As a leader in a Shingijutsu Kaizen event focused on the injection molding area (60+ machines), I identified an unanalyzed opportunity in resin waste, which had never been tracked despite representing a significant recurring cost. Using recycling invoice data, I quantified the scale of the discarded material and validated the finding through a hands-on daily weighing experiment with the operations team.

The analysis revealed that machine startups after shutdowns generated disproportionate scrap. Working with the molding supervisor and operators, we developed standardized startup and shutdown procedures that meaningfully reduced startup waste.