How a GAF Plant Achieved Zero Manufacturing Waste

GAF’s Cumming, Georgia ridge vent manufacturing operation, suppliers of high-tech Cobra Ridge Vents to roofing contractors nationwide, has achieved Zero Manufacturing Waste. This means that the manufacturing process used to make Cobra Ridge Vents adds nothing to the waste stream – everything that comes into the plant either becomes finished product, is reused, or is recycled. When you think about that, it’s fairly remarkable; here is a plant that makes parts that are barely seen on a finished roof, on a mission to find all process waste and either eliminate, return or recycle it.

When we began our initiative three years ago, waste generation was already fairly low, and most major waste streams were already being addressed. What’s more, the plant used a minimum of 10% post-industrial recycled plastic in all its products (on top of any internal regrind). However, some byproduct was still generated. One example was raw material packaging, not all of which was recyclable. Shrink wrap and pallet wrap could also be hard to find a home for. Wasted time in the form of handling all the packaging was a concern as well – there had to be a more efficient way.

The team took on the problem, starting with the boxes used to ship the nails that are preloaded into the ridge vents (an industry exclusive!). Cardboard boxes are the standard packaging for the type of specialized nails used in the vents, and of course cardboard boxes are easily recycled. But when continuously receiving high volumes of boxes, resources are needlessly tied up in the form of space and time for flattening, stacking and staging materials for recycling.

Plus, reusable packaging is generally considered to be environmentally preferable (there’s a reason the mantra is Reduce – Reuse - Recycle in that order); especially since nails do not need the additional protection afforded by heavy boxes.

Fortunately, the nail supplier was willing to work with the team to develop some alternatives. These discussions led to a packaging switch to an industry standard Gaylord box. One pallet-size box replaces 48 of the smaller boxes, is easy to break down and return to the shipper for reuse, and can ultimately still be recycled if damaged. But the team didn’t stop there – the first shipment of Gaylord boxes came in with shrink wrap, which is somewhat of a standard practice in shipping. However, unless you’re a significant, consistent generator, shrink wrap can be hard to recycle. Since nails are not fragile items, and do not need the extra protection afforded by the shrink wrap, the team was able to work with the supplier to change the packaging spec to eliminate the shrink wrap. As a bonus, a box-tilting station was set up to automatically unload the boxes so no more manual lifting was required.

The next challenge was pallets. Sure, again they’re recyclable, and in fact almost all of GAF’s manufacturing locations have pallet recycling programs in place. However, the solution the Cobra team came up with was especially clever – they required incoming raw material vendors to use the same pallets that they use to ship finished goods. So any extra pallets don’t have to go to a recycler – they just get used for outgoing shipments. Replacement slats are kept on hand in case a pallet is damaged.

The GAF Cobra team requires suppliers to ship material on the same pallets the plant uses to ship finished goods, so any extra pallets can be used for outgoing shipments. Spare slats are kept on hand to make any needed pallet repairs.

Speaking of efficient use of resources, another clever innovation from the shipping department was to require the trucking company that handles shipments of finished goods to leave an empty trailer. That way, the crew can load the empty trailer directly from the manufacturing line, eliminating extra handling and warehousing, and the truck driver doesn’t have to wait to get loaded, wasting fuel and time. Instead, once the order is placed, the crew just loads the empty trailer, and when the driver comes to pick up, he or she can drop another empty and pull the full one, which is all ready to go. Of course this doesn’t work for every order and every situation, but it’s another small thing that adds up to a reduced environmental impact on a day-to-day basis.

The team took on many waste reduction challenges during the course of the effort. Another especially interesting one came in the form of waste or purge material generated as the process was shut down at the end of a production run. Cobra Ridge Vents are made by an advanced injection molding process, in which plastic is pressurized and extruded into a mold. This process generates very little scrap – there’s no edge trim, for example - but some purgings are pushed out onto the floor in order to clean out the machine prior to shutting it down. One of the last items to “give” on the road to zero waste was these purgings. Since they are pushed onto the floor like a big pancake, they can be hard to handle, and also might become contaminated with grit or dust.

The team’s solution here was especially clever – they realized that one of their molded parts, a housing used in the Master Flow ventilation series, could be used to catch purge material. Since there are four colors of this housing, some unacceptable trays are generated during color changeovers, and these would be perfect to use. Now, using the off-color housing placed on the floor upside down as a catch basin, no more purge material is wasted. Once the cleanout and shutdown process is complete and the catch tray is full, the operator simply feeds the tray with the cooled material to a grinder, where it is reground for reuse in a dark colored part – no more contaminated waste purgings to dispose of.

Dumpster-diving GAF Plant Manager Breck Hudson finds strips of backing from the shipping labels. He held an employee contest, and the winning idea was to arrange for the supplier to take it back, as they are able to recycle it.

During my recent plant tour, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with plant manager Breck Hudson to discuss the program generally. The approach the plant took to achieve zero waste was heavy on employee involvement – seeking out suggestions – and in a step that might seem to constrain the process but ultimately led to success, requiring that no solution cost more than $20 to implement. As opposed to a piece of software or high-tech machinery, this effort was more about employee involvement and recognition. That recognition led to a steady flow of suggestions, constantly improving the process and eliminating waste, and helping to instill a culture in the plant that has been the key to success. It’s the sort of thing that might apply to any business, not just in manufacturing but also in contracting.

This project is a considerable success, having diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds of material from the waste stream, and leading to increased efficiencies along the way. The key has been fully engaging employees, keeping their suggestions front and center, and involving suppliers in the effort. No one wants to generate unnecessary and wasteful trash, and it is a pleasure to tour this sophisticated manufacturing facility that adds nothing to landfills – that “nothing” is really something!