by jbs090108 i3 — September 5, 2008—A new IBM consulting offering can help clients lower their environmental impact, increase efficiency, and reduce costs by applying Lean Six Sigma principles to energy and water usage throughout their operations.
The Lean Six Sigma strategy is used to carefully analyze and measure a client’s operations wherever energy and water are used–transportation systems, datacenters and IT systems, manufacturing and distribution centers, office facilities, retail space, research and development sites, etc.
IBM notes that business leaders acknowledge the advantages that come from proactively addressing corporate social responsibility issues like the environment, as shown by its recent global CSR survey of more than 250 c-suite executives and IBM’s biennial global survey of more than 1,100 CEOs.
IBM says that companies can ensure they are investing in the right CSR activities and processes by using its Operations Strategy consulting offerings like Green Sigma, which consists of a five-phase approach to a client’s operations and environmental practices:
- Establish key performance indicators defined and tailored to the client’s operational environment, industry, and business. Activities include building key process indicator sets for carbon and water, including regulatory and stakeholder requirements
- Identify areas where activities and practices should be measured. This can include developing a facilities management plan and determining where to use sensors to collect information for analysis
- Use a Carbon and Water Management Dashboard system to monitor key performance indicators and analyze performance data. This can be linked to other systems to help initiate processes such as carbon trading
- Apply Green Sigma statistical tools and techniques to analyze and improve processes to reduce energy usage, carbon emissions, and water inefficiencies
- Create ongoing optimization of processes and key performance indicators through the Carbon and Water Management Dashboard, and identifying new areas where improvements can be made
