Ranking dominant losses in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the lean concept application

Abstract

The Lean concept was devised in large business systems and is tailored to this way of conducting business. It is a set of principles, techniques and procedures used to identify and eliminate losses within processes. The results of applying this concept are impressive. Western businesses are delighted with the success of large enterprises that have implemented or have begun to implement the Lean concept. Considering the structures of business systems in transitional and EU countries, a question has arisen as to whether it is possible to apply the Lean concept to small and medium-sized enterprises, as these account for more than 99 % of all business systems. The research which was conducted with the goal of designing a suitable model for the implementation of the Lean concept in small to medium-sized enterprises was based on an analysis of the essential elements of this concept. This article presents part of the conducted research that refers to analysis of losses and identification of the dominant losses according to the opinions of real sector experts and scientists from the academic community. The results of this research were used to define procedures for the elimination of major losses and design a final model for the implementation of the Lean concept in small and medium-sized enterprises.