Lean and Green in the Cabinet Area: The Electrolux Case Study

This thesis was developed during an internship at the multinational corporation Electrolux Group, specifically at the Porcia (PN) plant, one of the company’s most important production sites globally, specialized in manufacturing washing machines. The project discussed in this thesis was part of a company-wide initiative known as the “EMS Award”, a competition launched by Electrolux across all its production sites to recognize the most impactful continuous improvement projects. The project presented by the Porcia plant, entitled “Lean and Green, Cabinet Area”, outlines a one-year improvement journey carried out within the cabinet area of the factory, through the structured application of key lean management tools. The main objective was to demonstrate the effectiveness of lean tools including: PDCA, Problem Solving, and the EMS Way, in increasing operational efficiency while fostering active participation and cultural change among workers. The targeted area involved two conveyors responsible for assembling the front panel and cabinet of washing machines. At the start of the project, the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of the line under study stood at 46%, which was significantly below Electrolux’s internal standards. Through a consistent and data-driven approach, the project led to a considerable improvement in OEE, successfully reaching the targets set at the beginning of the year. In addition to operational performance, key achievements were also recorded in safety, employee skill development, and energy saving, highlighting the holistic nature of the intervention. This experience clearly demonstrated how theoretical knowledge, when applied in a real-world industrial setting, can lead to tangible and measurable results: furthermore, working closely with operational staff reaffirmed the crucial importance of involving frontline employees whose role, until recently, was often undervalued, in the success of continuous improvement initiatives.