Case Study: Achieving Widespread Success with a Decentralized Heavy Equipment Manufacture

THE SITUATION

A major U.S. equipment manufacturer with more than 60 decentralized plants and distribution centers across the country decided to start an aggressive, ambitious zero-waste program. Plants and Distribution Centers saw significant progress toward that goal by hitting important initial milestones, but there were still improvements needed to help the organization achieve its long-term objective.

Significant needs that had to be met for the long-term success of the zero-waste program included:

  • Cost management improvements
  • Improving insight into the individual programs that comprise the larger effort
  • Ensuring the quality of service providers
  • Reducing the time needed to track relevant metrics

With these needs in mind, the manufacturer turned to Quest to spark further movement along the path toward reaching its zero-waste goal.

THE APPROACH

For Quest, this was an opportunity to work with an established, mature company that already made positive progress in its environmental program and help it reach the next level of success. It was also important to recognize the decentralized nature of the business’s plants and distribution centers and develop an effective solution accordingly.

In-depth waste audits provided the data needed to identify and close gaps and deficiencies in the zero-waste programs. That information helped Quest develop more cost-efficient solutions and increase landfill diversion rates. This information was also shared across all facilities’ EHS managers, improving communication and collaboration among them. Quest also developed a standardized process to review the vendors handling each facility’s waste streams and managed the vendor
verification process for each operation.

Simplification and streamlining were major considerations. We achieved a consensus on naming and counting conventions to ensure data between individual facilities was consistent. That allowed us to take on data management and share accurate, consistent information with the company’s corporate headquarters. Reporting became simpler, clearer, more informative and thus, more effective – with key KPIs and plenty of other salient information communicated to regional and corporate executives via efficient online dashboards. Quest also centralized all waste management efforts, meaning facilities could work with Quest alone instead of 5-10 separate vendors.

Prompt response was another key element – and a point of pride for us. Our dedicated account management team monitored services around the clock, dispatched services within 25 minutes of receiving a request and ensured 99% of services were completed within the desired timeframe.

THE BENEFITS

Specific enhancements that sprang from partnering with Quest: A jump from 50% to 80% landfill diversion rate along with a double-digit percentage cost savings. These factors are indicative of the overall improvement realized by the business.

With Quest’s support and expertise, the business realized savings in the six-figure range from these changes. One process in particular that led to reduced spending was our management of the vendor approval process, with specific emphasis on thorough vetting. Similarly, our provision of detailed, customized monthly reporting to the client’s EHS managers meant they saved the equivalent of 1-2 days of work per month.

These benefits, along with many others, meant this business’ zero-waste program went from a promising start to significantly more mature and capable, all thanks to
working with Quest.