Application of benchmarking for assessing the lean manufacturing implementation

Purpose – In recent times, many organizations have attempted to implement or have already implemented lean manufacturing (LM). Some companies have implemented a few tools/techniques/practices/procedures (i.e. “elements” in short) of LM, while others have implemented a whole spectrum of LM elements. Under such circumstances, it becomes very difficult to gauge which organization has really embraced the lean philosophy and where it stands in comparison with other LM organizations. This paper seeks to determine the current status of benchmarking in the field of LM. Design/methodology/approach – A case study, demonstrating the application of a benchmarking (BM) process is presented. Findings – This research lists out the elements and performance measures of LM apart from highlighting the gaps in terms of performance and practices between the two organizations. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study are that only a preliminary BM study was carried out instead of a complete study. Similarly, not all the steps of the BM process proposed could be validated. Practical implications – The conceptual BM process model proposed in our earlier study has been validated using a case study. Hence, it is believed that managers will be able to apply BM in assessing the LM implementation in their organization. Originality/value – Though a few papers relating BM and LM/just‐in‐time are available in the literature, none has utilized a structured BM process. However, this paper has demonstrated the same, thereby adding value to the existing body of knowledge on LM and BM.