Festo production facility wins international award for green manufacturing

Festo’s production centre in Sofia, Bulgaria won a 2019 Lean & Green Management award for implementing the OPEX (Operational Excellence) approach.

Not only is The Festo Group world-renowned for innovative automation solutions; the company is also a leader in sustainable business practices and green manufacturing. Festo’s production centre in Sofia, Bulgaria recently received a 2019 Lean & Green Management Award for implementing the Operational Excellence, or OPEX, approach in value flow organization.

The plant received this prestigious honour in the General Manufacturing category, for its use of green elements and resource efficiency in its processes.

Assessment by panel of experts

An important part of Festo’s production strategy is running resource-efficient value chains that lower costs while boosting the sustainability of business processes. The company implements this strategy in all of its plants worldwide – including the Festo Canada locations in Mississauga, Ont. and St-Laurent, QC.

More than 250 production plants run by major manufacturers, including European automakers, took part in the Lean & Green best-practices exchange and award assessment. More than ten countries and 20 industries were represented. The first stage of the assessment of candidates was conducted by questionnaire. Next, the organizer’s consultants carried out “Lean & Green Assessments” on location with the chosen finalists among the participating companies. A panel of experts assessed the final results and selected the winners.

Festo’s Sofia facility impressed the discriminating judges with its methods of implementing green elements as an integral part of its vision and using resource efficiency as a competitive advantage. The company’s highly motivated teams concentrate on reducing waste in all areas along the value chain, and they succeed beyond expectations.

Kalin Dobrey, Festo’s head of operations, electronics, and drives in Bulgaria, says that the award recognizes the the concerted efforts in green manufacturing of all workers at the Sofia location.

“It shows that we are on the right track to becoming the ‘ideal value flow organization,’” says Dobrey. “Autonomous teams at the plant manage the necessary resources along the value chain and take responsibility for the production of certain product family groups.”

The Lean & Green Award is considered among the world’s highest honours that a production plant can receive for green manufacturing.

For more information, contact Festo.

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