Lean manufacturing in the last decade: insights from published case studies
Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
ISSN: 1741-038X
Article publication date: 6 March 2024
Issue publication date: 27 September 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Lean manufacturing (LM) concepts have been widely adopted in diverse industrial sectors. However, no literature review focusing on case studies describing LM implementation is available. Case studies represent the actual implementation and provide secondary data for further analysis. This study aims to review the same to understand the pathways of LM implementation. In addition, it aims to analyse other related review questions, such as how implementing LM impacts manufacturing capabilities and the maturity level of manufacturing organisations that implemented LM, to name a few.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review of case studies that discuss the implementation of LM during the last decade (from 2010 to 2020) is carried out. These studies were synthesised, and content analyses were performed to reveal critical insights.
Findings
The implementation pattern of LM significantly varies across manufacturing organisations. The findings show simultaneous improvement in manufacturing capabilities. Towards the end of the last decade, organisations implemented LM with radio frequency identification, e-kanban, simulation, etc.
Originality/value
Reviewing the case studies documenting LM implementation to comprehend the various nuances is a novel attempt. Furthermore, potential future research directions are identified for advancing the research in the domain of LM.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Ms Patricia Baxter for proofreading this manuscript, which improved the presentation and language. We thank the guest editors and anonymous reviewers for meticulously reading all the revisions and providing constructive criticisms and feedback. Addressing the same has improved the quality of this paper significantly in comparison to the initial submission.
Citation
Badhotiya, G.K., Gurumurthy, A., Marawar, Y. and Soni, G. (2024), "Lean manufacturing in the last decade: insights from published case studies", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 35 No. 4, pp. 766-798. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-11-2021-0467
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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