans; and continually renewing the ‘roadmap.'
