Lean and Clean Initiative

A new service offering from High Tech Rochester in partnership with the Green Suppliers Network and Empire State Development

The Lean & Clean Initiative is a new HTR-MEP service delivered in partnership with the Green Suppliers Network, a joint project of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Green Suppliers Network was developed to achieve measurable economic and environmental benefits for the companies involved in manufacturing supply chains. In the Finger Lakes Region, financial assistance for implementation projects is available through a special grant provided by Empire State Development and managed by HTR.

HTR's Lean & Clean Initiative expands the traditional Lean Manufacturing definition of waste-eliminating non-value added time, labor, money-to include environmental wastes such as energy and emissions. A project begins with a Lean & Clean Review of a manufacturer's operations. The review process typically takes a total of 3-4 non-consecutive days and includes an on-site technical assessment of the company's operations, feedback on performance compared to similar firms in a national database, and recommendations for specific improvement projects.

On average there is at least a 3:1 payback on the cost of the audit through identified opportunities, including increased productivity, greater competitiveness, enhanced customer relationships, and improved environmental performance.

The Lean & Clean Review costs $7,000 per facility. However, eligible companies receive a $2,500 discount from the Green Suppliers Network resulting in a net company cost of $4,500. A company is eligible if it meets the SBA's definition of 500 employees or less by facility.

Following a successful review, an initial implementation project is eligible for Empire State Development and Green Suppliers Network support totaling $10,800. HTR can facilitate financial and technical assistance from other government sources.

MEP Project Manager, Dick Krause, and Green Suppliers Network Project Manager, Lorna Midgelow, are available to assist Finger Lakes manufacturers achieve the benefits of this initiative. To learn more about Lean & Clean Reviews, contact Dick Krause, at (585) 327-7930, richard.krause@htr.org.

For further information about the Green Suppliers Network, please visit: WWW.GREENSUPPLIERS.GOV or contact Kristin Pierre, U.S. EPA at 800-601-4589.