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The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study on endorsing process improvement in maritime operations by implementing design of experiments on Lean Six Sigma performance responses. It is demonstrated how process efficiency and environmental muda may be dealt with simultaneously in a lean‐and‐green project driven by hardcore Six Sigma tools.

A 16‐run Taguchi‐type orthogonal design was employed to gather data for vessel speed (VS), exhaust gas temperature (EGT) and fuel consumption (FC) as modulated by a total of 15 controlling parameters synchronously. Active dependencies were inferred based on the desirability analysis method on direct process data from a performance log. This log was maintained for a long‐term monitoring during sea voyages of a double skin bulk carrier of 55,000 DWT while in sea service.

A high composite desirability value was achieved eclipsing the 0.90 mark. Values well over the 0.9 level were also obtained for the three examined individual desirability values of VS, EGT and FC. Leading controlling parameters were discovered to be compressor pressure, fuel pump index, slip, governor index and MIP.

A Lean Six Sigma project is carried out to improve performance characteristics in ordinary maritime operations. While the company in the case study outlined in this article no longer relies on periodic inspections to determine machinery conditions, improvement on key process characteristics were nevertheless deemed worthy of ameliorating. Information retrieval from computerized continuous monitoring systems assisted in conducting experimental designs in order to obtain optimal performance. Specifically, the tuning of vessel main engine running mode was examined aiming at increasing the quality levels of output power to the shaft along with a reduction of NOx emissions.

This work adds an interesting paradigm in the critical field of maritime activities for processes in full gear while operating at sea. Maritime operations are an imperative necessity when expediting international trading transactions. It is the first time that such a case study has emanated from a real pilot Lean Six Sigma project which interlaces process efficiency enhancement with concurrent environmental muda reduction.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and introduce comprehensive insights into the field of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) by reviewing the existing literature and identifying the research gap. The state of LSS research is assessed by critically examining the field, along with a number of dimensions, including time horizon, year, journal and publisher, university, country, author, geographic analysis, research design, research affairs, research methods, tools/techniques used, focus industries, major research area, benefits gained by LSS, critical success factors and barriers of LSS implementation.

This paper is based on a systematic literature review of 190 articles containing the word LSS in their title, which are published in a well-known database, such as Elsevier ScienceDirect, Taylor and Francis, Emerald Full Text, Springer Link, Wiley InterScience and Inderscience from January 2000 to September 2016.

This analysis reveals 15 significant dimensions to identify the state of LSS research. Authors find a noticeable rise in the attention of LSS research in the available literature. Major findings show that, the empirical research holds greater credibility. Statistics prove that the case study method scores the highest among all the research methods used in the discipline. The largest number of studies have investigated research issues related to implementation and process of LSS. The LSS uses a wide range of tools/techniques/methodologies: the choice of tools is situation-specific. Manufacturing and health-care sectors have been the focus of LSS research, but LSS has also been adopted by other types of industries. The organizations following LSS have improved bottom-line results, improved company profitability and growth and enhanced customer satisfaction. In general the research is more interpretive in nature; there is still a lack of standard in the LSS implementation framework.

This study is limited to reviewing those articles which contain the word LSS appeared in the title.

This study will help understand the current state of research on LSS, various trends in the field, its applicability and future prospects of investigation in the field.

Despite differing strategies towards environmental sustainability in developed and developing nations, the manufacturing sector in these regional domains faces substantial environmental issues. The purpose of this study is to examine the green-lean-six sigma (GLSS) enablers and outcomes for enhancing environmental sustainability of manufacturing firms in both, a developed and developing country context by using an environment-centric natural resource-based view (NRBV).

First, a framework of GLSS enablers and outcomes aligned with the NRBV strategic capabilities is proposed through a systematic literature review. Second, this framework is used to empirically investigate the GLSS enablers and outcomes of manufacturing firms through in-depth interviews with lean six sigma and environmental consultants from New Zealand (NZ) and Pakistan (PK) (developed and developing nations).

Analysis from both regional domains highlights the use of GLSS enablers and outcomes under different NRBV capabilities of pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development. A comparison reveals that NZ firms practice GLSS to comply with environmental regulatory requirements, avoid penalties and maintain their clean-green image. Conversely, Pakistani firms execute GLSS to reduce energy use, satisfy international customers and create a green image.

This paper provides new insights on GLSS for environmental sustainability which can assist industrial experts and academia for future strategies and research.

This is one of the early comparative studies that has used the NRBV to investigate GLSS enablers and outcomes in manufacturing firms for enhancing environmental performance comparing developed and developing nations

Environmental awareness became a crucial agenda for both academicians and practitioners. Effect of the individual’s value, belief and norm on their environmentally significant behaviour is vital on subsequent purchase decision of the consumers. Considering this, the present study aims to examine the relationships among value orientations, New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), and pro-environmental personal norm. Moreover, this research intends to investigate the mediating role of New Ecological Paradigm between value orientations and pro-environmental personal norm.

This study has utilized questionnaire survey among 277 paddy farmers at the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) area in Malaysia. Data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares technique in order to test study hypotheses. Partial Least Square technique was utilized to analyze the data to test the study hypotheses.

Results reveal that biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value positively and significantly affect NEP. It is also found that NEP positively and significantly affect pro-environmental personal norm. Data also supports the links between altruistic value and pro-environmental personal norm (PPN). However, the relationship between other two value-orientations (biospheric value and egoistic value) and PPN is not supported by the data. Additionally, NEP mediates the relationship between biospheric value and PPN as well as between egoistic value and PPN. Contrary to this, NEP does not mediate the relationship between altruistic value and PPN.

The findings of this study will guide the agrochemical industry to understand how to enhance consumers’ behavioural aspect towards the environmental welfare. As handling of agrochemical is hazardous to health and environment, the knowledge on the effect of value orientation, belief and norm holds the key to inculcate good agricultural practice.

The present study is among the pioneers to consider NEP as the mediator between three types of value orientation and personal norm. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between NEP and PPN as well as between value orientations and PPN which are comparatively new to the existing body of literature. Nevertheless, this study considers NEP as a multidimensional constructs which is relatively new. Last, but not the least, the findings elaborate the existing knowledge of individual’s environmental concern in the context of agrochemical purchase.

Identification and elimination of Muda (any activity adding cost but not value from the customers’ perspective) is one of the main objectives of Lean service. Whilst there is significant research on implementing lean in manufacturing and some service industries, there is little information related to its application to the fast food service industry. The purpose of this paper is to try to fill in this gap by answering the research question: What type of Muda could be identified from the customers’ perspective within the service production processes in the fast food restaurant industry in Spain?

An exploratory case study has been conducted. Three multinational companies were selected and several sites observed in Madrid, Spain. Three methods were used to gather data: document analysis; direct and participative observation and semi-structured interviews.

The paper identifies the seven types of Muda: defects, movements, process, inventory, overproduction, transport and delay. The results are discussed for Cases A, B and C, showing that A and B present higher potential for Muda, compared C.

Threefold value for practitioners and managers: waste identification is an opportunity for non-efficient processes improvement; observation/analysis from the customers’ perspective reveals that customers perceive these inefficiencies; a guideline/audit tool for future assessments.

The paper contributes to the limited existing literature on lean service in fast food industry and disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward increasing the productivity, efficiency, consistency and quality of service.

In this paper, the results of an investigation aimed at analysing and comparing the environmental competences of future teachers undergoing training in two universities are presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the difference in the acquisition of environmental competences amongst two groups of students enrolled in two universities with different levels of introduction of the environmental education (EE) and sustainability contents in their curriculums. This objective is inserted into a wider finality: to provide recommendations regarding the redesign of pre-service teacher training curricula and learning programmes.

A specifically designed questionnaire was used in this study to analyse the environmental competencies of students in the final year of their degree in primary education in two Spanish universities. One of them had a highly environmentally oriented programme, and the other had a scarcely environmentally oriented programme.

Results show that no significant differences were observed in the results related to the greening level of the training programmes. Pre-service teachers have insufficient environmental knowledge, but with quite positive, responsible attitudes towards environmental issues, and pro-environmental actions that could be categorised as moderate. Results point to the need for further and better pre-service teacher training in environmental issues.

One of the main factors in the appropriate treatment of EE in schools is teacher training. Despite this principle being widely recognised, not all pre-service teacher training programmes adequately address EE. The added value of this paper is the comparison established between the students that followed a degree with a high impact of the environmental competences in its curriculum and another one that has very few references to these competences in the curriculum.

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the significance of green supply chain management (GSCM) to study the impact lean practices, namely, Kaizen and innovation management practices on organizational sustainability.

The subject of green supply chains attracts a growing interest in academic and professional literature since 1990. Questionnaire survey and structured interviews (set of questions) among the industrial professionals and academicians of northern India region have been performed to ascertain the significance of GSCM toward organizational sustainability. Structural equation modeling, Cronbach’s alpha, z-test, correlation and t-test have been used to ascertain the significance of lean practices toward sustaining organization by taking the mediating effect of GSCM.

The results signify the negative potential of combined Kaizen, innovation management and government policies on environmental thinking through supply chain. The innovation management strategies and Kaizen individually has positive influence on environment supply chain but government policies should be improved to improve the positive impact on environmental thinking through supply chain by decreasing pollution. Economic performance, environmental performance and competitive performance are significantly improved by implementing Kaizen and innovation management through GSCM.

The research is limited to northern India. Moreover, selection of industry and academic organizations has been done on convenient sampling technique.

The paper demonstrates the application of lean techniques, namely, Kaizen and innovation management practices, showing how it can bring real breakthroughs in organizational sustainability through GSCM.

The work efficiency and energy consumption of astronauts in the space station are the key issues in the operation of the space station, and how to evaluate the lean value of their activities is also complex and abstract. Combined with the idea of lean management, this paper aims to propose an space station dynamic value stream mapping system that can monitor and continuously improve the value flow and energy flow of astronauts in real time through lean methods.

Through systematic literature review, it is found that there is little research on the issue of lean management for astronauts. In manufacturing and services, value stream mapping is widely used for lean management. However, the static value stream map lacks the characteristics of real-time dynamics. This paper proposes to take the three modules of Muda detection, action recognition and energy monitoring as the basic content of the astronaut lean management framework to make the value stream and energy stream dynamic.

The theoretical framework of astronaut lean management is initially constructed, and the reasons for astronaut Muda and improvement ideas are also analyzed.

In fact, practitioners can use the proposed framework to identify the value of astronauts. Academically, these results collect research on dynamic value stream and lean management, providing a new way to identify value in aerospace using lean methods. Finally, the future research goals of astronaut lean management are put forward.

The purpose of this paper is to identify areas of waste and inefficiency in the built asset maintenance process and to outline an alternative approach based around performance metrics, which seeks to minimise waste and produce a more sustainable, cost‐ effective approach to built asset maintenance.

A theoretical analysis of the built asset maintenance process identified potential areas within the process that could be subject to significant waste or inefficiencies. Structured interviews with 37 property managers and two in‐depth case studies of UK social landlords were used to provide greater insights into the causes of the waste/inefficiencies and to develop a performance‐based approach to identify built asset maintenance needs.

The current approach to built asset maintenance is prone to wide ranging inefficiencies. These inefficiencies are deep rooted and resulted from an intrinsic weakness in the theoretical model underpinning built asset maintenance management. The theory assumes condition is a suitable proxy for performance. Whilst this assumption may have been valid in the past, current drivers for a sustainable future, coupled with the need to reduce costs in light of current public sector spending, requires a wider range of issues to be considered when identifying and prioritising maintenance needs. Identifying needs, planning of work and post contract inspection were perceived to be the most inefficient activities in the current approach to built asset maintenance management. These could be reduced by adopting a new approach that links performance of the built asset to key business drivers.

At this stage, the new performance model is conceptual and requires further implementation to test its robustness and resilience.

The adoption of the model will force maintenance managers to consider the implications of their maintenance actions at a strategic level that links priorities to critical success factors through targeted key performance indicators.

This paper extends the concept of performance‐based approaches used in other industries to built asset maintenance and provides a practical representation of a process model by which the theory can be implemented.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the non-value-adding activities (NVAs) of core making process and to eliminate them through the standardization-of-work (SW) procedures in a manufacturing company.

The action-research methodology was adopted for the current study. First, various lean tools were identified through literature review, and the bottleneck area was identified in discussion with the shop-floor executives. NVAs were recorded after a continuous process study including method study and motion analysis followed by the standard operating procedure. Second, the standardized work combination tables were prepared and NVAs were eliminated using the SW procedures. SW has been opted because it is a set of actions which helps in analyzing, improving and controlling the process and it leads to continual improvement.

The production logbook revealed that the capacity in this particular workstation was 54 pieces per 7 h work shift against the current production of approx. 45–50 pieces (past data). SW saved 31.6 s per cycle which boosted the production up to 58 pieces per 7 h work shift. Finally, the authors came to know that the productivity of this particular process increased up to 6.5 percent which may upsurge if this action is executed continually with the support from shop-floor executives and management. These results were also compared with previous research works in this area and found significant relevance, and hence, the results appear to be reliable.

This is a unique study in itself which explores the lean model by assessing NVAs of core making process. The proposed approach needs to be tested across different other core making processes of the case company so as to generalize the effectiveness of SW as well as the results obtained in the current study.

The current study illustrates an important step to give more visibility to the lean concept by addressing the problem of lack of standard procedures. This study will help the shop-floor executives and managers to focus their efforts in achieving high performance through effective implementation of SW. The study should be of the interest of researchers in the area of lean manufacturing, operations management, productivity analysis, etc.

The findings of this study are based on the problem formulation for productivity gains using SW procedures in the case company. The study introduces a new perspective for the execution of SW for core making processes. SW created transparency in workflow, enhanced the safety and eliminated the 3Ms. The outcome of the current study was discussed with the production team and management of the company to validate the productivity gains and received an optimistic response. Most importantly, these improvements were achieved with no investment in machinery or tooling.