Implementation Of Lean Practices Research Articles

Challenges to the implementation of lean practices in higher education: Is the culture in higher education conducive to adoption of lean principles and philosophy?

Lean in higher education, often abbreviated as LHE, has grown in interest over the past 20 years. The application of lean principles has been observed in higher education institutions throughout the world. Many researchers have investigated both the success and the failure of lean in higher education. Although lean originated in the automotive industry, and both the automotive industry and higher education report success and failure, there is no comparison of the factors between these groups. Culture is cited quite frequently in the literature as a barrier to success. Thus, there is a need for investigation into the cultural differences between higher education and the automotive industry as they relate to lean. This paper uses Schein's three elements of culture to evaluate the differences in culture between higher education and the automotive industry. It concludes with recommendations on how to best deploy the practices of lean in higher education given the cultural differences and challenges between the two sectors.

Creating lean value streams through proactive variability management

Complex product and production systems often result in high variability in the production flow, prohibiting the sustainable implementation of lean practices. In this paper the authors introduce a PDCA cycle to analyse and reduce variability in value streams. The value stream is divided into zones, which are then qualified as stable or unstable. Lean practices can be applied in stable zones, unstable zones remain expert-driven. Measures are introduced to reduce variability in unstable zones with the ultimate target, to turn them into stable zones, extending sustainable lean activities in the value stream, step by step. An IT system is developed to acquire, process and visualise the vast amount of data to provide structured information for experts and management for the reduction of variability in production.

An occupational health and safety management system framework for lean process industries: an interpretive structural modelling approach

Purpose The manufacturing sector has been observing various benefits by the implementation of lean manufacturing practices. However, the manufacturing sector has neglected the significance of health and safety management system implementation. The purpose of this research is to propose and validate an occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) framework based on critical success factors and their relationships in the lean manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach A critical literature review was conducted to identify the success factors of OHSMS. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from process industries to consolidate the critical success factors. After consolidating the critical success factors, relationships among critical success factors were established with the help of interpretive structural modelling using a team of 12 experts from industry and academia. These established relationships helped in proposing the hierarchical implementation framework. Finally, the validation of the proposed implementation framework was carried out using structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings This study has identified nine broader critical success factors for implementation of OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations, especially the process industry. Subsequently, this study has proposed an OHSMS framework with nine broader critical success factors to implement in lean manufacturing organizations. Finally, the proposed framework has been validated using SEM with an appropriate sample size. Practical implications This study is helpful to the organizations to implement OHSMS without losing the essence of lean manufacturing strategy. This study has proposed a framework for implementation of OHSMS in the lean manufacturing organizations, especially process industry sector. This study also provided confidence to the organization through the validation of proposed framework in the process industry. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind in this field of OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations, especially the process industry. This study has involved both academicians and industry experts to bring more robust outcomes. This study proposed a unique framework to implement OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations. This study has considered a comprehensive literature to develop a framework for OHSMS in lean manufacturing organizations. An implementation framework was proposed by considering both the academicians’ and industry professionals’ opinions. The proposed framework was statistically validated. This will be helpful in effective implementation of OHSMS strategy in lean manufacturing organizations, especially process industry sector.

An empirical investigation of performance assessment of Indian healthcare industry

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to measure the performance of Indian hospitals, both operationally and financially, by using hospital KPI's. The assessment is predominantly done by linking it to the existing Lean practices in Indian hospitals.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study based on cross-sectional survey of hospital managers and specialists in various private healthcare facilities across India was conducted to validate the proposed Lean framework. From an extensive literature survey, the authors identified quality, delivery, efficiency, accessibility and patient centeredness to be the main operational performance (OP) indicators for hospitals. Business or financial performance was measured based on parameters which are average revenue per occupied bed (ARPOB), earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and operating revenue. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out using a specialized technique, called Structural Equation Modelling(SEM) and an explicit factor structure was hypothesized.FindingsManagement commitment towards Lean in hospitals is statistically proven to have impacted operational and financial performance. However, leanness in technology and business processes showed no statistical significance on either operational or financial performance parameters. Hospital stakeholders showed statistical significance on though it had no impact on the financial performance. Results obtained from the statistical analysis indicate a positive impact of hospital Lean practices on timely delivery of services and improved service quality. Efficiency, accessibility of services and patient centered behavior in hospital operations could not be statistically proven to have impacted the financial performance.Social implicationsEffectiveness of Lean management (LM) principles in improving hospital operations is largely dependent on patient centered behavior. Empowered employees who are trained to add value from a customer view point, make hospital operations safe and improved. Properly trained and communicated employees who are committed to quality improvements can make a positive impact on patients' quality of life and thus positively impact the society. The study lists ways to attain the required outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper is among the very few that has attempted to suggest ways to link implementation of Lean practices more effectively in Indian hospitals to improve hospital performance at operational and financial levels.

Implementation of Lean Management Practices in Azerbaijan: On the Example of a Private Company

Organizations are facing crucial modifications as global market and conditions change day after day. To keep up with fast changing realities, it's important to apply innovation decisions to the current stage of organizations. Lean management consolidates tools and techniques to revert from traditional way of operating to the new human oriented one. In the carried-out research its outlined, human resources management plays a big role in spreading and supporting lean initiatives. It was suggested that, Lean and Human resources management are compatible and should work together to obtain sustainable success by implementation of an innovation approach such as Lean. Both lean management and human resource management focus on the same goals with different methods in terms of control of businesses. All positivist approaches and practices are included in these approaches and practices, which are developed with a focus on the interests of the community, in order for the process to be concluded positively. The employee-centred management approach of human resources management is crucial to lead and maintain good environment in the teams. For this reason, in the lean management philosophy, it is aware that the corporate structure has responsibilities in terms of training the employees, eliminating their problems and supporting them in struggling with the responsibilities they undertake. This paper is quantitative, online survey has been conducted with employees of a private company in Azerbaijan and results were analysed in statistical analysis software SPSS and relevant suggestions and recommendation were given for reorganization to enable lean friendly environment on a sample of the given company.

Analyzing the Implementation of Lean Methodologies and Practices in the Portuguese Industry: A Survey

The mass production paradigm on which much of the industry was based has changed. The market is increasingly demanding, requesting diversity and products that are more and more adapted to personal wishes and requirements. This implies producing a greater diversity of products in smaller quantities. Competitiveness is enormous, which forces most companies to be truly effective and efficient, taking care of product quality, delivery time, and final cost. Lean methodologies have been a valuable aid in this field. The diversity of Lean tools has been shown to have answers to the most diverse challenges, and companies are aware of this, increasingly adopting methodologies and processes that aim to progressively reduce waste and adapting their production paradigm to what the market requires. This work intends to provide a vision, as global as possible, of the pathway of Lean implementation in the Portuguese industry. For this purpose, a survey was carried out with a significant sample of Portuguese industrial companies from a wide range of activity sectors. The data collected through the survey were treated statistically, and then a SWOT analysis of the results was performed, which provided a collection of precious information on the evolution of industrial companies in Portugal.

Lean practices and benefits: study of Sri Lankan small and medium enterprises

Implementation of lean practices creates multiple benefits as depicted in literature. However, the experiences of implementing lean practices in manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in Sri Lanka, remain unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which manufacturing SMEs use lean practices and their accrued benefits. The study adopts survey method and uses a structured questionnaire looking into three areas; lean practices implemented, driving forces of lean implementation and the benefits experienced. Data is collected from 342 manufacturing SMEs located in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, selected adopting random sampling representing seven major sub-sects including clothing and textiles, food and beverages, electronics and computers, metals, petroleum, wood, leather, paper and construction. The study finds that Just-In-Time, 3P and Kanban/Kaizen/Pull systems are the commonly used lean practices. The implementation of lean practices in manufacturing SMEs are mainly driven by improved quality, customer demand for shorter lead time and competitive advantage in price and service experienced through the implementation. The main benefits experienced by the SMEs are customer satisfaction, improved corporate image, reduced waste and higher efficiency and productivity. In addition to these, reduced inventory levels, higher flexibility, reduced transportation lead time, reduced capacity surplus are revealed to be achieved more with lean practices. The findings of this study are beneficial for planning further investigations into the lean adaptation in the SME sector. This also has implications for SME owners as they can be encouraged to implement lean practices and policy-making when promoting lean practices among SMEs.

Implementation of lean practices facilitated by BIM functionalities in the construction phase: advances and opportunities

Abstract Over the past few decades, construction productivity has been at a standstill. Lean and Building Information Modelling (BIM) is attracting increasing interest in the construction industry as a way to increase construction productivity. This paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge by identifying hitherto unexplored opportunities for the use of BIM functionalities as a support and as facilitators of the application of lean practices in the construction phase. A systematic literature review was adopted as the methodological approach in this research, and reported case studies related to the scope of this paper were searched. The results show that lean practices can be classified into four degrees of BIM support based on the level of current exploration. Just one lean practice (the last planner system) has been extensively explored, three have been reasonably explored, and five have just been preliminarily explored. Five practices have not been explored at all. This research summarises the already studied and the potential additional uses of BIM functionalities to support each lean practice, showing that lean practices supported by BIM functionalities are still underused and that further studies can explore additional ways to support these practices. This study holds great value for a broader practical application of lean practices, bringing faster and easier results with more extensive BIM support.

Integration of green and lean practices for sustainable business management

AbstractThe integrated implementation of lean and green systems can assist managers in achieving environmental and economic performance. The benefits of this integration include improved quality of the environment, superior interactions with channel partners and consumers, reduction in lead times and overall costs, and so forth. This research seeks to evaluate the solutions for integrated implementation of green and lean practices to overcome the barriers in the manufacturing industry. The barriers are categorized as managerial, technological, organizational and cultural, individual and quality barriers. In this study, a fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS based framework has been proposed. From the analysis, it is found that application of quality control tools, reduction in lead‐time, use of right first time approach and use of new technology and product innovations are the most significant among the solution alternatives that the manufacturing firms should consider to overcome obstacles in implementation of green and lean systems. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine prominent solutions to overcome barriers with regard to integrated operation of green and lean performance. The ranking of the solutions will be useful for managers in the manufacturing firms to make best strategic decisions for reducing their waste and improving performance. Mangers can concentrate on the most prominent solutions and formulate the appropriate strategies accordingly.

Lean maintenance index: a measure of leanness in maintenance organizations

PurposeMaintenance organizations continue to be under pressure to systematically eliminate maintenance wastes and deliver services that their customers value. To this end, maintenance managers are implementing lean maintenance practices. But how does one consistently estimate the leanness of these practices in their organization? The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for a metrics – referred to as the lean maintenance index (LMI) that can help managers estimate the leanness of maintenance practices.Design/methodology/approachBased on a comprehensive review of literature in the domain, this study identifies four factors and nineteen subfactors that are essential for the success of a lean maintenance program. A fuzzy-set-theory-based assessment framework is developed that can be used by an in-house team to measure the degree of implementation of lean maintenance practices in their organization. The authors applied the framework to a maintenance workshop that services diesel engines and other prime movers.FindingsThe framework provides maintenance managers valuable insights to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of their organization vis-à-vis their maintenance practices, thus enabling them come up with a firm action plan for future process improvements.Originality/valueThis paper adapts the concept of agility and readiness to maintenance work. A key contribution of this study is the identification of factors and subfactors that forms the basis to estimate the leanness of maintenance practices in an organization. Another contribution is its application to a large maintenance workshop that demonstrates the ease of its implementation. Future research in this area can help identify more factors and subfactors and thus improve the estimation of leanness.

Lean adoption barriers for trade contractors

Lean Construction has proven to be highly beneficial to the construction industry; however, adoption at the trade contractor level is lagging. This study seeks to identify the barriers that hamper the successful implementation of lean principles and methods to understand the reasons for the lagging adoption by stakeholders that should benefit the most. A comprehensive review of previous literature identified several categorizations for barriers; however, none emphasized trade contractors. 29 barriers were identified and defined through a detailed literature review. These barriers were then clustered into seven main factors affecting the implementation of lean initiatives under the proposed framework. This framework facilitates the investigation of construction companies' potential barriers when deciding to start implementing lean. The analysis revealed that the three most frequent barriers were lack of teamwork, multi-layer subcontracting, and lack of long-term philosophy. Additionally, seven barriers are recognized as the potential barriers specifically relevant to the trade contractors: lack of teamwork and technical capabilities, poor communication between parties, minimum involvement of workers, lack of integration of the production chain, quality of materials, high turnover of the workforce, and employee tolerance of untidy workspaces. The findings provide insight into the possible obstacles that exist to hinder the implementation of lean practices among trade contractors. Firms that do not recognize these barriers will suffer from organizational inefficiency regarding needed improvement efforts and where these endeavors should be focused. Understanding the root causes of the low rate of lean adaptation can assist in developing solutions to address barriers and facilitate lean implementation.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO LEAN PRACTICES AND THEIR IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE IN THE LATEX GLOVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Lean is characterized as a collection of management practices. Lean's central philosophy is to minimize and eradicate non-value-adding practices and waste. High quality and customer loyalty are guaranteed by the Lean process. Lean concept obtains its root from Toyota Production system (TPS). The TPS approach is often well suited to high-volume manufacturing. Lean, however, is also applicable in any setting where process waste is encountered. The intent of this study is to develop a lean sustainability performance assessment to analyze the level of lean implementation and its impacts on sustainability performance in Latex Glove Manufacturing Industries. The assessment method is generally in the form of Five-Point Likert Scale Questionnaire which consists of two main sections, Section A, to determine the level of lean practices in the company and Section B to distinguish the impact of the implemented lean practices on sustainability performance in the aspect of social, environmental and economic. Thirty employees from three different Latex Glove Manufacturing Industries (Company A, B, and C) in Selangor were involved in this study. The data was then analyzed using Minitab 15. Among the 22 combined hard and soft lean tools, Just-In-Time (JIT) for hard lean tool and Customer focus for the soft lean tool has scored the highest level of implementation in all three Industries. As for sustainability performance, economic sustainability performance scored the highest average mean score followed by environment and social sustainability performance. Overall, the finding shows that Company A and C have an overall better impact towards sustainability performance by the execution of lean practices as compared to company B. This must be predominantly due to the high level of implementation of soft lean tools as both the companies have a high level of implementation for the majority of the soft lean tools as compared to the implementation of hard lean tools. In conclusion, the higher the level of implementation of lean tools and practices, the greater the impact on it the sustainability performance in a company.

Pharmaceutical supply chains and management innovation?

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the implementation of innovative programmes within the downstream domain of the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC), with the aim of informing improved service provision.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach was used to assess to what extent innovation could be adopted by hospital and community pharmacies to improve the delivery process of pharmaceutical products. Unstructured interviews and 130 questionnaires were collected and analysed to identify factors that facilitate or prevent innovation within PSC processes.FindingsThe analysis led to the creation of the innovative pharmaceutical supply chain framework (IPSCF) that provides guidance to health-care organisations about how supply chain management problems could be addressed by implementing innovative approaches. The results also indicated that the implementation of Lean and Reverse Logistics (RL) practices, supported by integrated information technology systems, can help health-care organisations to enhance their delivery in terms of quality (products and service quality), visibility (knowledge and information sharing), speed (response to customers and suppliers needs) and cost (minimisation of cost and waste).Practical implicationsThe study’s recommendations have potential implications for supply chain theory and practice, particularly for pharmacies in terms of innovation adoption. The IPSCF provides guidance to pharmacies and health-care organisations to develop more efficient and effective supply chain strategies.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the academic literature as it adds novel theoretical insights to highly complex delivery process innovation.

Toward sustainable primary production through the application of lean management in South African fruit horticulture

This paper aims to understand the relationship between patterns of lean practice implementation, farm size and sustainable performance among fruit horticultural primary producers in South Africa. Utilizing a comprehensive lean framework, addressing 10 lean practice dimensions, the authors collected data from a sample of 132 fruit farming operations in South Africa. First, cluster analysis was applied to identify distinct clusters of farms with common lean practice implementation characteristics. Next, the distinct clusters were tested to identify significant differences in lean practice implementation and sustainable performance, with farm size incorporate as a control variable. In terms of common lean implementation characteristics, the analysis identified two distinct clusters of farms, labelled as the high lean practice cluster and the low lean practice cluster. It is determined that these two clusters differ significantly in practice implementation across all 10 dimension of lean management practice. It is further established that the two clusters differ significantly in terms of sustainable performance. Furthermore, farm size is found to significantly differentiate (i) lean practice implementation across 5 of the 10 lean practice dimensions and (ii) levels of sustainable performance between medium and large sized farms. This empirical analyses of lean practices and sustainable performance outcomes in the primary production domain represents a novel contribution to the existing literature on lean management and horticultural management.

Reckoning with the barriers to Lean implementation in Northern Indian SMEs using the AHP-TOPSIS approach

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to recognize critical barriers for Lean manufacturing practices implementation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) focusing in the context of a developing economy. The advancement of SMEs is of utmost important for a surge in exports while competing with other countries and these barriers have to be given due importance as they play a major role in stalling the overall development of SMEs.Design/methodology/approachIn this present investigation, 26 barriers to Lean implementation in SMEs have been identified after an extensive study of the literature available on the subject. After that, the influential barriers were investigated through the Analytical hierarchy process-Technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method using priority weightage given to them by different experts in their industries. The ranking given to the barriers is based on the AHP-TOPSIS method and has been validated by the sensitivity analysis.FindingsThe investigation reveals that for the successful implementation of Lean manufacturing practices, the will of the management, individual will power and contribution of the people matter a lot apart from other barriers such as flexibility, expertise of the people, resources and resistance offered by the people to new programs. The solutions for overcoming these barriers are also provided in this study and a model has been suggested for the same.Research limitations/implicationsThis work was devoted to the evaluation of obstacles in the introduction of Lean practices and prioritizing them. But it was limited to the medium- and small-scale organizations located in Northern India. Further studies can expand the scope to the large-scale units in the field. Moreover, the scope of this study was confined to the manufacturing sector. Future studies can extend it to the non-manufacturing environments such as the service sector, health care, etc. This investigation was based on the judgments of industry experts and academicians. Another approach such as Viekriterijumsko kompromisno rangiranje can be used for future investigations.Originality/valueThis study is significant when keeping in mind the contribution of SMEs to a country’s economy, especially in the Indian context.

The Awareness of Lean Manufacturing Implemented Practices in SME in Sabah State: TQM And TPM Practices Approach

This study aims to evaluate the awareness of implemented practices that already applied and the implementation of lean manufacturing practice of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) on Small Medium Enterprise (SME) companies in Sabah. Regarding the implementation of TQM and TPM practices of lean manufacturing, this study evaluates the awareness implementation of lean manufacturing practices TQM and TPM among manufacturing company located in Sabah before analyzing the respondent survey data. As to know better the awareness of TQM and TPM practices, a study of the awareness of lean manufacturing implemented practices was conducted which to identify the practices that already been implement and the pillars practices that highly and lowest implemented to the SME’s companies in term of TQM and TPM practices. The scope of this study has covered the manufacturing company of drinking manufacturing industry that is actively operating in Sabah, specifically on Small Medium Enterprise (SME) companies. The methodology used for the study was by survey questionnaire which contains open and closed ended questions, sent out to desired respondents. The outcomes of the analysed data were created using descriptive statistics by explaining the trends in dataset and Cronbach’s Alpha to test the internal reliability of the item. This study finds significant evident of the implementation of lean manufacturing and its practices among SME’s drinking manufacturing companies in Sabah, as well as the awareness implementation of lean manufacturing practices with a statistical value.

Effect of Lean Practices on Innovation Skills of Pharmaceutical organizations in Thailand

Lean practices are crucial to decrease wastages and enhance the quality of pharmaceutical products by the implementation of lean strategies and standardization method in production. However, there is a need to sustain the effectiveness of such strategies by developing the innovation skills of employees. Thus, the core objective of this study to investigate the effect of lean practices on employees’ innovation skills of pharmaceutical firms in Thailand. To investigate the proposed relationship among the variables and hypotheses testing, data was collected from the 350 employees of pharmaceutical firms in Thailand. Collected data was analysed by applying PLS software. This study found that lean strategies have positive influence on innovation skills of pharmaceutical firms’ employees. Standardization also has significance effect on innovation skills of pharmaceutical firms’ employees. Findings of this study offer new insight to the policymakers of pharmaceutical industry. Results of this study exemplified howinnovation skills of employees in pharmaceutical organizations can improve by the implementation of lean practices.

Industry 4.0 technologies as enablers of lean and agile supply chain strategies: an exploratory investigation

PurposeLean and agile are essential supply chain management (SCM) strategies that enhance companies' performance. Previous studies have reported the capabilities of different SCM strategies to enhance performance; however, the emergence of Industry 4.0 technologies has bred focus on the possibility of attaining more levels of operational performance. Despite being demonstrated helpful at enabling supply chain (SC) strategies, the literature linking Industry 4.0 with SCM strategies is still in its infancy. Thus, this work investigates the degree to which “Industry 4.0 technologies” enable the implementation of lean and agile practices and subsequently assesses the potential performance implications of integrating Industry 4.0 technologies with the SC operations.Design/methodology/approachThe work employs an exploratory case study approach using empirical data from selected organisations drawn from an Estonian manufacturing cluster and digital solution providing companies. The data collected via interviews were used to assign numerical scores and subsequently aggregated across the five cases for the research variables of interest. The work is crowned with a model grounded on the cross-case analysis to depict which technologies impact each of the lean and agile practices.FindingsThe analysis enabled comprehension of the potential impact and level of importance of the main Industry 4.0 technologies on lean and agile practices and ultimately the potential implication on performance. The findings revealed that the technologies have a high impact on the practices. Although the impacts are of varying degrees, the analysis provides means to identify the technologies with the most significant impact on lean and agile SCM and the sets of practices with the greatest likelihood of being enabled by various digital technologies.Practical implicationsThe work presents various lean and agile practices that practitioners can deploy to operations, alongside the technologies that could support the implementation of the practices towards achieving the various performance measures. Also, it provides some guides for the digital solution providing companies towards understanding the SCM practices that can be improved upon by various digital technologies. This enables them to have more saleable proposals for intending companies who might be sceptical about transiting into the digital operation phase.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt to empirically address the connection between Industry 4.0 technologies and the integrated lean and agile strategies despite literature backing of the complementary nature of the two SCM strategies.

Lean practices adoption in the Portuguese industry

Purpose: The study purpose was to analyse the excellence and operational efficiency of Portuguese industrial companies through the measurement of lean practices implementation. Additionally, it intended to propose a new model to assess the lean production system.Design/methodology/approach: The research presents an in-depth lean literature review that served as a basis for the creation of a questionnaire. The survey was addressed to Portuguese industrial companies to obtain data about their lean implementation success. Collected data were analysed, resorting descriptive and exploratory statistics. A principal component analysis was applied to reduce the amount of data and define a new model that characterizes the lean practices adoption level. Some Chi-square tests were used to assess the independence of some variables.Findings: The results indicate that a significant percentage of organizations use lean practices within their activity. Concerning the lean implementation maturity, a plus side revealed by the study concerns the adoption of the teamwork, internal information shared principles, increase of process capability to produce conforming products, and reduction in set up times. On the other hand, responsibilities decentralization, more employees acting as team leaders, implementation of employees’ suggestions, and interconnection with suppliers, are some of the principles that need to be given greater attention by the Portuguese industrial organizations. The key contribution consists of a new model for lean determinants based on three dimensions: work method, productive process elements, and work efficiency.Originality/value: The present research provides a new Lean determinants model that allows understanding the importance of the operational efficiency provided by a mature lean production system, being the key to the competitiveness in the global business market.

Improving Lean Manufacturing Systems and Tools Engagement Through the Utilisation of Industry 4.0, Improved Communication and a People Recognition Methodology in a UK Engine Manufacturing Centre

There are many companies around the world implementing Lean Manufacturing Systems and Tools, also known as Lean practices. Although Lean practices have been proven to be very useful, there are a number of challenges when implementing and maintaining them. Culturally employees in different countries and companies have differing motivations. Therefore, finding a method to motivate and engage employees to adhere to the Lean practices is a priority. Moreover, there are new technologies emerging which can be utilised to assist in the communication and improve engagement and adherence of the Lean practices. Additionally, it is important to understand how these technologies can be linked and cross utilized within the organization in an Industry 4.0 approach. This case study examines the implementation of Lean practices in an Engine Manufacturing Centre, taking into consideration what motivates individuals, utilising technology and considering an Industry 4.0 approach.