Industry 4.0, started in Germany in 2011, was fervently promoted by various advanced countries and followed by the introduction of "smart manufacturing". As an innovative strategy of the manufacturing industry "smart manufacturing" has attracted considerable attention in the field of academics...

Purpose: The main objective of this research is to design a decision-making network, based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) technique (Saaty, 1996), which will include the main elements to take into account when stating the effect that the application of LP techniques has got on the...

While “identifying customer value” is the first principle of Lean thinking, the concept of customer value has largely remained unchanged in the Lean discourse - quality, cost and delivery. This research examines the problem of working from such an internal process point of view in today’s...

Lean Management (LM) represents a complex socio-technical system where both technical and social practices should be consistently implemented and integrated in order to foster a Continuous Improvement (CI) culture. Despite initial gains in operational performances due to the implementation of...

There have been many literature reviews carried out on Lean implementation (LI) in larger organisations with specific focus on the automobile industry. Lean implementation among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has not been so extensively researched. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by...

This paper addresses the relationship between lean thinking and mathematical optimization. We discuss the roles of the two approaches, using as a reference case study the appointment scheduling process in a hematological center of a large Italian hospital. We report on how lean tools have been...

For 25 years, the methodologies employed to study lean management have gone relatively unchallenged. This paper reviews the development of the lean body of knowledge and reveals that the vast majority of research, being qualitative, relied heavily on researcher subjectivity. Quantitative...

Purpose: Lean Management has evolved into an inter-disciplinary subject with linkages to Operations Management, Organizational Behaviour, and Strategic Management. The objective of this paper is to review journal articles on lean published in major academic sources with a view to provide...

With the pressing need for quality improvement and with a view to adopting Lean as a systematic management approach in a crisis-ridden health care sector in South Africa, it was an opportune time to investigate the baseline level of knowledge and experience of Lean amongst senior health care...

Purpose: Lean approach is widely recognized today as an effective approach to process management and more specifically to performance improvement of processes. However, there is an ambiguity around this approach, which leads to the failure of several companies to achieve their desired...

This paper outlines the development of an improved approach to the use of lean tools and techniques to improve the performance of manufacturing enterprises. Several research studies attempt to measure the overall leanness score of the manufacturing process; however, they failed to consider the...

"The BASICS Manual is designed to show personnel at all levels within a manufacturing operations environment that, with easy to understand continuous improvement tools, they can make a difference to operational performance where safety, quality, cost, delivery and people are paramount to...

"How to speed up business processes, improve quality, and cut costs in any industry In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor...

Purpose: This paper describes the perceived effects of implementing lean production in a Swedish SME contract manufacturer. Especially focused are the effects on, and possible trade-offs between, cost-efficiency and flexibility. Design/methodology/approach: SME suppliers need basic capabilities...

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the challenges of lean manufacturing implementation in the remanufacturing industry. The research was undertaken in three types of remanufacturing company, torque converter, gearbox, and jet engine remanufacturers. This paper describes the characteristics of...

The purpose of this work was to identify critical success factors for lean implementation. It followed two first-time implementations of lean in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case studies collectively spanned over four years. It was observed that the real problem with achieving...

The article examines the relationship between lean production and Industrie 4.0 focusing on the question of autonomy in the work process. In contrast to the claim made by official Industrie 4.0 concepts that the autonomy of the employees would increase, we see in the current implementation...

This research aims to ascertain the determinants of effective Lean Manufacturing (LM). In this research, Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) analysis will be used in order to analyze the determinants. Through CB-SEM analysis, the significant key determinants can be determined...

Purpose: Since the emergence of Lean Manufacturing many organizations strived to implement it. Nonetheless, sustainable Lean transformation is not as easy as to be simply achieved. Several aspects need to be taken into account before Lean implementation which national and organizational culture...

Purpose: Knowledge work productivity is a key area of improvement for many organisations. Lean approach is a sustainable way to achieve operational excellence and can be applied in many areas. The purpose of this novel study is to examine the potential of using lean approach for improving...

Purpose: The present paper aims at developing an effective framework including all the components necessary for implementing lean production properly in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: The paper begins with the review of the main existing framework of lean...

Karakuri ist in der japanischen Industrie bereits weit verbreitet, außerhalb Japans aber noch weitgehend unbekannt. Um dieses Konzept auch für die heimische In-dustrie nutzbar zu machen und um weitere Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten aufzuzeigen, werden im vorliegenden Beitrag zunächst die...

Karakuri ist in der japanischen Industrie bereits weit verbreitet, außerhalb Japans aber noch weitgehend unbekannt. Um dieses Konzept auch für die heimische In-dustrie nutzbar zu machen und um weitere Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten aufzuzeigen, werden im vorliegenden Beitrag zunächst die...

"This book addresses the root causes of why a majority of Lean transformations have not met expectations. More importantly, it provides the information needed to turn around the failure mechanisms and transform them into critical success factors. Lean - Let's Get It Right! delves into the...

"This book examines the dominance and significance of lean organizing in the international economy. Scholars from each discipline see lean production as positive or negative; the book blends theory with practice by sorting out these different academic views and revealing how lean is implemented...