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Book part
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Esmir Demaj and Denis Mehillaj

Lean manufacturing, a philosophy that revolutionized the manufacturing industry, is often linked to the Toyota Production System (TPS). At the core of a lean company, one can…

Abstract

Lean manufacturing, a philosophy that revolutionized the manufacturing industry, is often linked to the Toyota Production System (TPS). At the core of a lean company, one can observe proper implementation of lean manufacturing tools and practices such as just-in-time, work teams, cellular manufacturing, lean layout, etc. The goal of lean production is to minimize the waste producing activities while offering the same or enhanced quality to customers.

The aim of this research is to investigate the implementation degree of lean manufacturing and its tools and practices focusing on the case of an SME in Albania as a concrete example. Higher attention is given to some of the pillars of lean manufacturing such as just-in-time and cellular manufacturing.

In this case study, researchers observed a variety of features of lean production. Just-in-time was implemented to a certain extent and cellular manufacturing at a more surprising level, which was facilitated especially by the U-shaped facility layout designs observed during the site visits. The value stream mapping showed a proper group technology in place and the management displayed signs of engagement and future advancement desire regarding this philosophy.

Details

Digitalization, Sustainable Development, and Industry 5.0
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-191-2

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 August 2022

Wilfred H. Knol, Kristina Lauche, Roel L.J. Schouteten and Jannes Slomp

Building on the routine dynamics literature, this paper aims to expand our philosophical, practical and infrastructural understanding of implementing lean production. The authors…

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Abstract

Purpose

Building on the routine dynamics literature, this paper aims to expand our philosophical, practical and infrastructural understanding of implementing lean production. The authors provide a process view on the interplay between lean operating routines and continuous improvement (CI) routines and the roles of different actors in initiating and establishing these routines.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from interviews, observations and document analysis, retrospective comparative analyses of three embedded case studies on lean implementations provide a process understanding of enacting and patterning lean operating and CI routines in manufacturing SMEs.

Findings

Incorporating the “who” and “how” next to the “what” of practices and routines helps explain that rather than being implemented in isolation or even in conjunction with each other, sustainable lean practices and routines come about through team leader and employee enactment of the CI practices and routines. Neglecting these patterns aligned with unsustainable implementations.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed process model provides a valuable way to integrate variance and process streams of literature to better understand lean production implementations.

Practical implications

The process model helps manufacturing managers, policy makers, consultants and educators to reconsider their approach to implementing lean production or teaching how to do so.

Originality/value

Nuancing the existing lean implementation literature, the proposed process model shows that CI routines do not stem from implementing lean operating routines. Rather, the model highlights the importance of active engagement of actors at multiple organizational levels and strong connections between and across levels to change routines and work practices for implementing lean production.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 42 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2000

M.L. Emiliani

Large public companies restructure themselves on a regular basis with the primary goals of achieving better financial performance and demonstrating responsiveness to shareholder…

9267

Abstract

Large public companies restructure themselves on a regular basis with the primary goals of achieving better financial performance and demonstrating responsiveness to shareholder interests. However, it is well know that such discontinuities typically result in great stress and confusion amongst employees, particularly over how to achieve new stretch goals. Key functions such as engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, quality, and finance often pursue separate paths to achieve function‐specific goals. This paper utilizes the principles and tools of lean production to decode the CEO’s mandates and deliver practical, solutions‐oriented tools to employees to help achieve stretch business goals. This creates an effective bridge between the language of the CEO and engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, quality, and finance functions. Coupled with LEAN BEHAVIORSSM, an environment can be created that enables widespread employee alignment and commitment to challenging business conditions. The result is the first framework that unifies technical and behavioral components of management.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2017

G.L.D. Wickramasinghe and Vathsala Wickramasinghe

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…

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Abstract

Purpose

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.

Design/methodology/approach

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.

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.

Practical implications

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.

Originality/value

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.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Peter Ball

Rising energy costs and potential scarcity are driving energy reduction initiatives in manufacturing companies. The reduction in energy use is complementary to the classic lean

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Abstract

Purpose

Rising energy costs and potential scarcity are driving energy reduction initiatives in manufacturing companies. The reduction in energy use is complementary to the classic lean production philosophy and the lean and green literature implies that reducing energy waste supports lean objectives. The purpose of this paper is to examine this perceived positive correlation and identify the impact level of energy reduction of lean product flow.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this, published case studies and practices from interview were gathered and categorised against a waste management hierarchy.

Findings

Energy reduction activities implicitly reduce waste which is compatible with the lean waste objective, however, when applying the waste hierarchy principle to energy efficiency practice, lean product flow is progressively constrained or compromised towards the lower levels of the hierarchy.

Research limitations/implications

The hierarchical classification seeks to communicate how reported energy efficiency improvements will/will not impact on flow. The research focuses on the modification of existing discrete part production facilities towards greater energy efficiency and neglects alternative production technologies and new build. The results suggest that as manufacturers seeking to be more energy efficient move away from preventative actions to more reduce and reuse actions then production flexibility could become restricted and the design of production facilities make re-think the fast, linear and short flow of product.

Practical implications

Examples of industrial practices are provided to show the implications of energy reduction practice on production flow.

Originality/value

Categorises the relationship between classic lean and industrial low-energy initiatives to provide insight to how higher energy cost could impact on production.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2006

Jens J. Dahlgaard and Su Mi Dahlgaard‐Park

The authors analyze the principles and results of lean production and compare the lean production philosophy with the six sigma quality process and the principles of total quality…

46189

Abstract

Purpose

The authors analyze the principles and results of lean production and compare the lean production philosophy with the six sigma quality process and the principles of total quality management (TQM). At the end of the paper, it is discussed how to build the necessary company culture for having success with these principles/management philosophies.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature search and comparative analysis complemented with a Danish case on wastage in a core process.

Findings

It is shown that the lean production philosophy and the six sigma steps are essentially the same and both have developed from the same root – the Japanese TQM practices. The improvement process from six sigma, the DMAIC process, can be regarded as a short version of the Quality Story, which was developed in Japan in the 1960s as a standard for QC‐circle presentations. We conclude that the roadmaps of lean production and six sigma quality are examples of new alternative TQM roadmaps. We also conclude that especially with lean production and six sigma quality there seems to be too much focus on training people intools and techniques and at the same time too little focus on understanding the human factor, i.e. how to build the right company culture.

Originality/value

The detailed and historical analysis of six sigma quality, lean production and TQM combined with a focus on the human factor and the needed corporate culture.

Details

The TQM Magazine, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-478X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2018

Joel Lööw

Using a theory of translation of ideas, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how the mining industry has implemented and practices lean production as well as the form of…

Abstract

Purpose

Using a theory of translation of ideas, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how the mining industry has implemented and practices lean production as well as the form of this practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reviewed the scientific literature on lean production in the mining industry, as well as in the reported practice of the concept in a mining company. The results were then analyzed using content analysis.

Findings

Lean production has not seen a full implementation in the mining industry. Rather, select practices are focused, though the literature covers several more. The findings suggest that the form and extension of lean production in mining differ from other industries owing to characteristics of the industry itself.

Research limitations/implications

The scientific literature on the subject is limited. Additional material was used to attempt to offset this. However, there are still blind spots relating to practice that is not reported in the type of material investigated.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to understanding the evolution of lean production in a unique industry. It suggests why lean implementation may be unsuccessful in this type of industry while also identifying the focal point of its lean production practice.

Details

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-4166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

Cipriano Forza

Proposes a framework (developed from an analysis of the existing literature) which will be useful to research the linkages between work organization and lean production practices…

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Abstract

Proposes a framework (developed from an analysis of the existing literature) which will be useful to research the linkages between work organization and lean production practices. The framework considers two types of work organization practices: type (a) which is directly linked to lean production practices such as JIT/TQM (worker autonomy, multifunctional employees, feedback to workers, etc.) and type (b) which influences the setting up and the maintenance of type (a) practices (training, compensation, etc.). Tests hypotheses concerning the practices which can be said to be directly linked to JIT/TQM on data collected on 43 manufacturing plants through valid and reliable measurement instruments. The results show that lean production plants seem to use more teams for problem solving, to take employees’ suggestions more seriously, to rely more heavily on quality feedback both for workers and supervisors, to document production procedures more carefully and to have employees able to perform a greater variety of tasks including statistical process control. Lean production plants, however, show almost no differences with regard to aspects of work organization which involve hierarchy.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

Christer Karlsson and Pär Åhlström

Develops a model which operationalizes the different principles in lean production, with a focus on those that concern the work organization in the manufacturing part of a…

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Abstract

Develops a model which operationalizes the different principles in lean production, with a focus on those that concern the work organization in the manufacturing part of a company. The model has been developed using available theory and has also been tried out in a clinical field study. The model has implications both for research and practice. For research, it can be used as a model for operationalizing lean production to be able to study change processes properly. In practice, the model can be used as a tool to assess the development taking place in an effort to become lean. Finally, it can be used as a checklist for what to aim at when trying to implement lean production. Lean should be seen as a direction, rather than as a state to be reached after a certain time and, therefore, the focus lies on the changes in the determinants, not on their actual values.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 January 2012

Arawati Agus and Mohd Shukri Hajinoor

The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the extent to which lean production permeates manufacturing companies in Malaysia by drawing on supply chain…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the extent to which lean production permeates manufacturing companies in Malaysia by drawing on supply chain management (SCM) managers' or production managers' perception of lean production practices and level of performances in the industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The instrument used in this study is a structured survey questionnaire consisting of two major parts. The first part comprises several variables measuring lean production practices, and the second part consists of several performance measurements. Sample companies are chosen from Malaysian manufacturing companies listed in the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers directory. From the 300 companies sampled, 200 responses were completed, representing a 67 per cent response rate.

Findings

The results support the conceptual model, demonstrating strong association between lean production, product quality performance, and business performance. The structural equation modelling (SEM) results reveal that “reduced setup time” appears to be of primary importance in the linkage between lean production, product quality performance and business performance. It is also instructive, from a score of 67.21 on the Malaysian Lean Production Index (MLPI), that manufacturing companies in Malaysia must marshal their effort to implement a more effective lean production SCM in order to improve on product quality performance and business performance.

Practical implications

This research adds to the body of knowledge on lean production SCM in manufacturing industry. This paper may be of particular interest to practicing production managers, or SCM managers, as it suggests what factors should be emphasized in lean production.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies within the context in which this study is undertaken as it seeks to address key relationships between lean production, product quality performance and business performance within the Malaysian manufacturing industry, where relatively few studies are available. In addition, relationships between constructs are analyzed through SEM that measures not only magnitude but also the causal direction of the relationships.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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