Modelling and analysis of barriers of lean sustainability in metal manufacturing organizations

Abstract

Lean and sustainable manufacturing strategies are essential for enabling manufacturing organisations to survive in the current competitive scenario. A metal manufacturing firm has large scope for implementing lean and sustainability tools as it has issues pertaining to both materials management and Environmental Impact reduction. Several barriers may hinder the implementation of these strategies. In this context, this paper reports a study in which 10 barriers are identified based on a survey among practitioners belonging to various metal manufacturing firms. The barriers are systematically analysed using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and the structural model has been developed. The prioritized barriers need to be focused so as to enable the implementation of integrated lean and sustainable strategies in metal manufacturing organizations. The key barriers to be improved included barriers namely Lack of resource availability, Lack of Funds for green and lean projects, Lack of Technology, Lack of Top management commitment and Lack of clear communication. The conduct of the study enabled the industry practitioners to systematically analyze the barriers and provided path for systematic implementation.