The Portland, Oregon (USA) nonprofit organization Free Geek is quickly learning about Lean and continuous improvement methods in order to meet growing demand for digital devices.
Free Geek is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to sustainably reuse technology, enable digital access, and provide education to create a community that empowers people to realize their potential.
Their goal is to divert technology that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away, refurbish it, and give it back to the local community at no or low cost. They also responsible recycle the items that cannot be reused, so the metals can be reclaimed and used again.
The technology demand was already increasing before the 2020 pandemic. Already stretched thin with limited staff and volunteers allowed in the building, there was an immediate spike in demand from those needing to connect online for school that didn’t have a home computer or laptop. They were able to take what they learned from a local volunteer group (Lean Portland) and implement these ideas to increase refurbished laptop production by 300%! They also reduced the number of people focused on production from 6 (2 staff + 4 volunteers) to 1 staff person. They implemented 5S methods and kanban systems throughout their facility to better manage work-in-process (WIP), and empowered staff and volunteers to become more involved in improvement.
As a result of their multi-year efforts, they were awarded with the 2021 Excellence in Sustainable Development award from the IISE Sustainable Development Division.
You can also watch a presentation about their improvements in the video below
Learn more about Free Geek at https://www.freegeek.org/
Learn more about the IISE Excellence in Sustainable Development Award
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If you are interested in the Sustainable Development division of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), become a member today!