Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system

through processes of environmental innovation
Sergio Aguado a, Roberto Alvarez b, Rosario Domingo c, *
a

Product Development Department, Bosch Siemens Electrodomsticos Espaa S.A., Avda. Eduardo Garca del Ro 30, E-39100 Santander, Spain
Nebrija University, Calle Pirineos 55, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
c
Department of Manufacturing Engineering, UNED, C/ Juan del Rosal 12, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
b

a r t i c l e i n f o

a b s t r a c t

Article history:
Received 27 February 2012
Received in revised form
27 November 2012
Accepted 29 November 2012
Available online xxx

Globalization has changed the world as well as how a customer judges the value of a product, which has
created a new business focus. Different approaches have been oriented on this direction, such as the lean
manufacturing system and the concept of sustainability. However, these two notions are not easy to
implement simultaneously; besides several authors have declared doubts with respect to reaching this
target. Difculty persists in identifying the tools required and quantifying the improvements achieved.
This research develops a general approach, based on environmental innovation, to help rms harmonize
efciency and sustainability. The goal is to add extra value to the product, which provides the potential to
enhance competitiveness in the 21st century globalized market. A case study demonstrates that the
costs, the incomes, the social responsibility and the sustainability can be improved when environmental
innovation is applied, transforming the traditional production system into a lean system.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Efciency
Sustainable
Environment
Model
Production
System

1. Introduction
The current industrial environment is marked by growing
globalization. Therefore, the volume and complexity of the products continue to increase, allowing clients to choose among
numerous possibilities to meet their needs. Efforts to achieve
reduced labor costs, greater exibility and enhanced quality in
manufacturing are presupposed to be inherent to all companies.
Short production series, adapted to the changing demand of the
market, and innovation to increase the added value also have
become common practices in the business world (Holweg, 2007).
Thus, new proposals have appeared with the aim to increase the
added value of products, covering the life cycle. Mass production is
no longer valid because it requires a signicant utilization of
resources, which contributes negatively to the ecological balance
(Yang et al., 2011). Companies need to dene how they can optimize
processes and logistics in addition to unifying and standardizing
the value creation chain (Jiao et al., 2003).
Companies discover that the product is the key to meeting
customer expectations (Womack and Jones, 2003) and creating

* Corresponding author. Tel.: 34913986445; fax: 34913986046.

E-mail address: rdomingo@ind.uned.es (R. Domingo).

value, which is recognized by the customer, e.g., based on environmental issues or the ability to supply the product on demand.
Moreover, the offer tends to exceed the demand, and rms are
obligated to differentiate themselves within the market. These
circumstances lead to lean production systems (Womack et al.,
1991; Womack and Jones, 2003) in which the aim is to prevent
waste. The latter concept, waste is understood as any activity
developed by a company that consumes resources and does not
produce value for the customer (Butz and Goodstein, 1996). Social
concern for the environment also has appeared, giving increased
added value to companies with more environmentally friendly
practices (Calvo et al., 2008; Figge and Hahn, 2004). This situation
requires achieving both the goals of leanness and sustainability
(Shah and Ward, 2003, 2007) because the processes and procedures are closely linked between these two systems.
In recent years, different means of achieving efcient production have been explored (Domingo et al., 2007; lvarez et al., 2009).
Some of these approaches are based on the customization of
a model called the Toyota Production System (TPS), which was
developed when Japan was an emerging market and needed to
satisfy a high number of diversied demands within a small
market. The TPS was later improved, adopting the term lean
production. The result of the lean production system is a continuous optimization of processes, which are standardized throughout

0959-6526/$ e see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

all areas within the rm. Based on this approach, the customer
requirements are satised in terms of cost, quality and delivery
times, and therefore, the competitiveness of the company
increases. In fact, Toyota has continuously improved its competitive
position to become a benchmark for other manufacturers
(Domingo et al., 2007) by adapting its system to the changing
market.
Other initiatives have been described to achieve a sustainable
development process (Veleva and Ellenbecker, 2001; Ahmed,
2011), particularly one capable of meeting the current needs
without compromising the ability of future generations (Sundkvist
and Finnveden, 2007). The main difculty in this process is associated with the quantication of added value (Jiao et al., 2003),
which is obtained by the nal product. Therefore, it is essential to
identify the existing variables (Sleeswijk et al., 2008) in accordance with the methodology of the life cycle analysis, which
includes both economic and social criteria (Benedetto and Klemes,
2009). In relation to these economic and social criteria, businesses
must identify the environmental aspects, which are understood as
the elements of the activities, products or services in an organization capable of interacting with the environment (ISO 14001,
2004). These aspects are difcult to measure and belong to
different areas that are not veriable; hence, a translation into
comparable factors, called the environmental impact, is essential.
Some authors have analyzed this translation, as Noteboom (2007),
and a wide range of applications exists to quantify them. Several
examples include Ecotax (Finnveden et al., 2006), the EPS (Steen,
1999), the Ecovalue08 (Ahlroth and Finnveden, 2011) and the
Eco-indicator 99 e EI99 e (Goedkoop and Spriensma, 1999). The
EI99 is the result of a prioritization process that considers the
negative environmental impacts that most affect the region. The
fossil Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) also could be used for
environmental performance as an alternative to performing a full
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) (Huijbregts et al., 2006); this approach
is based on the relationship between the use of fossil fuels and
several environmental impacts. This research primarily uses EI99
and CED to ratify the quality of the results, but any of the alternatives identied above could be used by businesses to help in
their decision-making.
Intuitive applications have been developed to facilitate the use
of Eco-indicators (Shu et al., 1996), but these applications are still
generic and difcult to use in detailed processes. The following
subjects are suggested based on the social burden to the environment, and they are supported by an Integrated Product Policy
(Sundkvist and Finnveden, 2007). Policy is the function of the
public authorities utilized to ensure sustainable development,
using relevant, voluntary or mandatory legislation. The product
should be considered because all products and services are covered
and nally, the product policy is integrated because it includes the
life cycle of the products. These activities demonstrate the interest
of society, companies and public administration toward achieving
sustainable development (Porter and Linde, 1995a, 1995b). An
economic interest (Benedetto and Klemes, 2009), embodied in the
policies that encourage companies to become involved, also exists.
The common point is the relevance of the nal products value. Butz
and Goodstein (1996) dene the value concept for the customer,
and according to these authors, it is the customer who decides
when the product has value. The nal product value is equal to the
emotional union that is established between the consumer and the
producer. As a result, the consumer is oriented to buy repeatedly, or
even exclusively, from this provider and to recommend the
provider. This relationship leads to the creation of a new model,
developed in this research. It consists of identifying and quantifying
the efcient and sustainable improvements through processes of
environmental innovation by waste elimination.

2. Objectives of the environmental innovation processes

As a consequence of the above, the objectives of this research
are 1) to develop a model for efcient and sustainable improvement in a lean production system through processes of environmental innovation and to dene the adequate tools for
implementing this model. 2) The second objective is to explain the
transformation process of a business, developing the business
from a traditional production system by batches to the new model.
Furthermore, this process will have the potential to be implemented by any type of company because it is an application that
can be easily personalized. The case study demonstrates this fact.
3) The third goal is to demonstrate that the environmental innovation and transformation of a production system into a lean
system can improve costs, income, social responsibility and
sustainability. Until now, the viability of simultaneously using all
of the different tools identied has not yet been proposed as
a reliable way to manufacture; however, this is precisely what we
propose in this work.
The challenge of this new model consists of combining the
competitiveness of a business with the economic development of
the region in addition to the environmental and social sustainability. To attain this, the existence of a demanding regulation from
the environmental viewpoint can be the origin of innovation and
competitive advantages for a company (Porter and Linde, 1995a).
Each of these terms, sustainability and efciency, evidently has
a strengthening effect on the other.
This study develops a methodology that remarks on the
common aspects of a sustainable and efcient approach and
shows how a business can reach increased prots by employing
this inter-relationship instead of an individual approach (Shah
and Ward, 2003, 2007). This fact is intriguing because other
researchers have found difculties in reaching this goal (AlAomar, 2011; Herron and Braiden, 2006; Wan and Chen,
2009). To achieve this, the synergies between a sustainable
production approach and an efcient approach are identied,
and the result is the model proposed. The innovative approach
of this research is based on the new denition of the criteria,
developed to dene the analysis of the value, particularly that
truly is appreciated by the customer. Now, the nal value of the
product depends on four variables, including the environment,
the society, the economic development (companies) and the
Public Organism.
Based on these reasons, this study uses an easy application
(EI99) to quantify the sustainable improvements of a lean
production system. Ultimately, this study also explains how to
use the information from the application to implement a standardized process, which will lead to a new model of efcient
and sustainable improvements in a lean production system
through processes of environmental innovation. Easy steps are
dened, and they will help to accomplish the rms vision. This
vision shall be understood as the position identied by the
business in terms of sustainability (environment), social
responsibility (society), competitiveness (economic development) and regulations (Public Organism). These steps are
achievable thanks to the use of friendly tools, which are able to
identify and quantify the improvements in the environmental
impact and productivity. Finally, the case study demonstrates
that this approach can be easily adapted to most businesses
oriented to the production.
Finally, according to Porter and Linde (1995b), international
rms are competitive when they have a high innovation capacity
and demonstrate continuous improvement. The company, which
applies the proposed model of this research, will be able to fulll
these requirements.

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

3. The model of the efcient and sustainable improvements

in a lean production system based on processes of
environmental innovation
The model developed here, which utilizes efcient sustainable
improvements in a lean production system through processes of
environmental innovation (Fig. 1), begins with the denition of
a vision for the next three or ve years for a particular company. The
vision considers the performances of the factory. The results
address the four criteria previously identied (environment, the
driving force; society, the working conditions; economic development, the benets of the business; and Public Organism, the
benets of the region), which are classied into seven measurable
aspects. These aspects include organization, customer satisfaction,
information management, maintenance, production, external
relationship and culture, and they are measured in line with the
values appreciated by the customers and against the competitors,
thereby demonstrating a picture of the current and the future
desirable state of the business. This rst step is a milestone because
the following decisions are dependent on it. The workers should be
involved, motivated by upper management, to guarantee success
and, consequently, enhanced working conditions.
The process to implement this new model follows a pull
methodology (Bonney et al., 1999). This means that it is based on
the customer needs identied by the value, including its takt time
or the cycle time of the manufacturing process, according to the
rhythm requested by the market (Domingo et al., 2007; Womack
and Jones, 2003). The production process is analyzed, and its efciency and sustainability are identied and quantied with the
parameters of environmental innovation. Using an extended value
stream map (EVSM), all of these parameters become visible in the
proposed model.
The pull methodology allows for all actions to start from the
nal customer to the supplier of raw materials, accomplished

through each intermediary operation of the production process.

According to Bonney et al. (1999), the pull system is characterized
by the production order because the previous machine produces
only when the following machine requests that it produce. This
system provides a clear advantage: the intermediate warehouses
are eliminated. The waste is identied and removed or signicantly
reduced in a quantied way, and it is complemented by the environmental impact generated with the innovation.
Because of this, the model is based on the environmental
innovation that will determine the analyses made in the production
process, and the model will be oriented to reach the general vision
of the business. Again, the criteria of environment, society,
economic development and Public Organism will be considered for
the individual analysis of each production phase. All of this cannot
be realized if the control parameters are not chosen correctly. The
EVSM will provide the factors to identify and quantify the efcient
and sustainable improvements. For each process, the following data
have been identied, including the space, number of workers,
working hours, number of shifts, breaks, stops, cycle time, process
time, production, batch size, scrap, rework, good pieces, ideal cycle
time, preparation time, scheduled time and environmental impact.
The latter item was measured by EI99 (Goedkoop and Spriensma,
1999), which can be used to analyze the products life cycle (the
raw materials, production, distribution, use and recycling) by
considering all of the environmental aspects, hence beginning the
innovation process. The environmental impact is characterized by
categories, including the global warming (kg CO2 equivalent)
contribution and the consumption of energetic resources (MJ),
among others. These results are translated into a standardized and
comparable unit, dened as the millipoint (mPt).
The result of this methodology will be a new model incorporating efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production
system through processes of environmental innovation. To calculate the data concerning the production system transformation,
Expert Choice software (EC, 2008) was used. Moreover, one of the
main LCA-software tools, SimaPro (Pr Consultants, 2010) was
utilized to analyze the environmental impact and CED, with the
latter used to verify the results of EI99. The commercial databases
embedded in this software are ELCD e European Reference Life
Cycle Database e (IES, 2010), EU & DK Input Output Database (LCA
Consultants, 2010) and EcoInvent (SCLCI, 2010). EcoInvent was
employed to facilitate the calculation of CED values. Data relating to
the average electricity production and the supply mixes, raw
material production, manufacturing, transportation and recycling
were collected from the European Union.
4. Case study

Fig. 1. Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system

through processes of environmental innovation.

This Section explains how a forming tube company follows the

methodology represented in Fig. 1. The rm has extensive experience and has worked in the sector for more than 45 years. The
company is also specialized in the treatment and handling of pipes
for industrial use, working with different materials such as copper,
aluminum, brass and galvanized steel. Within the segment of small
businesses, the company has 38 employees and a turnover of 3
million euros. It has a portfolio of clients distributed among various
rms, with 50% of the production aimed at three clients. The
personnel are distributed as 8 white-collars (for ofce tasks) and 30
blue-collars (responsible for the work in the workshop), and the
construction occupies a pavilion with a total area of 2000 m2.
Fig. 2 describes the layout of the ground oor. The ofces are
located on the upper oor, where there is a direct view of what is
happening in the workshop below.
The tubes are received in the area marked (0). Each tube
measures approximately 5 m in length, and it is placed in the

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

1.9986

1.20914
1
0.60669
0.14936

0.03345
0
Material costs

Production
costs

General costs

Benefits

Selling price

Fig. 3. Economic data of initial situation.

Fig. 2. Initial layout.

cutting machine (1) in the rst station. The tubes with the correct
quality and length go into a second process of transformation,
called aring (2). During this step, both sides of the tube are
modied to yield a nal at area. The third process is the closure of
one tube end by welding a small cap (3) onto the opening. The
fourth job is punching (4) the tube. The fth workstation completes
bending (5) of the tubes, according to the customer requirements.
Then, in the sixth station, each part is checked (6). If the control is
free from defects, the tube is labeled (7). This label contains information regarding the customer code, the product reference and the
manufacture date. Finally, the tube is ready to be shipped (8).
The implementation of a new production system requires
a simplication of the current processes to facilitate decisionmaking. A manifold tube is selected, taken to be representative
for its high volume of production and sales impact. This tube type is
used inside gas hobs. These tubes are always made from steel with
a diameter of 16 mm and a length between 0.3 and 1.5 m. The usual
nishing is galvanization, but other systems to protect the tube
against oxidation are also used.
Then, the vision of the factory is created, according to the
criteria of this research (environment, society, economic development and the Public Organism), and the strong and weak points of
the business are noted. The strength is signicant knowledge of the
product. The result is the customization of any manufactured
product. The weaknesses are derived from the considerable
number of tool changes that must be made, yielding a consequent
loss of productivity and an accumulation of the stock materials.
The competitors were also analyzed. Overall, tube prices are
decreasing because they are manufactured in countries with
a lower labor cost than in Europe. Thus, the benets are decreasing,
and many references must be maintained to cover the xed costs.
The main economic data, related to the tube in reference, and the
selling price are shown in Fig. 3. The greatest impact is derived from
the cost of the raw material followed by the production costs.
Once all of the data have been collected, the vision is dened,
guiding the transformation process of the business. This is
expressed as the process of becoming a reference company in the
European market. Therefore, new principles are assumed, including
production according to the customers requirements, in time,
quality, quantity and price, robust product designs, promotion and
care of the human recourses, waste elimination and respect for the
resources for future generations. These principles are applied in
this case study, based on the new model, and they are reected in
the objectives that describe the organizations policy, serving
throughout the product life cycle.

Hence, an in-depth analysis of the production process is carried

out, starting from the exit of materials until receipt of the raw
materials (pull) and through all of the intermediate jobs. The seven
aspects identied in this research are considered, including the
organization, customer satisfaction, information management,
maintenance, production, extern relationship and culture. The
space calculated for each workspace includes the area necessary for
movement around the workspace. A quick scan of the current
situation is given in Table 1.
Giving special attention to the cutting operation, it is evident
that the external relationship can be improved if the chemical
products used are eliminated. This requires a change in the working
culture that will only be possible if an environmental innovation is
conducted. The current process is not valid according to the new
criteria (translated into aspects) of the organization. A challenge
exists, therefore, rst to develop an environmental innovation
capable of improving the current situation, and second to measure
the efciency and sustainable improvements. As a consequence of
the initial results, three main features must be improved, including
the layout with an improvement in the distribution of jobs that will
allow the reduction of inventories and an increase in the materials
ow, the processes in the manufacturing system for responding to
the takt time of the market, and the materials used because the
main environmental impact is caused by galvanized steel.
4.1. Layout
Due to the initial conguration, uncomfortable situations always
arise when the material is moved between workstations. Several
possible improvements for the reduction of waste are detected.
Regarding overproduction, each process is currently optimized
without considering the ow with respect to the other processes.
For the intermediate stocks, excess stocks have accumulated
Table 1
Quick scan of the initial situation.
Manifold

Aspects to assess

Assumptions

OR

CS

IM

MA

PR

ER

CU

EF

SU

Improvement on:

Receiving

Cutting
Closing
Welding
Punching

L
H
M
L

M
H
L
M

L
M
L
L

L
M
M
L

L
H
M
L

H
L
M
H

H
L
M
H

L
H
M
L

H
L
M
H

Bending
Control
Labeling
Shipping

H
M
M
M

M
H
H
H

H
M
M
M

H
L
L
L

M
M
M
M

L
L
L
L

L
L
L
L

H
M
M
M

L
L
L
L

Productivity and
reduction of rubbish
Used products
Tools
Process
Management of
rubbish
Tools
Process
Layout
Process

OR: organization; CS: customer satisfaction; IM: information management; MA:

maintenance; PR: production; ER: external relationship; CU: culture; EF; efciency;
SU: sustainability; L: low; M: medium; H: high.

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

between the workspaces in an effort to guarantee the materials

ow. With respect to transport, there are many internal movements, including long distances that must be covered and interference with other workstations during transfer events.
A new layout is dened (Fig. 4). Several workstation locations
have been altered, leading to a more linear placement.
The workstations are placed in the following manner: (0) the
raw materials are received, (1) cutting, (2) closing and welding, (3)
punching and bending, (4) control and labeling, and (5) shipping of
goods are executed. The initial situation has been improved due to
the new denition of the layout: this is the environmental innovation, which will be measured by EI99. Following innovation,
there are no intermediate stocks, and the unnecessary movements
have been eliminated.
4.2. Processes
The processes will be reviewed from the sustainable and efciency perspectives. According to the takt time, the productivity
will be dened. The available working time corresponds to the
entire working hours minus the rest time. In this case, the net is
calculated as two 8-h work shifts less 15 min. The result is that the
company must produce tubes with a takt time of 5.58 s. The second
task is to implement a linear ow with a unitary process. The new
transfer batch is xed on 50 tubes. This is only possible because of
the improvements already made in the layout. The third task is to
balance the workstations without exceeding the takt time. It is
important to reach a reduction in the machines preparation time.
For this, techniques such as the Single Minute Exchange of Die
(McIntosh et al., 2007) are useful. The environmental innovation
will be oriented to achieve these three tasks.
After the balance is adapted to the layout, the bottleneck in the
production process (closing) is reduced from 12.375 s to 7.15 s,
which is still over the takt time. A second machine is needed to
reach a nal time of 3.575 s per unit. The time needed to obtain the
rst tube produced is now 682 s, which is 1.607 s less than the
initial situation (in batches of 800 units). Thus, the production is
more exible, and the new layout and processes are able to supply
on time the quantity of tubes required by the customer. This is
possible because important and measurable changes have been
made:
- A new ending machine is utilized, meaning that two machines
will work in parallel. Thus, the machine time required at this
stage is reduced by 50%.

Fig. 4. New layout.

- The worker in the welding area is focused on the machine with

tasks including feeding, welding and unlocking the machine.
The displacements required to nd or move the material to the
next job are now avoided. Additionally, the machine has been
adapted to maximize the productivity.
- The punching machine has been renewed. All holes in the tube
are made simultaneously. In addition, two operators will work
on each side of the machine. One will prepare the material and
place it into the machine; the other will take it out of the
machine and will prepare the tubes for the subsequent
workstation.
- Part labeling and control will be performed simultaneously.
Only if a part is found to be defective, an extra mark to identify
the incorrect part will be placed. Thus, the processing time is
reduced.
- Combination of the control and labeling workstations does not
mean the loss of a job because this model should guarantee the
future of the factory and jobs for the workers. For this reason,
all employees should be involved in this effort and motivated in
its implementation. The extra worker can be integrated into
new tasks. In this case, the worker will occupy the second
machine in the closing area.
The new ow of materials is balanced between the different
workstations. Only the cutting machine has increased productivity
due to the process change itself. Thus, stock exists only between the
cutting and closing machines. Now, all manufacturing processes
work from the bottom-up (pull), starting from the suppliers. The
information ow also has been adapted in accordance with this
new situation.
4.3. Materials used
The biggest challenge is the use of a different material, which
should be more environmentally friendly. This outcome is dened
because the initial galvanized steel has the highest impact on the
cost (60.50%) and because it has the highest environmental impact
according to EI99. A tube made from aluminum will replace the
original steel tube. This is the primary environmental innovation
implemented in this case study. By considering the weight of each
manifold (made from steel at 1.6 kg/unit or made from aluminum at
0.43 kg/unit), a measurable sustainable improvement is achieved.
This decision is made based mainly on three criteria:
- An improvement in the nal environmental impact. Even if
there is an open discussion concerning the strengths and
weaknesses of the life cycle assessments in achieving the
sustainability goals within the aluminum industry (Liu and
Mller, 2012), the feedback from EI99 identies a reduction
in the nal environmental impact. This progress is also reached
by eliminating the initial cleaning process. Moreover, due to its
mechanical properties, aluminum is a more ductile material
and therefore requires the application of less force in the
forming process, which consequently utilizes less energy.
- An acceptable resistance against oxidation. The requirements
dened for this type of material are fullled, and according to
ISO 9223 (2012), the corrosion rate of the aluminum is better
than for steel or zinc.
- A reduction in the material cost.
The work focused on the materials assumes a challenge in the
implementation of the aluminum tube. This represents advancement in terms of sustainability. However, it will be necessary to
replace the welding machine and the parameters for punching and
closing the tube. With respect to welding, this process is not valid.

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

The new process will consist of placing a lid at the end of the
collector using a gasket and then xing it by means of a cold
forming. This change involves an environmental innovation. The
machines for punching and closing must be adapted to the
aluminum because the mechanical properties of galvanized steel
and aluminum differ.
The modications must be made because the changes in the new
material are signicant and will improve business sustainability as
the environmental impact is decreased by more than 90% according
to the EI99. Moreover, there is a reduction in the cost of the raw
material. Finally, the use of aluminum eliminates the welding line of
the galvanized steel tube, enhancing the nal product.
5. Results
Figs. 5 and 6 show the results achieved. The effects on the
manufacturing plant can be observed as a result of the synchronized production, a deployment of the linear workow, an adaptation of the layout oriented for the product value and a reduction
in the environmental impact, as measured by EI99. These outcomes
have been computed by considering the production of raw materials, the manifold manufacturing, the internal and external
transport and recycling processes. The use of the manifold has been
excluded because it is outside the plant; however, the superior
behavior of aluminum against corrosion indicates a good choice.
The environmental innovation is veried by the reduction from
144.78 to 48.21 mPts per manifold, as measured by EI99, in addition
to a decrease in the global warming measure from 21.39 to
7.24 kg CO2 equivalent/unit, in primary energy from 777.75 to

Environmental impact (mPt/unit), Productivity (unit/worker)

160

134.01 MJ/unit and in CED from 2.04 to 0.44 MJ surplus/unit. As is

observed in Figs. 5 and 6, several data values are calculated by the
unit (the manifold), with weights of 1.6 kg/unit and 0.43 kg/unit for
steel and aluminum, respectively, as indicated at the beginning of
Subsection 4.3. It is necessary to consider that all indicators show
improved results and that the CED calculations were performed
with a different database, EcoInvent. The reduction in raw materials
is from 208 to 27 mPts; with respect to the manufacturing
processes, the reduction is from 4.357 to 3.382 mPts with the
remainder of the diminution principally attributed to recycling.
Therefore, despite the limitations of the databases, this methodology can be used for decision-making. This is the aim of the
modications made, developed to implement this model. The main
economic data related to the tube of reference, and the nal selling
price is shown in Fig. 7.
The improvements obtained by this model are shorter delivery
times, standardization and balancing of processes and job procedures, development of versatile and qualied workers, enhanced
customer loyalty (the customer receives what he desires, on time
and with a competitive price), reduction in the space required,
reduction in the current stock, decreases in the costs of noncompliance, increased exibility, and more efcient and sustainable management, which further reduces the waste and is more
socially responsible. These advances were reached thanks to the
environmental innovation made during model implementation, by
employing a different layout, improving the processes and using
aluminum instead of steel. This progress can be measured using
EI99, and other variables such as productivity, quality and cost were
used to validate it.

22

21.39

20

144.78
140

18
131.58
120

16
116.82
14

100

12
80
10
60

8
7.24

48.21

40
5

20
2.04

1.84928
0
1

1.75358
0.44

Global warming (kg CO2 equivalent/unit), CED (MJ surplus/unit),

Cycle time (s), Cost (/unit)

Environmental impact (mPt/unit)

Productivity (unit/worker)

Global warming (kg CO2 equivalent/unit)

Cycle time (s)

Cost (/unit)

CED (MJ surplus/unit)

Fig. 5. Identication of the improvements I.

Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048

S. Aguado et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2012) 1e8

5000

36
5000

35.64

32

4375

4439
29.88

28

3750
24
3125
20
2500
2301
1875

16

2000
12

Process time of first part (s)

Primary energy (MJ/unit), Production (unit/day), Time process

(s/unit), Batch (units), Space (m2)

1500

1250

777.75
800

682

625

134.01
50

0
1

Primary energy (MJ/unit)

Process time (s/unit)

Space (m2)

Production (unit/day)

Batch size (units)

Process time of first part (s)

Fig. 6. Identication of the improvements II.

1.8895

1.11779
1
0.60669
0.0291

0.13587

0
Material costs

Production
costs

General costs

Benefits

Selling price

Fig. 7. Economic data of nal situation.

Each time that a sustainable innovation is made, it should also

benet (according to the four criteria identied, including environment, economic, social, public policies) the business. Regarding
these results achieved, similar outcomes could be reached in other
rms by applying the proposed model. This means that a synergy
exists between efciency and sustainability.
6. Conclusions
The best approach to efciency and sustainability is innovation.
The model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean
production system through processes of environmental innovation
allows a business to identify and quantify the improvements made.
This new organizational framework is a reection of enhanced
understanding between the environment, society, economic
development and the Public Organism.

A rm using this model will acquire a competitive advantage

because reduces costs by decreasing the consumption of materials
and the energy per unit of output. Reduction in the emissions and
waste (the model increases the number of recyclable materials
used) and diminution in the work with respect to the process and
nal stocks also can be afforded by the model. Furthermore, this
model can be used to achieve a positive impact on the income.
Finally, this methodology displays better social responsibility and
environmental sustainability as a consequence of reduced
consumption of the raw materials and a decrease in the environmental impact. Therefore, the added value of the product increases.
In the new global economic framework, companies must integrate
a competitive approach to achieve sustainability and efciency. The
motivation is imposed by public administrations and the market.
The rst companies that introduce this model of efcient and
sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation could gain a privileged
position in the competitive markets of the 21st century.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Research Group TM3 and the DPI201127135 project for their support.
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Please cite this article in press as: Aguado, S., et al., Model of efcient and sustainable improvements in a lean production system through
processes of environmental innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.048