Olympic Steel – Schaumburg, IL: Everardo Mendoza

When the Schaumburg division ran out of shrink wrap (needed to prepare finished goods for shipment), Everardo Mendoza, Shop Helper, used the cut ends of PVC film instead. The PVC cut ends are usually thrown away. Instead, the PVC can be used to wrap finished goods, reducing our footprint in the landfills and decreasing packaging …

When the Schaumburg division ran out of shrink wrap (needed to prepare finished goods for shipment), Everardo Mendoza, Shop Helper, used the cut ends of PVC film instead.

The PVC cut ends are usually thrown away. Instead, the PVC can be used to wrap finished goods, reducing our footprint in the landfills and decreasing packaging expenses by about $5,000 annually. Any division with the same materials could realize similar savings.

Lesson Learned: How you look at a problem will often determine the outcome – is it holding you back from accomplishing the task or is it an opportunity to do what you need to do in a better way? Everardo saw this issue as an opportunity and found a way to get the job done while reducing waste and expenses.