Purpose: Lean Manufacturing is widely regarded as a potential methodology to improve
productivity and decrease costs in manufacturing organisations. The success of lean
manufacturing demands ...consistent and conscious efforts from the organisation, and has to
overcome several hindrances. Industry 4.0 makes a factory smart by applying advanced
information and communication systems and future-oriented technologies. This paper analyses
the incompletely perceived link between Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing, and investigates
whether Industry 4.0 is capable of implementing lean. Executing Industry 4.0 is a cost-intensive
operation, and is met with reluctance from several manufacturers. This research also provides an
important insight into manufacturers’ dilemma as to whether they can commit into Industry 4.0,
considering the investment required and unperceived benefits.
Design/methodology/approach: Lean manufacturing is first defined and different dimensions
of lean are presented. Then Industry 4.0 is defined followed by representing its current status in
Germany. The barriers for implementation of lean are analysed from the perspective of
integration of resources. Literatures associated with Industry 4.0 are studied and suitable solution
principles are identified to solve the above mentioned barriers of implementing lean.
Findings: It is identified that researches and publications in the field of Industry 4.0 held answers
to overcome the barriers of implementation of lean manufacturing. These potential solution principles prove the hypothesis that Industry 4.0 is indeed capable of implementing lean. It
uncovers the fact that committing into Industry 4.0 makes a factory lean besides being smart.
Originality/value: Individual researches have been done in various technologies allied with
Industry 4.0, but the potential to execute lean manufacturing was not completely perceived. This
paper bridges the gap between these two realms, and identifies exactly which aspects of Industry
4.0 contribute towards respective dimensions of lean manufacturing.
PurposeThis paper investigates developing a learning-to-learn capability as a critical success factor for sustainable lean transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis research design is guided by ...our research question: how can suppliers learn to learn as part of a buyer-led collaborative lean transformation? The authors adopt action learning research to generate actionable knowledge from a lean supplier development initiative over a three-year period.FindingsDrawing on emergent insights from the initiative, the authors find that developing a learning-to-learn capability is a core and critical success factor for lean transformation. The authors also find that network action learning has a significant enabling role in buyer-led collaborative lean transformations.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to lean theory and practice by making the distinction between learning about and implementing lean best practices and adopting a learning-to-learn perspective to build organisational capabilities, consistent with lean thinking and practice. Further, the authors contribute to methodology, adopting action learning research to explore learning-to-learn as a critical success factor for sustainable lean transformation.
Leadership makes or breaks a lean transformation while mismanagement at the middle management level is likely to impede lean sustainability in particular. Although the role of leadership is widely ...acknowledged in lean, the middle management role remains fragmented in the literature with a limited focus to date. Taking this into account, the purpose of this paper is to gain a holistic view of the middle management role in lean and its influence on organisational transformation. An integrated literature review methodology was adopted to develop an integrated, conceptual model of the middle management role in lean. The results demonstrate that middle managers are protagonists in lean evolution and indispensable for sustainable success. In acting as cultural change agents, middle managers promote continuous improvement and conduce the transition towards a lean organisation through managerial push and soft lean evolvement, shaping and maintaining a continuous improvement-orientated culture by engaging, inspiring and enthusing the wider workforce. The integrative literature review contributes with a six-point integrative, conceptual model of the middle management role in lean, including policy deployment, leader standard work, continuous improvement promotion, self-development, coaching and gemba walks.
The current market is characterised by a high level of customisation, leading to aggressive competition between companies to respond to customer needs. To keep their competitiveness, companies search ...continually to improve their efficiency, flexibility, and performance. With the advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), new technologies are developed to increase connectivity and automate processes. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is known for its capacity to solve complex problems using statistical methods. I4.0 affects almost everything including LSS. Thus, a new combination is emerging LSS4.0 aiming at further increasing the operational excellence for companies. Therefore, the aim of this paper, as the first scoping review in this field, is to present the results of existing studies on the LSS and I4.0 integration, find the gaps in the literature, and provide directions for future studies. The paper proposes a framework that categorises the findings into three main discussed directions, which are relationship, implementation, and impact on performance.
PurposeThis purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current state of research on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 and the key aspects of the relationships between them. The ...research analyses LSS's evolution and discusses the future role of LSS 4.0 in an increasingly digitalized world. We present the benefits and motivations of integrating LSS and Industry 4.0 as well as the critical success factors and challenges within this emerging area of research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review methodology was established to identify, select and evaluate published research.FindingsThere is a synergistic nature between LSS and Industry 4.0. Companies having a strong LSS culture can ease the transition to Industry 4.0 while Industry 4.0 technologies can provide superior performance for companies who are using LSS methodology.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation of this research was that as this area is a nascent area, the researchers were limited in their literature review and research. A more comprehensive longitudinal study would yield more data. There is an opportunity for further study and analysis.Practical implicationsThis study reviews the evolution of LSS and its integration with Industry 4.0. Organisations can use this study to understand the benefits and motivating factors for integrating LSS and Industry 4.0, the Critical Success Factors and challenges to such integration.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic literature review on LSS 4.0 and can provide insight for practitioners, organisations and future research directions.
Purpose
– The advent of recession at the beginning of twenty-first century forced many organizations worldwide to reduce cost and to be more responsive to customer demands. Lean Manufacturing (LM) ...has been widely perceived by industry as an answer to these requirements because LM reduces waste without additional requirements of resources. This led to a spurt in LM research across the globe mostly through empirical and exploratory studies which resulted in a plethora of LM definitions with divergent scopes, objectives, performance indicators, tools/techniques/methodologies, and concepts/elements. The purpose of this paper is to review LM literature and report these divergent definitions, scopes, objectives, and tools/techniques/methodologies.
Design/methodology/approach
– This paper highlights various definitions by various researchers and practitioners. A total of 209 research papers have been reviewed for the research contribution, research methodology adopted, tools/techniques/methodologies used, type of industry, author profile, country of research, and year of publication.
Findings
– There are plethora of LM definitions with divergent objectives and scope. Theory verification through empirical and exploratory studies has been the focus of research in LM. Automotive industry has been the focus of LM research but LM has also been adopted by other types of industries also. One of the critical implementation factors of LM is simultaneous adoption of leanness in supply chain. LM has become an integrated system composed of highly integrated elements and a wide variety of management practices. There is lack of standard LM implementation process/framework.
Originality/value
– The paper reviews 209 research papers for their research contribution, research methodology, author profile, type of industry, and tools/techniques/methodology used. Various characteristics of LM definitions are also reviewed.
The sustainable oriented demand, globalized competition, and governmental policies on climate change have enforced the industries to adopt sustainable practices. Green Lean Six Sigma (GLS) is an ...eco-friendly approach that mitigates carbon footprints and produces high specifications products. But to implement the GLS program, it is indispensable to integrate individual Green, Lean, and Six Sigma approaches in unique GLS methodology. Moreover, there exists no GLS framework that can be applied irrespective of the size, type, and culture of the organization. So, the present work deals with the integration and development of the GLS framework. The integration of the GLS was proposed based on theoretical elements, and the framework was developed based on DMAIC approach. It has found that enablers, toolset, and implementation methods supplement the integration of GLS. The proposed framework provides a path for GLS implementation through an appropriate selection of the project. Besides, it has identified that unique GLS indices and toolset are required to estimate various sustainability measures and execute selected GLS projects. The present study will facilitate the organizations to have readiness for the implementation of a sustainable GLS approach through a detailed understanding of integration and GLS framework.
•The integration of GLS is proposed through common characteristics.•Integration of Green Lean Six Sigma (GLS) is area of exploration in research.•GLS framework is realized through Six Sigma DMAIC approach.•Inclusion of Lean and Green concepts with each DMAIC phase is demonstrated.
PurposeThe purpose of this work is to gain insights about Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Indian context by reviewing the related literature for one decade based on various perspectives, such as author ...profile, year of publication, type of firm, type of methodology used, type of industry for which the research work is carried out and the key findings from the research.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews the research related to LSS from the articles published in the reputed journals. The literature used for reviewing is derived from the sources, including Science direct, Google scholar, IEEE, Taylor and Francis Group, Emerald Insight, Springer, Inderscience and Elsevier during the period between 2010 and 2021. Totally, the authors have included 141 LSS-related research articles that are published in the Indian context. The keywords used are Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma in the Indian context, Lean Sigma and LSS to identify and consolidate the research papers published during this timeframe.FindingsThe research papers collected from various reputed journals, including Scopus and non- Scopus enlisted, are classified and grouped under various categories to identify the class of author who publishes more in this field, research trend over the years, the type of firm which implements LSS, the research methodology which is commonly used in LSS and related research and also the key takeaway from these articles are highlighted. Further, the authors have also identified the major contributions of researchers in various sectors during this period in India.Originality/valueThis classification framework and the systematic review help in identifying the research gap and in giving directions for future researchers. It will be useful for researchers and practitioners working on the area of LSS, rural and urban entrepreneurs, start-up managers, professionals working in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and executives of the Make in India Project to make India as Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Further, the clear direction of progress over the current decade in manufacturing industries, service sectors and processing industries can help the professionals working in these sectors.
PurposeThis paper proposes an integrated value stream mapping (VSM) for a complex assembly line to improve the leanness of a complex automotive component manufacturing ...organization.Design/methodology/approachThis study depicts the application of VSM at the case organization, where top management is concerned about the challenges of higher cycle time and lower productivity. Gemba walks were conducted to establish the concept of “walk the flow, create the flow” along the assembly line. The multi-hierarchical cross-functional team developed the current value stream map to know the “as-is” state. Then, the team analysed the current VSM and proposed the future VSM for the “to-be” state.FindingsThe integrated VSM shows different processes and work cells, various wastes, non-value-added activities, cycle time, uptime and the material and information flows for both products of the assembly line on the same map. The integrated VSM reduced cycle time, non-value-added activities, work in process inventory and improved line efficiency and production per labour hour for both the products, simultaneously.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of the study is that the study focussed only on the application of VSM for one complex assembly only. Future research may be conducted using the developed integrated VSM approach in other complex production environments.Practical implicationsManagers can identify and reduce system waste by incorporating the concept of integrated VSM in a complex production or assembly environment where two or more products are being manufactured/assembled with low similarity.Originality/valueThe application of VSM for assembly lines is highly challenging because of merging flows, a large number of child parts in the lines and assembly of more than one product on the same line.
Little is known about the effects of lean manufacturing practices on the process innovation performance of manufacturing organisations. This research aims to fill this gap and explore the ...aforementioned interdependency. A research framework consisting of 22 measurement scales and three pairs of hypotheses was developed based on an extensive literature review. A large-scale self-administered questionnaire was distributed among appropriately selected industrial experts. Datasets obtained from 340 usable responses were analysed through confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple linear regression models. The findings suggest that both technical and human lean practices have a moderate to strong positive impact on the input and occurrence of incremental and radical process innovation in manufacturing organisations. In turn, as an output of process innovation, this appears to enhance companies' operational performance. Thereby, the results dispel the scholarly and managerial misconception that LM and innovation are difficult to coexist.
•Effect of lean manufacturing practices on process innovation performance is unclear•A research framework was developed and three pairs of hypotheses formulated•340 usable responses were received and analysed•Lean has a moderate to strong effect on incremental and radical process innovation
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