* Starting from Need* Evolution of the Toyota Production System* Further Development* Genealogy of the Toyota Production System* The True Intention of the Ford System* Surviving the Low-Growth Period

Toyota production system : beyond large-scale production

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.

Lean manufacturing: literature review and research issues

Purpose – Although research has been undertaken on the implementation of lean within various industries, the many tools and techniques that form the “tool box”, and its integration with Six Sigma (mainly through case studies and action research), there has been little written on the journey towards the integration of the two approaches. This paper aims to examine the integration of lean principles with Six Sigma methodology as a coherent approach to continuous improvement, and provides a conceptual model for their successful integration.Design/methodology/approach – Desk research and a literature review of each separate approach is provided, followed by a view of the literature of the integrated approach.Findings – No standard framework for lean Six Sigma or its implementation exists. A systematic approach needs to be adopted, which optimises systems as a whole, focusing the right strategies in the correct places.Originality/value – This paper contributes to knowledge by providing an insight into the evol...

The evolution of lean Six Sigma

Some uncertainties, such as the uncertain output power of a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) due to its stochastic charging and discharging schedule, that of a wind generation unit due to the stochastic wind speed, and that of a solar generating source due to the stochastic illumination intensity, volatile fuel prices, and future uncertain load growth could lead to some risks in determining the optimal siting and sizing of distributed generators (DGs) in distribution system planning. Given this background, under the chance constrained programming (CCP) framework, a new method is presented to handle these uncertainties in the optimal siting and sizing of DGs. First, a mathematical model of CCP is developed with the minimization of the DGs' investment cost, operating cost, maintenance cost, network loss cost, as well as the capacity adequacy cost as the objective, security limitations as constraints, and the siting and sizing of DGs as optimization variables. Then, a Monte Carlo simulation-embedded genetic-algorithm-based approach is employed to solve the developed CCP model. Finally, the IEEE 37-node test feeder is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed model and method, and the test results have demonstrated that the voltage profile and power-supply reliability for customers can be significantly improved and the network loss substantially reduced.

Optimal Siting and Sizing of Distributed Generators in Distribution Systems Considering Uncertainties

The aim of this study is to identify and prioritize the solutions of Knowledge Management (KM) adoption in Supply Chain (SC) to overcome its barriers. It helps organizations to concentrate on high rank solutions and develop strategies to implement them on priority. This paper proposes a framework based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify and rank the solutions of KM adoption in SC and overcome its barriers. The AHP is used to determine weights of the barriers as criteria, and fuzzy TOPSIS method is used to obtain final ranking of the solutions of KM adoption in SC. The empirical case study analysis of an Indian hydraulic valve manufacturing organization is conducted to illustrate the use of the proposed framework for ranking the solutions of KM adoption in SC to overcome its barriers. This proposed framework provides a more accurate, effective and systematic decision support tool for stepwise implementation of the solutions of KM adoption in SC to increase its success rate.

A fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS framework for ranking the solutions of Knowledge Management adoption in Supply Chain to overcome its barriers

Lean and Six Sigma are two widely acknowledged business process improvement strategies available to organisations today for achieving dramatic results in cost, quality and time by focusing on process performance. Lately, Lean and Six Sigma practitioners are integrating the two strategies into a more powerful and effective hybrid, addressing many of the weaknesses and retaining most of the strengths of each strategy. Lean Sigma combines the variability reduction tools and techniques from Six Sigma with the waste and non-value added elimination tools and techniques from Lean Manufacturing, to generate savings to the bottom-line of an organisation. This paper proposes a Lean Sigma framework to reduce the defect occurring in the final product (automobile accessories) manufactured by a die-casting process. The proposed framework integrates Lean tools (current state map, 5S System, and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)) within Six Sigma DMAIC methodology to enhance the bottom-line results and win customer loyalty. Implementation of the proposed framework shows dramatic improvement in the key metrics (defect per unit (DPU), process capability index, mean and standard deviation of casting density, yield, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)) and a substantial financial savings is generated by the organisation.

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Implementing the Lean Sigma framework in an Indian SME: a case study

Purpose – This paper aims to illustrate an application of Taguchi method of experimental design (TMED) for the development of a new ignition coil for an automotive vehicle.

Design/methodology/approach – The application of TMED for optimisation of manufacturing processes has been widely published in the existing literature. However, the applications of TMED in the design and development of new products are not yet widely reported. This case study presents the results of a designed experiment which utilises a 16-trial experiment to study 14 design parameters and one interaction. The case study strictly follows a systematic and disciplined methodology outlined in the paper.

Findings – The optimal settings of the critical design parameters are determined. The optimal settings have resulted in increased customer satisfaction, improved market share and low defect rate in the hands of customers.

Research limitations/implications – Although the optimal levels are determined from one large experiment, it was unable to determine the true optimal values of each design parameter.

Practical implications – Manufacturers may use TMED to optimise processes (either design or manufacturing) without expensive and time-consuming experimentation. This case study demonstrates the true power of a well planned and designed experiment over the traditional varying one-factor-at-a-time approach to experimentation which is rather unreliable, not cost-effective and may lead to false optimal conditions.

Originality/value – The paper provides an excellent resource for those people who are involved in the design optimisation of a new product.

An application of Taguchi method of experimental design for new product design and development process

Purpose – A successful supply chain should ensure that all participating members benefit from the marketplace. To achieve this goal, the supply chain members need to improve their competences all the time, which requires a continuous learning process. Thus, mutual learning, through knowledge sharing between the different members, is a necessary approach to increase the competence of supply chain partners. To realise efficient and effective knowledge sharing in a supply chain, this paper aims to explore and formulate a model that supports an enterprise with its management of the supply chain members' knowledge resource sharing (herein referred to as “advanced practice” and includes two levels of knowledge – strategic and operational). The model is based on the theories of supply chain management (SCM) and case‐based reasoning (CBR).Design/methodology/approach – This research follows a conductive and inductive cycle. Firstly, based on the learning expounded through an extensive literature survey regarding S...

Daniel Perry

Papers

Implementing the Lean Sigma framework in an Indian SME: a case study

An application of Taguchi method of experimental design for new product design and development process

A conceptual case‐based model for knowledge sharing among supply chain members