Like most large companies,
Ford Motor takes a microscopic approach towards reducing inefficiencies within its supply chain to cut costs, reduce fuel consumption and tackle those pesky carbon emissions. In a partnership with BASF, the latest tinkering in Ford’s supply chain involves the trim around the window switch in the company’s 2013 Fusion. This step is similar to
moves Ford has taken in recent years to reduce its reliance on
conventional plastics and find
more sustainable materials for its automobiles’ interiors.
So how does a little piece of polymer make a difference?
Ford’s engineers worked with BASF to change the way these little parts are designed. Generally those plastic pieces in your car’s interior and on the dashboard are molded and then finished with a high-glass paint. But BASF created a resin that skips the painting step.
The result is a 50 percent cost reduction in that part’s price. But the new window switch trim also eliminates another step in Ford’s complex supply chain. Previously the part’s manufacturer in Kalamazoo, Michigan would ship these parts to a plant in Grand Rapids, where the switches were then painted and finished. Eliminating the painting process first reduces the amount of VOCs emitted into the atmosphere. But slashing those 128-mile round trip deliveries and pick-ups reduces the amount of diesel trucks required for those hauls. The amount may be small: 2700 gallons of diesel a year. But the end game for the environment is the reduction in a minimum of 59,000 pounds of CO2 from the Ford Fusion’s manufacturing annually.
“We need to leave no stone unturned in our continuous quest to make auto manufacturing as environmentally friendly as possible,” said Robert Bedard, a Ford Motor engineer. “This improved resin saves Ford significant dollars, but it also helps eliminate VOC from being released into the atmosphere, since the application of clear-coat paint is no longer required.”
What initially appears to be a tiny and insignificant process, however, can actually lead to large savings when replicated across a company’s supply chain. As companies turn over rocks to find savings everywhere they can while their customers demand more environmentally products--even in cars--even the tiniest park can score a brand new makeover.
Published earlier today on Triple Pundit. You can follow Leon and ask him questions on Twitter or Instagram (greengopost).
Image credit: Ford Motor.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
Like most large companies, Ford Motor takes a microscopic approach towards reducing inefficiencies within its supply chain to cut costs, reduce fuel consumption and tackle those pesky carbon emissions. In a partnership with BASF, the latest tinkering in Ford’s supply chain involves the trim around the window switch in the company’s 2013 Fusion. This step is similar to moves Ford has taken in recent years to reduce its reliance on conventional plastics and find more sustainable materials for its automobiles’ interiors.
So how does a little piece of polymer make a difference?
Ford’s engineers worked with BASF to change the way these little parts are designed. Generally those plastic pieces in your car’s interior and on the dashboard are molded and then finished with a high-glass paint. But BASF created a resin that skips the painting step.
The result is a 50 percent cost reduction in that part’s price. But the new window switch trim also eliminates another step in Ford’s complex supply chain. Previously the part’s manufacturer in Kalamazoo, Michigan would ship these parts to a plant in Grand Rapids, where the switches were then painted and finished. Eliminating the painting process first reduces the amount of VOCs emitted into the atmosphere. But slashing those 128-mile round trip deliveries and pick-ups reduces the amount of diesel trucks required for those hauls. The amount may be small: 2700 gallons of diesel a year. But the end game for the environment is the reduction in a minimum of 59,000 pounds of CO2 from the Ford Fusion’s manufacturing annually.
“We need to leave no stone unturned in our continuous quest to make auto manufacturing as environmentally friendly as possible,” said Robert Bedard, a Ford Motor engineer. “This improved resin saves Ford significant dollars, but it also helps eliminate VOC from being released into the atmosphere, since the application of clear-coat paint is no longer required.”
What initially appears to be a tiny and insignificant process, however, can actually lead to large savings when replicated across a company’s supply chain. As companies turn over rocks to find savings everywhere they can while their customers demand more environmentally products--even in cars--even the tiniest park can score a brand new makeover.
Published earlier today on Triple Pundit. You can follow Leon and ask him questions on Twitter or Instagram (greengopost).
Image credit: Ford Motor.
