# Data-Driven Quality Improvement for Sustainability in Automotive Packaging
## 3 Problem Description  
When considering sustainability in automotive packaging, it is important to understand that there are many forms that sustainability can take. Automotive packaging sustainability largely focuses on waste: reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. Automotive packaging includes the containers for any part that gets brought into the plant to be put on a vehicle or used otherwise. Additionally, one must consider how containers are secured for transit--through the use of pallets and lids. The flow of packaging for an automotive plant is typically from the part supplier to the automotive plant and then back to the supplier. This loop will repeat on a set interval, such as a few times monthly, a few times weekly, once daily, or even a few times a day. An automotive plant will need to have enough returnable packaging to support the entire loop. For example, if the distance from the supplier to a manufacturing plant and back takes ten days, they will need to have, at a minimum, ten days' worth of returnable packaging. Route and order frequency will affect how long it takes for this loop to exist. If the length of time for the loop to complete changes drastically, the loop will have to be re-evaluated to ensure that enough returnable packaging is purchased. Since most suppliers will service many different automotive companies and plants, it is not unreasonable to expect containers to get sent mistakenly to the wrong plant occasionally. Some portion of returnable packaging will end up being lost or broken over time, requiring replacement. There are several reasons that a plant might begin to have a shortage of packaging. Most of these reasons stem from the fact that a majority of plants use just-in-time manufacturing--an engineering concept that reduces inventory and space requirements while increasing productivity. Any given plant will have a production goal that it aims to complete. If the plant goes down for any given reason, there is typically not enough time to inform the suppliers that they do not need to send parts for that portion of vehicles. Due to this, a manufacturer can accumulate more components than they would normally be able to use in a normal shift cycle. Since most plants use just-in-time manufacturing, they do not have additional containers to support this behind-the-scenes condition. The suppliers will be forced to use backup expendable packaging rather than their typical reusable packaging. Additionally, this leads to creating overtime opportunities for staff to get back on schedule--depending on how far behind the plant is running. This could be a few hours of work spread across multiple shifts, or it could be an entire additional shift or shifts of work. Three major categories of waste can be reduced for automotive packaging. The first type of waste is damaged product. Normally, when a part is damaged, it will be caught before making it onto a vehicle, limiting the effect it can have on sustainability and finances. If this damage is not caught before going onto a vehicle, it could lead to a large safety concern and potentially even a recall of the vehicle. The second type of waste that can be considered is excess grease or oil on some parts of vehicles, most specifically anything involving a bearing or oil fasteners. The last type of waste that is frequent in automotive packaging is the packaging itself. There is a gradual breakdown of packaging, which will cause the packaging to no longer be suitable for transporting parts safely. Reducing the number of returnable containers that need to be replaced is a very large aspect of reducing waste in automotive packaging. Having an effective design that lasts a long time will, in turn, reduce the number of spills of grease and oil, damaged parts that need to be replaced, and packaging that needs to be purchased. As long as the returnable packaging remains intact, over time, the total frequency of backup packaging required to support production will be reduced.