The food industry has a unique position when it comes to reduce, reuse and recycle. The industry focuses around the organic and deals with animate material. When I first started in food, it was at a canning company in Australia. As a student who had previously worked in the plastics industry, it amazed me how so much product could be eeked out of fruit. AND, even more so, that any unused or wasted food, could go right back into the food chain.
The Shepparton Preserving Company (SPC, now SPC-Ardmona), used the parts of the apples and pears that did not go into the cans, as the basis for juice. Through enzymes and separation technology, they were able to get an incredible product. The peel, seeds, etc that weren't used, went to pig feed.
Last week, PepsiCo UK announced that it plans to make potato chip bags from ... potatoes! How is that for redirecting a waste stream! (see foodproductiondaily.com news article) The question will be does the customer find it more acceptable than the SunChip compostable bag.
Have you looked to see how your waste streams can be reduced, reused or recycled? And I don't just mean plastic and metal!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Why vs What If
When children are growing up, they go through a stage when they believe adults have all the answers - unlike when they are a teen and believe parents know nothing! For many children the favourite question is "why?" Two of my children though were "What if..." children.
"Why?" is a fantastic question to get to the root cause of a problem. It is also a great tool to understand how a process or machine works. When it is answered by one word, "because", then it can also lead to the perfect place to start improvements.
"What if" is also an excellent tool for problem solving, but it excels when it comes time to implement solutions. Success in implementation is often dependant on the ability to mistake-proof or contingency plan. This is the ability to consider "what if" situations and determine the impact if the imagined scenario occurs and what the impact could be and what needs to be done to minimize the negative impact.
The "what if" scenarios my kids created often ended up with me saying either "we'd all be in big trouble" (aliens blowing up the Earth) or "we'd all be really happy" (instead of shooting bullets, all guns shot bubble gum). Some "what ifs" are highly improbably but they are worth some discussion because they free up a team to think more creatively but realistically about what can happen.
Are you a "why" or a "what if" person? Does your team have members of both camps? What would you do if there were no restrictions on your business and why aren't you already trying to be like that?
"Why?" is a fantastic question to get to the root cause of a problem. It is also a great tool to understand how a process or machine works. When it is answered by one word, "because", then it can also lead to the perfect place to start improvements.
"What if" is also an excellent tool for problem solving, but it excels when it comes time to implement solutions. Success in implementation is often dependant on the ability to mistake-proof or contingency plan. This is the ability to consider "what if" situations and determine the impact if the imagined scenario occurs and what the impact could be and what needs to be done to minimize the negative impact.
The "what if" scenarios my kids created often ended up with me saying either "we'd all be in big trouble" (aliens blowing up the Earth) or "we'd all be really happy" (instead of shooting bullets, all guns shot bubble gum). Some "what ifs" are highly improbably but they are worth some discussion because they free up a team to think more creatively but realistically about what can happen.
Are you a "why" or a "what if" person? Does your team have members of both camps? What would you do if there were no restrictions on your business and why aren't you already trying to be like that?
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