Lean Perspective Research Articles

An integrated Pythagorean fuzzy-based methodology for sectoral prioritization of industry 4.0 with lean supply chain perspective

ABSTRACT Transition strategies to industry 4.0 (I4.0) have recently become crucial for an optimal human and technology interaction environment in business areas, which aims to reach a production system with minimum errors, scraps and reworks through computerized monitoring and traceability of out-of-control situations with high-quality products and minimum cost. Thus, the transition process of I4.0 can be considered a critical decision-making problem. Since the process consists of a wide range of impact areas, such as employees, workers, environment, and society, it should be considered in a multi-way perspective to obtain an acceptable roadmap. By minimizing the loss of information, this paper proposes a fuzzy methodology, DEMATEL, Cognitive Mapping (CM), and TOPSIS techniques, to analyse the sectoral prioritization of the I4.0 transition. The DEMATEL method is applied to identify the dependencies of the criteria. The criterion ‘Suitability of technological infrastructure’ is determined as the most effective one. The CM method is used to determine the weight of the criteria, in which ‘Technological Infrastructure Suitability’, and ‘Digitalization Level of Processes’ is the most important ones, respectively. Considered sectors are also prioritized by using the TOPSIS method. Finally, comparison and sensitivity analyses are performed for discussions on the transition process and possible outcomes.

In-plant Logistics Issues and Methodologies Analysis: Case Study

In-plant logistics, unlike other dimensions of logistics, has not been adequately analysed in the literature and practices. Internal logistics, which can be defined as material transportation movements that occur in a closed area by nature, has a high impact on cost, quality and customer satisfaction in the relevant field. Lean logistics is the logistics dimension of lean production. Since logistics activities, like production activities, are ongoing activities, the improvements to be made will have a great impact. This study is presented to both contribute to the gap in the literature and offer solutions to problems related to domestic logistics with a lean perspective. In this study, the solutions offered by a logistics company with problems related to internal logistics and the solutions offered by the author from a lean logistics perspective are included comparatively at the end of the study.

Research on the construction of information-based nursing quality control system based on deep learning model under the lean perspective.

In order to improve nursing quality management and protect patient medical safety, it is necessary to change the default mode and completely integrate information technology and nursing quality control utilising lean management. A database was created, the nurse quality control scoring standard was entered into the computer and after the inspection, and various inspection reports were entered into the computer to precisely and promptly preserve data. The computer was then utilised to precisely assess the intensity and quality of nursing work, compute, count, and analyse the stored data, output the quality of nursing work in each department as a report, and adopt lean management for the gathered issues. To reach the objective of raising nursing quality, data analysis makes it simple to identify flaws and consistently strengthen the weak points. In order to create an information-based nursing quality control system with a simple and effective method as well as results that are scientific and objective, lean management is brought into the construction process.

Driving Sustainable Innovation: Exploring Lean, Green, Circular, and Smart Design

Driven by a technological transition, paradigms such as Lean, Green, and Circular Economy are increasingly being addressed by manufacturers to provide increasingly complex solutions. Whether considering products or services, design plays a decisive role in this context. Concurrent engineering and approaches to Design for X (DFX) have become commonly related to products and services, revealing the prominent potential to enhance product quality, improve sustainability performance, increase consumer satisfaction, and support the design of products, processes, and systems. However, many researchers have developed several DFX techniques with modified applications for different domains. This diversity makes it hard for practitioners and researchers when considering advanced technologies, to suit the current DFX with an integrated lean, green, and circular design perspective. In this regard, this paper aims to present a literature analysis concerning a potential model for the integration of four paradigms of management: lean, green, circular economy, and Industry 4.0 while considering DFX approaches. As a result, a framework that illustrates the connection between the fourth paradigm considered and the DFX approaches is presented. Our analysis would be useful to academics and practitioners since it indicates the field's key limitations and research lines.

Exploring Exergy Performance in Tetrahydrofuran/Water and Acetone/Chloroform Separations

Distillation is significantly influenced by energy costs, prompting a need to explore effective strategies for reducing energy consumption. Among these, heat integration is a key approach, but evaluating its efficiency is paramount. Therefore, this study presents exergy as an energy quality indicator, analyzing irreversibility and efficiencies in tetrahydrofuran/water and acetone/chloroform distillations. Both systems have equimolar feed streams, yielding products with 99.99 mol% purity. The simulations are performed using Aspen Plus™, enabling evaluation at the column level, as a standalone process, or from a lean perspective that considers integration opportunities with other plants. The results show that, despite anticipated energy savings from heat integration, economic viability depends on pressure sensitivity. The results demonstrate that heat-integrated extractive distillation for acetone/chloroform raises utility energy consumption. Exergy calculations comparing standalone and total site integration reveal the variation in distillation efficiency with operation mode. Global exergy efficiency in both extractive and pressure-swing distillation depends on the fate of condenser duty. In heat-integrated extractive distillation, global exergy efficiency drops from 8.7% to 5.7% for tetrahydrofuran/water and 11.5% to 8.3% for acetone/chloroform. Similarly, heat-integrated pressure-swing distillation sees global exergy efficiency decrease from 34.2% to 23.7% for tetrahydrofuran/water and 9.5% to 3.6% for acetone/chloroform, underscoring the nuanced impact of heat integration, urging careful process design consideration.

Value generation from academic activities in a public higher education: A lean perspective

AbstractThe concept of value, in a context of higher education institutions (HEIs), simply refers to meeting or exceeding customer requirements and expectations. HEIs have a fundamental role in the dissemination of knowledge, in addition to developing new skills and awareness for future professionals, in relation to local, regional and national issues. The aim of this research is to analyse the academic activities and outcomes influence on value generation perception in a public university students' perspective. A survey, built from a structured questionnaire, was carried out in a Brazilian HEI, the Federal University of Santa Maria, with students who are in their course final stage. Data collection came out with a valid sample of 389 respondents. It was analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor and regression analyses. The findings suggest that among the services and resources that the university may offer to its students, the ones that present the most impact refer to cognitive and social abilities emerging from specific teaching practices and strategies from the professors. This research presents useful insights and applicable elements from which public managers can utilize to enhance engagement, create value and build a more rigorous and relevant practice.

Comparison of financial results of companies with different production systems: a case study of lean manufacturing and industry 4.0

This research article aims to compare two companies, one in the commercial aviation segment (E) and the other in the cosmetic segment (N), considering the differences presented between them in relation to their production systems using lean manufacturing tools and perspective on the technologies of industry 4.0. The methodology to be used is the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), applying the method to the two companies and performing the analysis, discussion, and comparison of projections and enterprise value obtained for each one. In the end, company N obtained growth projections and enterprise value significantly higher than the results obtained by E, whose enterprise value presents a negative sign. The present research compared only two companies in one specific market segment. It is important to amplify the field of investigation for others and compare companies that belong to the same segment. As the implication, we have the fact that the figure of the COVID-19 pandemic period considered, and the answers from each company could be different to recover from the pandemic. This research work presents as originality the methodology of evaluating the financial impact of the companies which apply lean and Industry 4.0 tools in the open capital enterprise.

A solution approach proposal with a lean perspective for the poultry sector with WRM and BWM integration

PurposeThis study aims to analyze lean wastes for the poultry sector in Turkey and link lean tools to this study, focusing on identifying each lean waste that affects poultry production and proposing solutions for preventing these lean wastes in the sector. The proposed solutions aim to improve processes by suggesting different lean tools and their applications for the poultry sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study consists of two different applications. First, the waste relationship matrix (WRM) was created to reveal the relationship between seven lean wastes and their importance order. Then, after determining lean tools for eliminating lean wastes, the optimum weight ranking and consistency ratio of the most suitable lean tools were calculated for these wastes and ranked with the best-worst method (BWM).FindingsResults showed that overproduction is the most critical waste that impacts other wastes, followed by defect waste. Due to the nature of the sector, these wastes not only result in economic loss for the company but also in food waste and loss and issues related to animal welfare. Furthermore, the Kaizen approach and 5S implementation are the methods to eliminate these wastes. Detailed discussion on the link between lean tools and lean wastes is provided for the poultry sector.Originality/valueThis is the first study that theoretically and empirically identifies the potential lean waste affecting the poultry sector and provides lean tools for eliminating these wastes. Sector-specific explanations and discussions are presented in the study to show the applicability of lean approaches in the poultry sector to eliminate waste. In addition, this study is the first to integrate the WRM and BWM.

An initiative to reduce psychiatric boarding in a Cape Town emergency department.

Psychiatric boarding in Emergency Departments (ED) is a global challenge which results in long ED length of stays (LOS) with significant consequences on patient care and staff safety. This study investigated the impact of an initiative to reduce psychiatric boarding on LOS and readmission rate, as well as explored the relationship between boarding times and LOS. This study was conducted at Mitchells Plain Hospital, a large district-level hospital in Cape Town. This cross-sectional study collected data for 24 months, which included a 9-month period prior to the initiative and 16 months thereafter. Data were collected retrospectively from official electronic patient registries. The initiative comprised of inpatient hallway boarding as a full-capacity protocol with the accompanying capacitation of psychiatric wards to accommodate the additional burden. The initiative was associated with a decrease of 95% (p < 0.001) in boarding time, 13% (p < 0.001) in ward LOS and 25% (p < 0.001) in hospital LOS. Ward LOS were found to be independent of ED boarding times. The readmission rate increased from 12% to 18% post intervention. The initiative resulted in a sustainable improvement in boarding times and LOSs. The observational nature of this study precludes concrete conclusions and further investigations into psychiatric inpatient hallway boarding are recommended. Inpatient hallway boarding could be a feasible option to reduce the risk. Psychiatric boarding times in the ED are independent of ward LOS, rendering it devoid from any value from a lean and economic perspective.

Performance measurement and user-centeredness in the healthcare sector: Opening the black box adapting the framework of Donabedian.

The framework of Donabedian is widely applied to performance assessment at the healthcare system level. Donabedian categorised the care quality measurement around three dimensions, namely structure, process, and outcomes. The first dimension concerns the inputs; the second one, the combinations of factors and inputs; the last one, the effectiveness in terms of patients' health status. Donabedian early included in the last dimension the patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, nowadays, outcomes are generally measured through hard endpoints, such as re-admissions and mortality indicators. Recently, the Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) have been included among the outcome measures within the Donabedian framework. How to move the concept of patient-centeredness to a macro level, including the patient point of view in care quality measurement, evaluation, and improvement? This paper integrates the Donabedian structure-process-outcome framework, by incorporating in the proper dimension the patient-indicators, namely the abovementioned PROMs and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs). While PROMs are clearly measures of outcome, PREMs can be collocated in the process dimension, since they can be useful for mapping processes and care pathways, in a lean perspective, as well as in the outcome dimension, because inherently linked to outcome, and enablers of patient-centeredness.

FRAM and LEAN as tools for describing and improving the referral process between outpatient clinics in a Danish Hospital: Complementary or conflicting?

Although LEAN and Resilience Engineering (RE) are distinct process improvement approaches, recent research evidence suggests that these two approaches have some similarities and can be used jointly for process optimisation. This study aimed to understand and improve the referral process between internal medicine outpatient clinics at the University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Hospital Sønderjylland, using RE and LEAN principles.The referral process was mapped from the RE perspective using Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) and from the LEAN perspective using Value Stream Mapping (VSM). The FRAM and VSM outputs were also compared to identify learning opportunities and to understand how these two methods complement each other in practice. The study drew on sources of data from interviews, observations, a VSM workshop and registry data on referrals from the hospital’s electronic patient journal system.The FRAM analysis showed that organisational structure, time constraints, interruptions and lack of a standard for referral may explain the inefficient referral process. The VSM showed that long processing times may explain bottlenecks in the referral flow: while the processing time of a referral took between 6 and 17 min in the outpatient clinics, the actual time was longer, taking between 22 h 42 min and 5 days 14 h 25 min.By using FRAM and VSM methodologies synergistically, we identified potential quality improvement initiatives to improve the referral process. Our findings may guide healthcare or other industries in how to use FRAM and VSM in practice for process optimisation.

АВТОМАТИЗАЦИЯ ДОКУМЕНТООБОРОТА В СИСТЕМЕ ИНСТРУМЕНТОВ БЕРЕЖЛИВОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА

The article discusses the automation of document flow in companies as one of the lean manufacturing tools. Lean manufacturing involves the involvement of each employee in the optimization process and maximum customer focus. This facilitates problem analysis and selection of solutions for business processes. Problems arising in the process of document flow at enterprises were analyzed using a tool such as the Ishikawa cause-and-effect diagram using the example of large enterprises (in particular TMK Group and Sinara). In addition, to streamline the document flow process, another management tool was considered from a lean manufacturing perspective – a value stream map, the result of which was a current state map and a target state map. An analysis of electronic document management systems was carried out, the most optimal for use in a group of companies.

Integrated artificial intelligence effect on crisis management and lean production: structural equation modelling frame work

It is a goal that manufacturing companies strive towards on a regular basis, and it involves enhancing the efficiency and productivity of maintenance operations. It is especially vital to avoid unforeseen breakdowns, which may result in costly charges and production losses if they do not occur in advance. While the execution of an acceptable management plan affects maintenance productivity, it also affects the adoption of proper procedures and tools to help in the assessment processes in this field. This difficulty, among other things, affects a company's capacity to achieve high performance with the equipment it employs, as well as the judgement process and the design of the firm's maintenance plan. In order to achieve this goal, the aim of this paper is to exemplify how intelligent systems can be used to enhance judgement techniques in the implementation of the lean maintenance perspective, allowing for an advancement in the functional capabilities of the industry's technological infrastructure. The reseachers employed artificial intelligence technologies to look for connections between specific operations carried out as part of the deployment of lean maintenance and the findings achieved. The raw set notion, which was used in this situation, was used to determine whether or not the lean maintenance method was being used in this study. The crisis management process carries with it some of the most complex data technology concerns ever encountered. It necessitates, among other items, active information gathering and information transfer efforts, that are used for a range of functions, such as decreasing uncertainty, attempting to measure and manage consequences, and attempting to manage resources in a way that goes beyond what is generally possible to deal with daily problems. It also needs the employment of artificial intelligence technology, among other things, to increase crisis awareness.

Achieving sustainability through reducing risks during architecture design process: a lean management perspective

The construction industry, as one of the largest industries in the world, plays a critical role in achieving national and international social and economic sustainable development goals. Socially, it is concerned with delivering long-term projects that turn client and end-user requirements into designs that specify technical aspects, functional specific requirements, and standards of quality. Economically, the construction industry contributes to a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by creating jobs and providing the country’s infrastructure. the construction industry’s nature is more vulnerable than other industries. This is believed to be due to the complex and dynamic nature of construction projects, as well as the involvement of a large number of participants and organisations with varying goals and priorities. The architectural design process is a crucial stage in the life cycle of a construction project. This is due to the fact that decisions made during this phase have an impact on the project throughout its life cycle. Failure to consider risk factors during this phase will have an impact on the project’s sustainability. Although Lean Management has been successfully applied in many sectors of the construction industry, its application in the design process has received far less attention than in construction literature. Accordingly, this research aims to investigate the role of lean management towards achieving sustainability through reducing risks during the architectural design process.

An integrated Decision Support System for planning production, storage and bulk port operations in a fertilizer supply chain

Effective and efficient management of resources plays a crucial role in supply chains. This paper presents the bases of an integrated Decision Support System (DSS) for planning the operations of three successive echelons in the fertilizer part of a phosphate supply chain working in pull mode: production, vessel loading and storage where storage cannot constitute a decoupling point. Considering the whole perimeter of these planning operations within a monolithic optimization problem is much too huge to be solvable. Thus, the proposed DSS encapsulates an existing production scheduling model, an existing berth scheduling model, and a new model for the Storage Space Allocation Problem (SSAP). The latter provides a precise allocation of storage spaces for the fertilizers entering and leaving the hangars. Therefore, the proposed DSS aims to align production and storage decisions with vessel demands in a lean perspective, ensuring consistency in decision-making and keeping, if possible, the optimal solutions of production and port models. This approach is illustrated by several tests inspired by actual data provided by OCP Group on its operations at the Jorf Lasfar chemical platform in Morocco, but it is also valid for any other phosphate fertilizer producer that ships fertilizers in large batches from storage spaces directly linked to a fertilizer plant. This research yields several academic contributions in lean supply chain management and provides an original approach for modeling time in the SSAP.

Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 from the Lean perspective

Purpose: Despite the significant attention that Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has gained in the last decade, little importance has been given to shop-floor workers' role in effectively implementing these new technologies in production systems. Nowadays, several authors discuss the need to bring workers back to the center of the decision-making about implementing the new technologies in what is being called Industry 5.0 (I5.0). A key factor of using these new concepts is that it must make sense, and the new information generated by these technologies must have a precise use; otherwise, it will be considered waste. The Lean approach is already recognized as the best approach to identify and eliminate waste from production systems. Not only that, but it allows decisions about process improvement to be human-centric. Thus, this article aims to present the main aspects and evolution of I4.0 and I5.0 over time, using the Lean approach as the analysis lenses.&#x0D; Study design/methodology/approach: In order to identify the mains aspects of I4.0 and I5.0, we develop a consistent literature review using the Systematic Search Flow (SSF).&#x0D; Findings: As a result, it was possible to identify the evolution from I4.0 to I5.0, In I4.0, the main focus was on developing new technologies, combine them with classic Lean tools (e.g. Kanban 4.0, Poka-Yoke 4.0) and implement Cyber-Physical Systems. In I5.0, the focus is to use these new technologies together with shop floor workers to continuously improve production processes. Not only that, but in I5.0, the protagonist becomes (or return to become) the shop floor workers to lead the improvements, as is in the Toyota Kata approach.&#x0D; Originality/value: This work presents a new way of interpreting the progression of concepts from I4.0 to I5.0. In addition, the focus on workers for problem solving is returning to the center of the discussion. Together with the technologies of I4.0, this represents a new area for future research.

The Application of Monte Carlo Simulation on Cement Sales of Al-burj Cement Plant in Zliten For The Purpose of Quantifying And Estimating The Market Demand

Nowadays, there is a need to improve the production of cement in Libya to meet high levels of market demand and eliminate the most possible levels of waste. In this study, the technique of Monte Carlo (MC) Simulation is applied using the cement monthly sales quantities record in all 2018 as obtained from the marketing department of Al-burj Plant. The technique is used via quantifying the amounts of cement in metric tons demanded by the market on monthly basis, to estimate the market daily and monthly need for cement to participate in reducing the waste and satisfying the consumer. The results of both monthly and yearly demand are simulated to be: 199,539.801 and 2,394,477.608 metric tons of cement respectively. This technique is applied to reduce, if not to eliminate any cost or waste as a result of shortage or overproduction within this continuous massive flow process of producing cement, from the lean manufacturing perspective. The annual designed capacity of the plant is partially neglected, because, it is most likely, the plant actual production does not reach the annual designed capacity, where, the waste percentage is very huge between the designed and actual capacity of the plant as posted in (2016 - 2018), due to many reasons. Also, the market demand of cement always fluctuates up and down along days and months of the year. Unless "the majeure force" is underway, the technique should be applied at any cement plant in Libya to avoid shortage or overproduction and satisfy the consumer.

Reducing the product defects using lean production perspective: a case study at CV Cita Nasional

This article discusses the issues of how to reduce pasteurized milk defects as part of waste in a lean production system. Product defects are the most important problem faced by the dairy enterprise daily. This problem makes production costs higher and decreases the profit. A set of seven tools and methods is used to identify and analyse the defect problem, and then make a solution plan. Value Stream Mapping is used to describe the current condition of the production system and make improvement planning. The lean production concept has been successfully used not only to find ways to reduce product defect, but also to plan and eliminate other wastes in the pasteurized-homogenized milk production process. Waste found and eliminated are production lead time, transportation, waiting time, defective products, and downtime machines. Overall, the research results in a reduction of overtime for 41 minutes, and make downtime on the packaging machine to become 0 minutes.

Comparing Team Interactions in Traditional and BIM-Lean Design Management

There is qualitative evidence showing that design teams that use BIM-lean management have a higher level of interaction than design teams that do not use this management approach. However, there is no quantitative empirical evidence of this higher level of interaction. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present quantitative empirical evidence of the differences among the various types of interactions of a design team. Two case studies were analyzed, and their design management was assessed from a lean BIM perspective while their team interactions were assessed using social network analysis (SNA). To achieve the aim of this paper, four steps were performed: (1) case study selection; (2) description of the design management of the projects from the lean design management and BIM perspectives; (3) assessment of design team interaction; and (4) comparison using SNA. The results show that the project that applied BIM-lean management exhibited higher levels of interactions among its design team members than the traditional team; transparent, orderly, and standardized information flows; a collaborative, trusting, and learning environment; and commitment management. None of these interaction elements were visible in the project that did not apply BIM-lean management. It is suggested that an analysis be performed on a representative sample of projects in the future so that conclusive statistical inferences could be made.

On the relationship between lean scheduling and economic performance in shipbuilding: A proposed model and comparative evaluation

Few studies have examined shipbuilding production processes from a lean scheduling perspective, a production scheduling approach where the primary focus is on minimizing key sources of production waste while ensuring production continuity and on-time delivery. Specifically, this research develops a lean scheduling approach and analytical model for shipbuilding production processes that minimize two specific types of production waste - excessive overproduction and waiting time - critical to the economic viability and management of projects in this industry. From a lean practice-based view (PBV) perspective of the production scheduling nuances in shipbuilding, we develop and numerically apply a lean scheduling model that targets these specific sources of waste and predicts the performance improvement gains. The applicability of the proposed scheduling approach for shipbuilding production is demonstrated through a corresponding numerical and sensitivity analysis where we compare the proposed model's performance with two alternative Makespan scheduling approaches commonly used in shipbuilding practice. Exact optimization results show a significant reduction in both forms of wastes using our proposed lean scheduling approach, leading to a remarkable boost in shipbuilding cost performance over the more traditional Makespan-minimizing scheduling approaches commonly used in this industry.