Industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. has joined the Green Suppliers Network program, a public-private partnership involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership, as reported on GreenBiz.com earlier this month.
The program facilitates the exchange of "both lean and clean manufacturing techniques and environmental processes improvements" from large corporations to their small and medium-sized suppliers. Eaton will engage 20 of its suppliers as GSN Partners in the first year of the program.
"The elimination of waste in the manufacturing process improves the environmental performance of a company and its suppliers, reinforces a company's commitment to its customers and the local communities and promotes operational efficiency," said Alexander Cutler, Eaton chairman and CEO.
Richard Jacobs, Eaton vice president of supply chain management, noted that many of Eaton's smaller suppliers do not have the resources to acquire the consulting support needed to review their operations and evaluate various lean manufacturing process tools that can lead to implementing lean process solutions.
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