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The purpose of this paper is to present empirical findings of the effect of continuous improvement (CI) on shop-floor employees’ job performance in the Lean production system-implemented textile and apparel firms.

A random sample of 657 shop-floor employees engaged full-time in Lean production systems-implemented textile and apparel firms in Sri Lanka responded to the survey. Statistical methods were used for data analysis.

It was revealed that CI significantly and positively influences shop-floor employees’ job performance, and the duration of Lean production in operations (termed as Lean duration) moderates this relationship.

Investigations on the ways in which CI initiatives influence employees is important in creating an environment to sustain the improvement efforts over a longer period. Such lessons would be valuable for academics and practitioners alike worldwide.

The purpose of this study is to investigate conditions that facilitate shop-floor operators to fulfil their needs to carry out job roles and whether the need fulfilment affects their job performance in lean-implemented textile and apparel firms in Sri Lanka.

The data were collected from 922 shop-floor employees and their immediate supervisors. Statistical methods were used for the data analysis.

The results of the analysis imply the importance of managerial autonomy support and need fulfilment for enhanced job performance; the duration of lean production in operation moderates job performance in such a way that the longer the duration, the higher will be job performance.

It could be expected that academics and practitioners alike are motivated by a desire to clearly apprehend work systems in lean-implemented textile and apparel firms.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of lean production practices and lean duration (the duration for which lean production is in operation) on manufacturing performance.

The survey was used as the main method of data collection. In addition to survey data collected from 1,189 respondents from export-based textile and apparel firms operating in Sri Lanka, longitudinal data were collected over a period of seven months from a firm in the study sample to corroborate the survey findings.

The findings revealed that lean production practices significantly enhance manufacturing performance. Further findings revealed the importance of the duration of lean production in operation in achieving higher levels of manufacturing performance. This provides empirical support for the contention that the adoption of lean production can only be achieved through time.

Findings have implications for practices of export-based textile and apparel producing countries from Asia, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, which are competing intensively with each other for their market share in the global export-based textile and apparel production.

Manufacturing firms are adopting production methods and management practices to become leaner and fitter to create a new labour intensive production model that generate distinctive internal capabilities for survival and growth in international markets. Academics and practitioners in the field of manufacturing technologies will be interested in better understanding how lean production practices would enhance manufacturing performance from a non-western developing country context.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

This study investigates the effect of continuous improvement initiatives in streamlining HRM practices in Sri Lanka.

Survey methodology was used and 217 respondents who fulfilled the selection criteria set for the study responded. Structural equation modelling was performed to examine the hypothesized relationships.

The analysis supported the hypotheses that continuous improvement initiatives significantly positively influence to streamline HRM practices of performance management, job-related training, employee involvement and team work.

Continuous improvement initiatives that are aligned with the strategic direction of firms guide to design and implement better focused HRM practices.

The failure to streamline HRM practices in accordance with continuous improvement initiatives has been identified as a key barrier for the effective utilization of human resources. Although continuous improvement initiatives demand changes in the way HRM is practiced, so far, little empirical attention has been paid to understand the implications of continuous improvement initiatives for HRM practices.

An instructor could link the case to lean production principles and Kurt Lewin’s change management model, key reading materials on these theories are, namely,  Lewin, K (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science; equilibrium and social change. Human Relations 1(1): 5–41  Stewart, J. (2012). The Toyota Kaizen continuum: a practical guide to implementing lean. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Wickramasinghe, V. and Wickramasinghe, G. L. D. (2020). Effects of human resource management practices, lean production practices and lean duration on performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(11), 1467–1512.

This case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source included three face to face meetings with Mr CK in University Putra Malaysia (two meetings) and WSAE factory (Rawang, Malaysia – one meeting), respectively. Interviewed three workers at Rawang factory. The secondary source was taken from the company website and company reports.

Dr Wan, the Chief Executive Officer of WSA Engineering Sdn Bhd (WSAE) accepted the invitation from Small Medium Industries Development Corporation to participate in a Malaysian-Japanese Industry Cooperation program that focused on Lean Production System (LPS). Dr Wan was worried about Malaysia’s culture incompatible with Japanese-originated LPS. The case shares how the organization and behavioral change took place, for LPS buy-in. Successes and challenges WSAE faced in the 10-year journey of implementing LPS were elaborated.

This case was written for use in an operations management course, on the topic of lean production. It can also be used as a training material targeting the operation managers of a manufacturing company aiming to implement lean production or any change management process.

This study aims to investigate the implementation of lean human resource management (HRM) practices in manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explore how various factors interact to influence their successful adoption. By exploring the interplay among these factors, the research seeks to identify key drivers affecting the adoption of lean HRM in manufacturing SMEs. Ultimately, the research intends to provide insights that can guide organisations, practitioners and policymakers in effectively implementing lean HRM practices to enhance operational efficiency, workforce engagement and competitiveness within the manufacturing SME sector.

The study combined total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis. TISM helped in understanding the hierarchical relationship among different factors influencing lean HRM implementation, whereas MICMAC analysis provided insights into the level of influence and dependence of each factor on others.

The research revealed that “top management support” emerged as the most independent factor, indicating that strong support from top management is crucial for initiating and sustaining lean HRM practices in manufacturing SMEs. On the other hand, “employee involvement and empowerment” was identified as the most dependent factor, suggesting that fostering a culture of employee engagement and empowerment greatly relies on the successful implementation of lean HRM practices.

While the study provided valuable insights, it has certain limitations. The research was conducted within the specific context of manufacturing SMEs, which might limit the generalizability of the findings to other industries. Expert opinions introduce subjectivity in data collection. Additionally, the study may not cover all critical factors, allowing room for further exploration in future research.

The findings have practical implications for manufacturing SMEs aiming to implement lean HRM practices. Recognising the pivotal role of top management support, organisations should invest in cultivating a strong leadership commitment to lean HRM initiatives. Furthermore, enhancing employee involvement and empowerment can lead to better adoption of lean HRM practices, resulting in improved operational efficiency and overall competitiveness.

This research contributes to the field by offering a comprehensive exploration of the interplay among factors influencing lean HRM implementation. The use of TISM and MICMAC analysis provides a unique perspective on the relationship dynamics between these factors, allowing for a nuanced understanding of their roles in the adoption of lean HRM practices in manufacturing SMEs. The identification of “top management support” as the most independent and “employee involvement and empowerment” as the most dependent factors adds original insights to the existing literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate design features of variable pay plans adopted for shop-floor workers engaged in manufacturing firms that had implemented lean production systems, and the effects of design features on their job performance.

In total, 892 shop-floor workers attached to lean implemented manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka responded for the study. Structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis.

It was found that the performance evaluation-base for variable payments, variable pay calculation-base and goal setting for variable pay significantly predict job performance of the shop-floor workers.

It could be expected that the academics and practitioners alike are motivated by their desire to clearly apprehend the contribution of variable pay plans on job performance of the shop-floor workers engaged in lean production systems. This demands more investigations to better understand the design features of variable pay plans.

The main objectives of this research work were to investigate the effect of production speed on intermingled yarn properties and melange fabric properties with special reference to melange appearance.

Polyester/nylon intermingled yarns were produced using an SSM DP3-C air-intermingling machine using commercial process parameters and Heberlein P212 nozzle. Melange fabric samples were knitted from polyester/nylon intermingled yarns while maintaining the same parameters to avoid knitting variations. The fabric samples were dyed using a sample dyeing machine while maintaining dye recipe and dyeing parameters constant to avoid dyeing variations.

The production speed has significant effect on intermingled yarn and melange fabric properties. When the production speed is increased, mingle points, mingle stability, linear density, strength and the elongation of the intermingled yarns decreases. When the production speed is increased, fabric weight decreases and the melange effect varies from dot-like appearance to line-like appearance.

Only the effect of production speed on intermingled yarn and melange fabric properties is discussed in this paper. Appearance evaluating systems developed in this research are limited to melange fabrics produced using air-intermingled yarns with two colour components.

Results indicate that the intermingled yarns for the application of melange fabrics should be developed with optimum intermingling speeds, and it should not be changed during the production since production speed has significant effect on yarn and fabric parameters. Therefore, melange appearance and fabric weight may vary between fabric lots with different production speeds even though all the other parameters are kept constant. Further, melange appearance evaluation method developed in this research could be used as a guide in developing melange fabrics.

This research introduced a qualitative and a quantitative method to analyse melange fabric appearance. This melange appearance evaluation method can be used as a guide to achieve specific melange effect in the sample development stage. Further, when a melange sample appearance catalogue is developed for all the variables for a particular fabric type using this evaluation method, customer requested appearance can be achieved in minimum sample trials which save time, capacity, money and customer credibility.

Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to carry out maintenance jobs. In contemporary period, curiosity has proliferated about how sustainability affects manufacturing plans. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive notion of maintenance sustainability in maintenance planning. The literature has downplayed maintenance sustainability but may support in understanding how to crack the present company-community conflicts about the negative influence of manufacturing on the environment.

This study develops the idea of selecting the proper maintenance strategy based on integrated fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) principle and fuzzy-TOPSIS. This work suggests that the maintenance function is an uncertain, activity-oriented system. To fully appreciate the proposed framework, the work employs data from a cement manufacturing plant to test the structure. This study offers 20 influential factors on which it build the fundamental structure of maintenance system sustainability for manufacturing concerns. A novel literature contribution that departs from existing conceptions is the classical determination of weights of each sustainability factor, employing fuzzy entropy weighting approach. Furthermore, work innovatively determines the ranking of some important tenets of sustainability in maintenance and optimises the maintenance consumables employing the FAD principle.

Interestingly, the output of the investigation revealed differences as the work adopts fuzzy-TOPSIS in comparison with FAD principle.

Case examination of a real-life manufacturing venture validated the claims, showing maintenance workforce training as a top-echelon strategy for maintenance system sustainability.