Conzato: the first Lean & Green auto body shop

[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]Company[/custom_headline]
Carrozzeria Conzato is located in Pozzoleone, a small town in the province of Vicenza and its business is to repair cars and trucks and to provide digital printing, adhesive or painted, especially on means of transport and furniture.

It is a modern efficient car body shop which, in spite of the ongoing economic crisis, enjoys a double digit growth every year.

Since 2006 the two sons of the founder, Eddi and Andrea Conzato, have adopted the principles of Lean Thinking in their workshop. In the course of time these same principles have been applied to office work in order to make the whole company more efficient and to eliminate waste as has been described in the case history published in 2011.

Since 2013 the company has been devoting more and more attention to the environmental aspects and has launched the “Lean & Green Project”.

To learn more about Lean & Green methodology.

[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]The Challenge[/custom_headline]
Is it possible to combine Lean principles and environmental consciousness? According to Conzato and GC&P it is and with very good results in terms not only of sustainability and waste elimination but also of cost reduction. Let us see now how Conzato’s personnel with the support of GC&P’s experts Viviana Salieri and Simone Tognin have taken on this new challenge.

[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]The Action[/custom_headline]
In 2010 the company was connected to the biomass plant of an adjacent cattle breeding farm that produces hot water from the cooling of biogas manufacturing equipment. This hot water is used to heat Conzato’s workplaces. In addition to a remarkable reduction of CO2 emissions and to significant savings in the consumption of GPL, the company has secured more comfort for its employees and achieved a reduction in the use of space made possible by the elimination of the stacks of wood previously needed for heating purposes. The freed space will be used to develop new businesses.

Recently the installation of a new distiller that makes it possible to recycle residual solvents has started a virtuous circle of reuse of waste with obvious environmental and economic benefits.

A third change of a more organizational nature has brought about a significant reduction in energy consumption (down 26%). This saving is due to the optimization of flows coming into paint ovens that allows them to work without interruptions.

Last but not least a small manual containing suggestions to reduce environmental impacts has been distributed to all the employees who have also been involved in practical training courses.

According to the Lean spirit: “measuring is the first step toward improvement”. In line with this basic principle the economic and environmental benefits achieved thanks to these actions have been measured using the OSR(Overall Sustainability Ratio).

OSR is a synthetic indicator that measures the environmental impact of a company and the results achieved as a consequence of the actions implemented by the company: the higher the OSR value, the better the use of resources and the lower the emissions produced. Using the OSR new improvement actions have been identified: reduction of packaging; enrgy savings in supporting equipments (air compressors, illumination, vacuum systems etc.); reduction in paint consumption.

But all this is not enough: in addition to measuring and acting it is necessary to communicate and praise the results achieved inside and outside the company. As a consequence Conzato and GC&P have launched an integrated communication campaign through the press, television and social media.

[custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true”]The Results[/custom_headline]
– Overall Sustainability Ratio +16%
– Energy consumption by job: – 26%
– Energy costs by job: – 7,5%
– Refuse by job: – 28%

Remarkable results indeed thanks to a sound methodology and to the commitment of the company’s personnel. Once more the Lean philosophy, based on the involvement of all actors, on team work, on continuous measurement of results and on the importance of internal and external communication hit the mark!

We of GC&P are grateful to Carrozzeria Conzato for giving us the opportunity to apply and to prove the validity of a frontier method like Lean & Green.