Recommendations

Lean Systems

Sims Metal Management would benefit greatly from eliminating waste and maximizing the value of their company.  Each activity of the company can add value if waste is removed.  Sims has a landfill in Ohio.  Since the company is located on Noble Street in Newark, this is a far commute from New Jersey to Ohio to get rid of the waste and scrap metal that isn't needed.  If they were to have a landfill in New Jersey they could dispose of this waste, and that would cut transportation costs by a lot and save the company money.  

When customers come to Sims to trade their metal for money, they are given a receipt.  When the invoice is printed, there are two copies; one for the customer and one for Sims.  Sims could cut down waste by printing this receipt on smaller paper for both copies.  Another option is if the customer has access to a computer and a valid email address Sims could set up a system where the invoice is electronically sent to their email this way Sims won't have the cost of having to manually print out these receipts on paper.  This is also a sustainable option for Sims to consider.

Sustainability

Currently Sims Metal Management can always improve upon their sustainability, like any other company.  Sims should switch to solar panels to power their electric.  This doesn't only help the environment but it will benefit Sims in the long run.  They can cut electricity costs by switching they can earn a profit from the rebates sent back from the electric companies if they produce enough.  Switching to solar panels would eliminate unnecessarily high electric bills for Sims and benefit the environment at the same time. 

Another way to be a more sustainable company is considering the option of diesel-hybrid 18 wheeler trucks.  Such large trucks can consume 19 billion gallons of diesel every year.  By switching to diesel-hybrid trucks Sims can reduce the amount of money spent each year on fuel. It will improve the fuel efficiency by 30% which is a lot when such a large truck is traveling long distances.  Diesel spews a lot of chemicals into the air such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other harmful mixtures of chemicals.  Reducing their carbon footprint is very important to Sims Metal Management and incorporating some of these ideas into their company could really benefit Sims and the environment.