Implementation Of Lean Tools Research Articles

Front-line lean leader capacities, practices and effects on implementing tools: a survey of leaders in industrial companies

PurposeFront-line lean leadership is critical for implementing and sustaining lean production systems (LPS). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships between front-line lean leader (FLL) capacities (cognitive, social, motivational, knowledge and experience), lean leader practices (developing people and supporting daily kaizen) and the degree of implementation of lean tools (pull system, involvement of employees and process control) in manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted with FLLs from large Brazilian manufacturing companies. The survey collected 103 responses, 99 of which were validated. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThere was a positive, significant and direct relationship between FLL capacities, leadership practices and a degree of implementation of LPS tools on the shop floor. The validated model is a reference base for planning FLL capacities and practices that result in more effectively implementing LPS on the shop floor.Practical implicationsThe findings provide managers with a new perspective on the importance of the development and training of FLLs focusing on leadership capacities. As decisions about developing lean capabilities impact the application of Lean leadership practices and the use of lean tools, they are also related to day-to-day lean activities and improved operational results. Additionally, the proposed model can be used by managers as a basis to diagnose, develop and select lean leaders.Originality/valueThis study seeks to fill a theoretical gap of knowledge on front-line lean leadership as it jointly addresses and empirically analyzes the existing relationships between lean leadership capacities, encompassing the perspective of psychology, lean practices and tools on the shop floor.

Lean Construction Practice on Toll Road Project Improvement: A Case Study in Developing Country

Construction is a crucial industry that drives a nation's economic growth, yet it often faces inherent challenges related to productivity and waste generation. Lean Construction (LC) has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. However, despite its success in various construction projects, some gaps in the practical adoption of LC hinder its widespread practitioner uptake. Therefore, to close the gap, the objective of this study is threefold: identify waste factors of construction activities, determine suitable lean tools for project performance improvement, and assess the impacts of the implementation of lean tools on project completion time and costs. A toll road project in Indonesia was investigated as the case study. A combined research method was employed by administering a questionnaire survey to pertinent project participants, conducting in-depth interviews, and analyzing relevant documents to achieve these objectives. This study discovered 15 non-value-added (NVA) activities that can be eliminated to enhance overall project performance. Most of these activities can be accommodated using coordination and collaboration, while some require a more comprehensive approach, including standardization, the Five S, crash programs, and overlapping techniques. Implementing lean tools resulted in a 19.17% reduction in project completion time, although it contributed to a 5.33% decrease in organizational profit compared to traditional approaches. The findings of this study hold the potential to benefit those facing similar issues, not only in emerging countries but also in developed economies grappling with similar contexts. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-12-016 Full Text: PDF

Contribution of Lean Manufacturing on environmental performance in Moroccan Industry

In the context of globalized competition, sustainable development has become a crucial goal for manufacturers, necessitating a balance between economic, environmental, and social factors. The evolution of production system efficiencies and government policies has been pivotal in mitigating the environmental impact of manufacturing activities. This paper explores the role of Lean Manufacturing in enhancing environmental performance within organizations. It presents the concept, tools, and models of Lean Manufacturing, discussing its contribution to environmental sustainability. The paper bases its findings on a literature review and validates them through two case studies in Morocco. The first case study examines the implementation of Lean tools in a Tangier-based company, highlighting significant reductions in waste and energy consumption. The second involves interviews with managers from Moroccan automotive industries, revealing a positive correlation between Lean practices and environmental performance. The conclusion drawn is that Lean Manufacturing not only reduces pollution and energy consumption but also boosts productivity, thus aiding companies in becoming more profitable and environmentally responsible.

Assessment of the Impact of Lean Tools on the Safety of the Shoemaking Industry

Both the Lean philosophy and occupational safety and health have been widely studied, although this has usually been carried out independently. However, the correlation between Lean and occupational safety and health in the industrial context is still underexplored. Indeed, Lean tools can be applied to ensure the best safety environment for workers in each kind of manufacturing process, and this deserves to be studied. The study described here aims to understand the influence of each of a set of four Lean tools used in an industrial context with a strong manual labor component, seeking to determine the influence of each of these Lean tools on the increase in safety obtained through their application. For this purpose, four Lean tools that are quite commonly applied are selected, taking into account previously presented work that pointed to the positive influence of the application of each of these tools on worker safety: total productive maintenance system, Gemba walk, visual management and Yokoten. This study aims to apply these Lean tools and to analyze their impact on productivity, and then, on the safety of a company selected as a target in order to validate the concept. For this purpose, a new tool is created. In the first instance, the tool analyzes the current state of the productive process and the safety level through the study of the risk levels detected in the plant. In terms of productivity results, a reduction between 7% and 12% in cycle time is achieved in four areas of the plant. The feedback from employees showed increased satisfaction with the processes’ simplification. To conclude, a 50% reduction in the number of work accidents per month is observed as a result of the implementation of Lean tools. The influence of the selected Lean tools on increasing both productivity and safety is clear, and our results prove the selection of tools to be largely adequate.

Optimization of the Production Management of an Upholstery Manufacturing Process Using Lean Tools: A Case Study

This study aims to address the challenge of implementing Lean philosophy in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and fill the research gap regarding Lean application in vehicle seat upholstery maintenance/repairing processes. The Lean tools applied in a case study of an upholstery industry of vehicle seats were as follows: Value Stream Mapping, Spaghetti Diagram, Gemba, 5S, Standardized Work, Kaizen, Kanban, and Poka-Yoke tools. A Decision Support Method using Excel Microsoft 365 was developed for improved stock control. A GUT Matrix was formulated to prioritize improvement opportunities, aiding prompt decision-making. This systematic approach enabled the company to address critical areas requiring swift attention. The results of Lean tools implementation led to a process waste minimization around 47%, and the process Lead Time decreased by approximately 26%, resulting in a 33% production increase. Thus, the Lean tools integration leads to substantial waste reduction, shorter process time, and increased production. The Decision Support Method enabled the company to efficiently monitor and manage its stock levels, thereby enhancing inventory management practices. This case study outlines the successful optimization of an upholstery production process in an SME by effectively applying Lean tools, highlighting its feasibility and benefits.

A hybrid approach to enhancing the performance of manufacturing organizations by optimal sequencing of value stream mapping tools

PurposeLean manufacturing (LM) is prevalent in the manufacturing industry; thus, focusing on fast and accurate lean tool implementation is the new paradigm in manufacturing. Value stream mapping (VSM) is one of the many LM tools. It is understood that combining LM implementation with VSM tools can generate better outcomes. This paper aims to develop an expert system for optimal sequencing of VSM tools for lean implementation.Design/methodology/approachA proposed artificial neural network (ANN) model is based on the analytic network process (ANP) devised for this study. It will facilitate the selection of VSM tools in an optimal sequence.FindingsConsidering different types of wastes and their level of occurrence, organizations need a set of specific tools that will be effective in the elimination of these wastes. The developed ANP model computes a level of interrelation between wastes and VSM tools. The ANN is designed and trained by data obtained from numerous case studies, so it can predict the accurate sequence of VSM tools for any new case data set.Originality/valueThe design and use of the ANN model provide an integrated result of both empirical and practical cases, which is more accurate because all viable aspects are then considered. The proposed modeling approach is validated through implementation in an automobile manufacturing company. It has resulted in benefits, namely, reduction in bias, time required, effort required and complexity of the decision process. More importantly, according to all performance criteria and subcriteria, the main goal of this research was satisfied by increasing the accuracy of selecting the appropriate VSM tools and their optimal sequence for lean implementation.

Lean Laboratory—Designing an Application of Lean for Teaching and Research Laboratories

Although Lean Thinking (LT) is becoming popular in service organizations, few studies have applied Lean tools to the education sector. Furthermore, although inventories are one of the main wastes in this sector, to date, no study has presented a decision support system (DSS), based on LT, for stock management in academic institutions. This study aims to design an application of LT in teaching and research laboratories to provide improvements in workplace organization, setup times, and stock management. Lean tools were implemented in a case study, and an e-Kanban DSS was designed to determine when and in what quantity an order should be placed, considering factors such as forecasting demand, demand level (high or low), and component deterioration. For testing the DSS, a simulation was carried out using as an example a set of articles that integrate the protocol of laboratory activity. The implementation of Lean tools improved the organization of the workplace, which contributed to a reduction in unnecessary movements and the setup time of practical activities. Additionally, the study demonstrated that the developed DSS calculates the quantities to be ordered according to the selected mathematical formulas and generates appropriate visual alerts, depending on the need to place an order.

Production Model to Increase the Level of Order Fulfillment through the Implementation of Lean Tools and Ergonomics in SMEs of the Textile Sector

This research work was born from a common problem in most textile manufacturing companies, which is the non-fulfillment of orders. A Peruvian textile manufacturing company dedicated to the production of baby clothes was taken as a case study. In this case study, an in-depth diagnosis will be carried out to identify the causes that lead to the company's inability to fulfill orders on the defined dates. Once the causes have been identified, we will proceed to evaluate the methodologies to be implemented to increase the order fulfillment indicator. The most relevant indicators to know if the objective for which the research was carried out was met are order fulfillment, which the current KPI was 71.31% and with the improvement turned out to be 81.32%; machine availability, which the initial diagnosis was 81.5% and the final diagnosis was 89.28%; efficiency in the ironing area, which started with 87.88% and ended with 92%; and finally the percentage of a defective product, which started with 10% in the stamping area and 12% in the cleaning area and ended with 5% in both areas.

Insightful implementation of lean tools to cultivate lean culture in a small scale manufacturing organisation - a case study

Small and medium-scale organisations are the backbone of the Indian manufacturing sector. Awareness and proper use of the lean approach can improve their productivity. This paper demonstrates insightful use of some of the lean tools to a small subcontractor organisation; for improvement in its current process with less expenditure. The second objective was to develop an attitude among production people for waste-free practices through innovative ideas. To achieve these objectives, the current state VSM was prepared to identify wastes in the process. Kaizen, pacemaker, PEEP, and two-Bin Kanban system were used to achieve the ideal process. By implementing these tools, the total cycle time for one rotor assembly is reduced by 37.12%, the total lead time is reduced by 7.1%, and inter-departmental material movement per day is reduced by 37.5%. This paper will motivate researchers and practitioners to develop specific but effective solutions with knowledge of lean philosophy.

The causal relationship among factors of lean tool implementation with a DEMATEL method in Indonesian Aerospace

The causal relationship among factors of lean tool implementation with a DEMATEL method in Indonesian Aerospace

Forecasting the impact of lean tools and practices on the service quality in a tertiary care hospital

Purpose – Hospitals always strive to provide quality treatments at a nominal cost to their customers. To achieve this eminence, business improvement methodologies of other divisions such as lean practices are being ingeniously merged. Implementing lean practices in healthcare has always been different from other industries. There are two objectives of this paper, first, to explore the application of lean tools in the service-oriented workplace, and second, to study the contribution of lean culture in improving the service quality in the hospital. Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. The first part of the research was based on a survey that included the collection of the relevant data to investigate the impact of lean tools and techniques on work efficiency and performance. In the second part, a comparative study was conducted to understand the role of lean interventions in improving the service quality in the hospital. The objectives of the research were answered using hypotheses. Findings – The findings elicit that implementation of lean tools in the hospital generates a positive and significant impact on employee work performance and efficiency.

Reduction of lead time in an automobile rubber components manufacturing process through value stream mapping

Increasing demand for cost reduction triggers an organisation to focus on optimisation of all the resources and efficiency improvement. Value stream mapping (VSM) finds application in the manufacturing process for achieving this result. VSM is one of the lean manufacturing tools for the identification and reduction of waste in an organisation. This article provides a case study on application of VSM in a automotive rubber parts manufacturing industry where oil seal is produced and supplied to vehicle manufacturers. Purpose of this research is collecting the performance data of the organisation, analyse the gap, apply VSM technique and measure the improved performance. Conceptual framework developed for employees to understand the overall concept and for future researcher to directly apply relevant leans tools for particular problems. As a result of the implementation of VSM, there is a reduction in lead time and waste by increasing the number of cavities from 30 to 36 in curing machine, providing interlock system in curing machine, introducing 3.7 m3 oven, auto trimming machine, magnetic flash separator, auto spring fitting machine, modification of inspection table and packing stacker in the manufacturing process. After implementation there was 81% reduction in lead time, 38% reduction in cycle time, 70% reduction in setup changeover time, 91% reduction in work in process (WIP) inventory and 90% reduction in scrap leading to 69.6% increase in process cycle efficiency by reducing breakdown, setup changeover time and implementing kanban system. Results indicates that implementation of lean tools improves the performance of the organisation.

The current status of lean manufacturing in small, medium and large scale manufacturing companies of Karachi, Pakistan

The major purpose of this study was to examine the current status of lean manufacturing in small, medium and large scale manufacturing companies situated in Karachi, Pakistan.The status of lean awareness, implementation, barriers and benefits in manufacturing companies were investigated through the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was sent to 320 manufacturing companies and a response rate of 40.6% was received. SPSS 22.0 software was used to determine the average mean score for each factor and certain statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the results. It was observed that large organizations and SMEs both are fairly aware of the basic lean concepts but there is a sufficient difference in understanding of lean tools and techniques. Large organizations have a greater understanding and implementation of lean tools and techniques than SMEs. Some tools like 5S, Poka-yoke and TPM were found to have a similar status of implementation in various manufacturing companies irrespective of their size. The results of this study are applicable in Pakistani context, but could vary for other regions of the world, considering the awareness and challenges manufacturing enterprises are facing. To date there has been no research carried out in the context of large, small and medium manufacturing enterprises together in Pakistan, specifically in the Karachi region which investigate the status of lean awareness, implementation, benefits and barriers. Therefore, this study would serve as a foundation for conducting further in depth studies on lean manufacturing in Pakistani manufacturing companies.

Lean journey success factors – a case study of lean tools implementation sequence in a manufacturing company

Purpose: The study aim is an in-depth investigation of a Lean tools implementation sequence in an organisation as an expression of a Lean journey within that organisation. The success factors of Lean tools implementation and the relationship between them are studied. A model of Lean tools implementation in an organisation is aimed to be developed. Design/methodology/approach: A case study method is employed in this study. It is conducted in a manufacturing company from the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. The employed method allows exploitation of a variety of techniques in the investigation process: in-depth interviews, observations, documents and data analysis. The study takes into consideration a systematic literature review and bibliometric network analysis supported by the Vosviewer software tool. Findings: The implementation of Lean Manufacturing approach, along with accompanying tools and methods, is aimed at efficiency and/or quality results of the processes within a company. Selected tools, to be successfully implemented, should support the elimination or reduction of losses related to current process flows. There are many Lean tools available, but most do not fit all organisations and all the kinds of manufacturing processes. Therefore, proper preparation before implementation is an essential issue for any organisation striving for Lean outcomes. The available Lean tools, along with their implementation sequences, are not studied comprehensively in the literature. Originality/value: An organisational-development-driven model of Lean tools implementation is elaborated, based on the literature and empirical investigations. The decision to choose the appropriate Lean tool should be guided by general organisational development. Several factors need to be considered before the implementation process, namely, capabilities, resources, gains and return on expenditure. Top management engagement, appropriate communication and listening to line employees look to be key success factors in Lean tools implementation. Keywords: Lean Manufacturing, Lean tools, Lean implementation. Category of the paper: Research paper, Case study.

Implementation of lean tools and techniques in an ethical papers production industry

Lean manufacturing (LM) is established as a best practice to improve the performance of manufacturing industries. Not all the manufacturing industries realize the benefits of LM practices specifically continuous process industries. The present research work is intended to study the advantages of implementing LM practices in an ethical paper industry which is a continuous production industry. Presently, the industry suffers with the problems such as lack of productivity, raw material wastes, underutilized resources, and lack of standard practices in the production. Gemba technique is adapted to record the information related to the present manufacturing environment. Based on the current state analysis, the feasible lean tools are selected and implemented such as 5S, Kaizen, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). The improvements have been noted as reduced tool change over time, reduced material wastes, effective utilization of resources and provide safety guidelines to workers and operations. The implications of these improvements increased the productivity also.

From Lean 5S to 7S Methodology Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility Concept

Introducing methodologies that promote innovation and continuous improvement in organizations is no longer optional; therefore, organizations are increasingly using methodologies based on Lean principles. Among them, the 6S tool stands out from the rest, commonly used to establish and maintain a high-quality environment, which it has capacity for due to its status as a kaizen process. Thus, this research seeks to evaluate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and the Lean 6S tool and, in the end, create synergies between them in order to enhance the 6S tool’s capabilities. To achieve this, a literature review and analysis of Lean 6S and CSR were performed, and a survey was also proposed to further the understanding of the relationship. With the analyzed sample, it can be confirmed that a relationship exists between the level of implementation of Lean tools and the level of development of CSR policies; therefore, companies that have implemented Lean tools such as 6S are organizations concerned with sustainability, and the hypothesis that organizations that apply Lean also have a high implementation of CSR is validated. Future work should further develop this relationship so that sustainability is no longer considered as implicit in the application of Lean tools but rather as part of them. This research proposes to develop the 6S tool toward the 7S tool to facilitate the inclusion of a CSR policy in a procedural and simple way.

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.

A Literature Review on Implementation of Lean Tools in Industries and Enterprises

In today's competitive environment, lean manufacturing becomes necessary across all industries. Lean production is a contemporary production technique of the new millennium. Lean manufacturing has varied synonyms just as lean management, lean production. It provides an extensive approach for decreasing the flow of non-value-added activities. Lean manufacturing is an excellent philosophy to minimize the period amongst client orders and supplies are ready for delivery through eradicating waste. Waste (Muda) is implicit like any process or activity that would not be adding value to the finished product or services. Waste is a severe problem emerging in the manufacturing industries; it causes non-value-added steps which do not expedite outstanding products and services. Waste is minimized with the aid of lean manufacturing. It is an integrated system that entails a minimal buffering cost for services offered and manufactured goods. The present research studies in the domain of Lean are examined to comprehend the execution level of several lean tools, benefits of implementation, and obstacles during the execution of Lean are also scrutinized in the reviewing. Several benefits and potential barriers that occur while implementing the lean culture in various organizations have been identified and listed in this paper.

Main challenges involved in the adoption of sustainable manufacturing in Uruguayan small and medium sized companies

Growing concerns about the environmental impact caused by industrial operations is spurring companies to seek more sustainable modes of production. In this context, adopting sustainable manufacturing (SM) practices still represents a challenge, especially for small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). In order to address this issue, this study identified a set of barriers to SM implementation. The main findings reveal that there is limited research on SM from Latin American (LATAM) countries, and the majority of published articles discuss the implementation of lean tools and cleaner production in industry. Additionally, results showed that the biggest challenges that Uruguayan companies have to face are associated with economic and financial barriers. A new categorization of barriers: human perceptions, resource constraints and weak legislation was presented. Finally, the study examines the adoption of SM practices in the country, with cleaner production and product recovery being the most implemented practices. This study concludes that there is an urgent need for government institutions, academia, and organizations to align their objectives and work together in order to support SMEs in their transition towards sustainability.

Insightful Implementation of Lean Tools to Cultivate Lean Culture in Small Scale Manufacturing Organization a case study

Insightful Implementation of Lean Tools to Cultivate Lean Culture in Small Scale Manufacturing Organization a case study