Where Lean
Meets Green
It’s rare to find two concepts as closely linked. Lean processes, for example in procurement, design and logistics, directly support sustainable practices. In most cases, resources can be saved where distances are short or where innovation is the norm in everyday production. Gerhard Schubert not only succeeds in combining these two approaches, it also far exceeds the industry standard – as confirmed by a one-day assessment carried out by the T&O Group in Crailsheim in June of this year. Schubert successfully applied for the award in April. The German management consultancy T&O, which specialises in lean methodology and environmental, material and energy issues, has been presenting the ‘Lean & Green Management Award’ since 2012, honouring the best resource management in several categories. In 2025, it evaluated 18 companies that had made it through the preliminary round to the shortlist.
Success with GRIPS
The assessment takes an in-depth look at how companies can use resources more efficiently to avoid waste. To make their evaluation, the T&O Group analyses the processes and methods of selected companies in key areas of business practice such as logistics, supply chain and strategy. Experts from T&O, the Technical University of Munich and the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt use their findings to derive a benchmark against which the participating companies can measure themselves – and for Schubert, with resounding success. “The Lean & Green Excellence Award confirms that we seamlessly integrate lean methods and the economical use of resources – and that we are well above average in this respect. This is something we are proud of and it motivates us to remain committed to this direction,” explains Tobias Bierlein, Group Manager GRIPS Process Management at Schubert. The successful interaction between Schubert’s Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative and the company’s in-house GRIPS methodology, which stands for ‘Gemeinsam in Richtung Innovation, Prozesse und Standards’ (Together towards innovation, processes and standards), has been instrumental in achieving this impressive result.
At the Crailsheim site, PV systems on the roofs, among many other sustainability measures, ensure that electricity is produced in an environmentally friendly manner.
