Review of lean manufacturing practices - critical success factors and performance measures for SMEs

Abstract

The intense competition in the current marketplace has forced industrial firms to re-examine their methods of carrying out manufacturing activities. Indian manufacturing organisations are showing keen interest in the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies and associated management and quality philosophies. In order to compete in global markets, they necessarily need to acquire world-class performance. The goals of manufacturing excellence efforts include maintaining market share, improving profitability and the firm's ability to compete in a global market place. The paper describes the concept, approaches and identification of critical success factors, performance measures for lean manufacturing practices. As lean manufacturing system is a way to achieve manufacturing excellence. So the factors affecting successful implementation of lean manufacturing is very important for practitioners like small and medium scale manufacturing industries as well factors required to monitor the lean practices in terms of performance measures. The paper will brief about all the contemporary factors regarding implementation and performance measurement.