Green Business Awards 2009: Environmental management - Waste reduction

Denso Manufacturing UK is an automotive components manufacturer and subsidiary of the global Denso Corporation. In the UK, it employs nearly 900 staff at its base in Telford, Shropshire, and had a turnover of £196m in 2008.

Denso Corporation has a global goal of zero waste to landfill at all manufacturing sites by 2015. In the UK, this target was achieved in 2006. The company has now shifted its focus from waste management to efficient resource management.

Smarter manufacturing techniques are a central aim. Processes have been made more efficient by implementing lean manufacturing, 5S's (a Japanese term for good housekeeping) and total production maintenance (TPM) programmes. Some rejected parts that would previously have been discarded are now reworked, resulting in a significant reduction in production scrap. Waste is strictly monitored and segregated.