Search results

The purpose of this study is to categorize and analyse the drivers and barriers of Lean Manufacturing (LM) and subsequently, based on the structural model develop a house of lean management which will give an idea to the academicians and practitioners about the factors that are critical to implement lean practices in an organization.

A list of drivers and barriers was prepared based on the literature review and opinions from experts. Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) was utilized to build a structural hierarchy of the drivers and barriers of LM. The structural hierarchy was utilized to build the house of lean management.

Based on the hierarchy developed, the elements (drivers and barriers) of LM are classified into three groups: bottom-level, middle-level and top-level elements. To develop a house of lean management, bottom-level of elements were considered as a foundation, middle-level elements were considered as pillars and top-level elements were considered as a beam. Finally, foundation, pillars and beam of the house were used to support the roof (which is value to customers and profitability to firm).

The outcome of this research can assist researchers as well as practitioners to enhance the significant drivers and to reduce the impact of hazardous barriers for the better implementation of lean practices.

This research is a novel approach, as it visibly demonstrates both the drivers and barriers, examines the interrelationships among them in order and shows them pictorially as the house of lean management.

The purpose of this study is to systematically analyse and synthesise the existing research published on offsite manufacturing/construction. The study aims to highlight and associate the core elements for adopting the offsite concept in different construction contexts. This ultimately facilitates the enhancement of the offsite uptake.

The research study was carried out through a systematic literature review (SLR). The SLR was conducted to identify and understand the existing themes in the offsite research landscape, evaluate contributions and compile knowledge, thereby identifying potential directions of future research. The grand electronic databases were explored to gather literature on the offsite concept, lean and agile principles and simulation. A total of 62 related articles published between 1992 and 2015 have been included in this study. The relevant literature was systematically analysed and synthesised to present the emerging offsite themes.

The descriptive and thematic analyses presented in this paper have identified related offsite research studies that have contributed to setting a firm foundation of the offsite concept in different construction contexts. Each of the 62 articles was examined for achieving the aim and objectives of this study, the method of data collection and coverage of offsite themes. The results of the analyses revealed that the articles mostly provide information on the offsite concept and its definitions (53 per cent) and offsite barriers and/or drivers (27 per cent). However, limited attention has been paid to the integration of lean and agile principles (13 per cent) and simulation (7 per cent) within the offsite concept, which are therefore more open to research within the offsite concept.

The literature review highlights the main themes and components of the offsite construction concept. This forms a solid basis and motivation for researchers and practitioners to build on to enhance the uptake of the offsite concept in different contexts. This study also presents a research roadmap within the offsite concept, along with a recommendation for further research to be conducted using the research framework proposed in this study. The framework could lead to validation of using simulation to integrate lean and agile principles within the offsite concept.

This paper presents a systematic review of the literature related to offsite construction in different contexts. The emerging components, that is, offsite definitions, drivers and/or barriers, lean and agile principles and simulation have been highlighted and discussed thematically. A research framework that enables pursuit of the integration of lean and agile principles offsite through the lens of simulation has been proposed. The framework is expected to open up new opportunities on the effectiveness of offsite development in different contexts.

The purpose of this study is to present an overview of the existing knowledge on the combined application of lean, off-site and simulation (LOS) in housing delivery.

A systematic literature review approach was adopted. Based on a comprehensive search using Scopus, Web of Science and the International Group for Lean Construction databases, 66 relevant journal articles were identified and analysed.

This study found that the most significant impacts of the combined application of LOS in housing delivery are the capacity to visualise the production processes as a whole in real time, exposure and removal of non-value-adding activities from the production and faster delivery. However, the combined application of LOS is low compared to a single application of each technique in housing delivery.

The results provide relevant stakeholders and actors in the housing sector (private and public housing developers, off-site housing manufacturers and constructors, housing associations and government housing agencies, among others) with the information needed to improve the outcomes of housing delivery through the application of LOS.

This study contributes to the ongoing debate on addressing the global housing shortage by presenting an integrated overview of the existing knowledge on the impact of the nexus of LOS and providing compelling evidence for its usage in housing delivery. It also demonstrates how the combined application of LOS supports the achievement of the flow and value view in the transformation flow value model, which was not previously reported.

This paper aims to present findings from a research project that investigated the suitability of Lean in a seasonal horticultural setting, specifically the New Zealand (NZ) apple and pear (pipfruit) industry. The paper focusses on improvements made while deploying Lean elements in several apple pack-houses.

The literature review discusses how common theoretical Lean themes are not industry or contextually bound and may be transferable to other industries. An industry-wide survey assesses the current state of knowledge and Lean deployment within the industry using a unique “single-question-per-day” approach. Two case studies and one action research study are used to obtain rich data from organisations that have implemented Lean in recent times. Reliability and validity is achieved by selecting representative samples, using a case study protocol, a single researcher for consistency, participant verification, multiple sources of evidence within cases and replication logic.

The industry survey shows a low level of knowledge and applied Lean within the industry. Data demonstrate that significant progress is made, using different implementation approaches that lead to a measurable increase of Lean, supported by some positive financial indicators.

This research is restricted to NZ apple pack-houses, but indicates that Lean can contribute significantly to general horticultural pack house performance.

Literature research shows that little research has been done to study Lean in the horticultural field generally and in the NZ pipfruit industry specifically. This paper contributes to filling that knowledge gap.

The purpose of this paper is to explore opportunities and barriers to using lean construction to address issues related to the value, quality and scalability of affordable housing production in Latin America.

This paper presents a case study of a housing developer in Ecuador that used lean construction in the design and construction stages of an affordable housing project. The study describes how the developer addressed operational challenges derived from implementing a customization strategy and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data to assess the outcomes of lean initiatives.

The developer reduced cost and delivery time without sacrificing consumer choice. However, the economic and policy conditions worked against the benefits of lean construction, demonstrating the importance of the regulatory context in facilitating or inhibiting lean initiatives and construction innovation.

This paper focuses on conventional means for new housing construction. Self-help and upgrading are not covered.

The operational challenges described in this study, as well as the innovative ways to deal with them, are beneficial for practitioners seeking to improve the quality and efficiency of affordable housing construction.

This paper advances knowledge about how to increase value and quality delivery in the built environment which may benefit low-income families.

This study bridges construction innovation and housing policy, discussing the potential of lean construction within the policy and regulatory environment in which affordable housing takes place.

This paper aims to develop the existing theoretical concept of a triad by informing it with the activity-resource-actor (ARA) model in a new empirical context of lean management (LM).

This conceptual paper draws on the industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP) school of thought and the ARA model as theoretical lenses to inform research on triads in an LM context.

The authors find that closed buyer-supplier-supplier (BSS) and buyer-supplier-logistics service provider (BSL) triads, which we call “lean triads,” had a positive impact on LM. The authors display the drivers for closure – LM improvements (Table 2) and the properties of these “lean triads” (Figure 3).

The paper focuses only on closed triads and is based on previous empirical studies.

The authors demonstrate to lean managers the drivers for connecting their partners in BSS and BSL triads and show the importance of developing relationships on three layers between all three actors in both triads to improve a firm’s lean performance.

The authors contribute to the discussion within the IMP school of thought on the value of triads by enriching the understanding of a triad concept with the ARA model, which compounds a concept of a multilayered triad in an LM context.

In response to increasing demand for a fully customized and individualized home environment, mass customization (MC) has been suggested as an effective strategy to fulfill the customer’s customization needs while keeping production cost-effectiveness. However, in current practice, the implementation of the MC in the industrialized housing industry has not achieved an ideal level. Little effort was devoted to customer value generation and achieving lean production in a multi-disciplinary MC environment. In this concern, a highly efficient and flexible production information system is expected to capture accurately the customer’s demand and efficiently perform work planning for encouraging customer involvement and mass efficiency production.

To gain an insight into the development of the MC production information system for the housing industry and to depict the interaction among system modules, this study used a design science research methodology for a case study of customized cabinet production information system development.

A prototype of the production information system was proposed in this paper, supported by three information technologies to facilitate the MC implementation in the millwork manufacturer. A focus group discussion method was carried out for evaluating the system feasibility and the subsequent survey analysis on the virtual reality (VR) interface experiment. The evaluation process results showed that the VR interface is an effective medium for design information communication and encourages customer involvement. Most participants believed that the proposed production information system could generally benefit the MC implementation and improve production efficiency.

This study integrated lean production principles along with building information modelling, VR and discrete-event simulation in the production information system to assist the manufacturer in effectively handling variant product information and enabling quicker reactions in response to diverse customer requirements in housing industries. The coordination among system modules and the managed information flow could be a valuable reference for future MC production system development in housing industries.

The purpose of this paper is to identify important factors those which constrain implementation and sustenance of lean strategies in aviation sector and ways to avoid slow attrition within annals of lean.

This research is exploratory in nature and survey methodology is used for assessing the post lean management implementation environment. The focus of study is cross-sectional, within aircraft industry based on the information collected through survey and a case study.

The reasons for the weak sustenance of lean initiative have been identified. The measures as undertaken in the case study implied a successful turnaround of specific department. Comparison with automobile industry indicates suggestions and pitfalls to be avoided with suitable illustration.

The target of the study is the aircraft manufacturer and hence it has the limitation in terms of the scope. However, overall results are encouraging with the survey generating expected inputs and underline the need for similar research in the aerospace sector. The study has implications for managers in all types of industrial environment, especially in aviation, in the era of globalized lean supply chain establishment.

Inputs obtained are from both industrial research in a live environment and a case study which impacts lean management in industries.

This paper presents novel inputs regarding post lean implementation scenario in aviation sector, which has complicated internal processes. It also tries to establish factors relevant for any organization in assessing lean initiatives.

The purpose of this paper is to better define the relationships between product variety and lean production in enabling mass customization in industrialized homebuilding.

This study includes a case study analysis of two housing plants that instituted lean production systems. For each company, the case study documented the company's background, the product choice offered, the lean implementation approach used, the results obtained, and the effect of product choice on the lean implementation. Using these case study findings, common trends were identified and used to develop guidelines for an effective mass customization strategy for industrialized homebuilders. This paper summarizes the extensive findings for one of the two plants and provides the recommended guidelines developed from common trends identified at both plants.

Case study findings indicated that product choice does not necessarily make the implementation of lean concepts more difficult. In fact, good lean concepts (e.g. continuous flow, pull system, workload leveling, defect‐free processes, standard tasks, good visual control, and reliable technology) were also good concepts for (or easily accommodated) handling a range of product choice.

Research findings are limited by the small number of plants involved in the study.

The paper makes an important contribution to the understanding of both lean production and mass customization, identifying the lean principles that facilitate mass customization for industrialized homebuilders. Findings also provide useful guidelines for builders interested in better addressing specific customer needs, while managing the operational complexities resulting from product variety.

The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that value‐driven purchasing of customized kitchen cabinets is more profitable than market‐driven purchasing in industrialised housing construction. The hypothesis is examined through a case study of kitchen carpentry at one of the Sweden's largest producers of industrialised prefabricated multi‐storey housing. By comparing characteristics of market‐ vs value‐driven purchasing, this paper aims to further clarify the benefits and drawbacks of these two strategies.

By comparing characteristics of market‐ vs value‐driven purchasing, a theoretical framework is proposed that clarifies the benefits and drawbacks of the two strategies. An explorative case study of kitchen carpentry at a house manufacturer illustrates purchasing of kitchen cabinets in the industrialised housing industry in relation to the proposed framework.

The case study results indicate that, from a value perspective, a long‐term relationship with a dedicated local smaller supplier is a preferable choice over a short‐term relationship with a low‐price mass producer.

This is a single case study that should be verified by further empirical work of a test delivery from the local sub‐system manufacturer. Such a study would provide more insights into this area of work and make it possible to thoroughly evaluate potential risks. The indicative results in this paper can be made conclusive through quantification of the proposed lean purchasing characteristics.

A comparison of value‐ and market‐driven purchasing is carried out in theory and applied to a real case study that brings new perspectives to purchasing. In this way, the paper proposes alternative purchasing strategies to the construction industry.