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Article
Publication date: 20 September 2013

Eduardo Guilherme Satolo, Felipe A. Calarge and Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel

Over recent the past decades, integrated management systems (IMS) have emerged as one of the major tasks for practising managers and the academic community. In this context, this…

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Abstract

Purpose

Over recent the past decades, integrated management systems (IMS) have emerged as one of the major tasks for practising managers and the academic community. In this context, this paper aims at identifying relevant practices related to an IMS in an organisation that belongs to the sugar cane and ethanol agricultural industrial sector in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of mainstream literature on IMS is conducted followed by case‐based research used as the methodological approach. Data were gathered through a questionnaire as well as face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews. The analysis was done a posteriori to construct the case description and perform the analysis.

Findings

Issues that motivated the IMS implementation were identified. The paper also highlights the difficulties experienced and benefits accrued during implementation. The existence of a previous quality management system facilitated the implementation of the IMS. Nevertheless, a longitudinal study is desirable to assess further results in the long term.

Research limitations/implications

This work is limited to a single unit of analysis. Therefore, empirical replications in other samples are needed to validate current findings.

Originality/value

This is one of the first known studies to investigate the implementation of an IMS in a manufacturing unit that produces sugar and ethanol.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

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Article
Publication date: 19 October 2012

Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel, Eduardo Satolo, João Marcos Andrietta and Felipe Araújo Calarge

Six Sigma program is an approach currently adopted by many companies, which involves a highly disciplined and guided process, in which applications of many different tools and…

1655

Abstract

Purpose

Six Sigma program is an approach currently adopted by many companies, which involves a highly disciplined and guided process, in which applications of many different tools and techniques aim at generating a cycle of continuous improvement. In this sense, a survey‐based research was conducted in a developing country from which the aim of this paper is to identify and analyse the tools and techniques used in the stages of the DMAIC.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents parts of the results of a descriptive survey conducted by a postal questionnaire answered by more than 60 Six Sigma users. Specific results of tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma are compared with those prescribed in the literature.

Findings

The results confirm the use of Six Sigma tools and techniques suggested by the literature. It also points out that Six Sigma needs to be supported by measurable and reliable data, and thus that the use of tools and techniques is indispensable to the use of the DMAIC.

Research limitations/implications

This is not a probabilistic survey and, therefore, the generalisation is not feasible.

Practical implications

The paper may assist either academic and practitioners when teaching, researching and applying tools and techniques in Six Sigma.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few published studies that report tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma programme in developing countries.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

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Article
Publication date: 3 June 2014

Wagner Cezar Lucato, Felipe Araujo Calarge, Mauro Loureiro Junior and Robisom Damasceno Calado

Manufacturing companies worldwide have been replacing traditional mass-production practices by lean initiatives. This translation process is progressive and may vary depending on…

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Abstract

Purpose

Manufacturing companies worldwide have been replacing traditional mass-production practices by lean initiatives. This translation process is progressive and may vary depending on several factors. Hence, it could be expected that the degree of adoption of the lean practices could vary significantly among industries, regions and even countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation performance of lean principles in Brazil, the paper developed a survey in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area, which considered 51 industries of different sizes, from several industrial segments, nationals and multinationals.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed survey was developed using as a normative framework the SAE J4000 standard – identification and measurement of the best practice in implementation of lean operation and the SAE J4001 – implementation of lean operation user manual. To measure the implementation degree of the lean practices in the researched industries, the paper proposed the utilization of two concepts: the degree of leanness (DOL) of an element of J4000 and DOL of a company. Also three hypotheses were tested, trying to establish the relationship among the DOL and firm ownership, their size and respective industrial sector.

Findings

The results obtained in the survey demonstrated that the performance of lean initiative implementation is not uniform among the companies located in the researched area. Outcomes also showed that the degree of implementation of the lean practices by multinational companies was higher than that for the national firms. However, it was not possible to establish a relationship between the DOL and the size of the firms. Neither a clear and definite association between DOL and industrial sector was possible to be identified.

Practical implications

For the practitioners and managers dealing with the lean implementation, this paper gives a relevant contribution because it shows how they can effectively use an existing tool to measure the implementation of the lean practices in their respective firms. Furthermore, the DOL calculation for each individual element of the J4000 standard could also be used by practitioners and managers to identify specific problems and opportunity areas where practical actions could be identified to improve the lean implementation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the lean manufacturing theory because it proposes a theoretical way to measure the degree of implementation of the lean initiatives in the manufacturing companies. Also the survey results generate additional research material that could be used by other researchers to further explore the subject in the area.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 63 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

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Article
Publication date: 3 September 2021

Maheswar Singha Mahapatra and Dinesh Shenoy

Maintenance organizations continue to be under pressure to systematically eliminate maintenance wastes and deliver services that their customers value. To this end, maintenance…

460

Abstract

Purpose

Maintenance organizations continue to be under pressure to systematically eliminate maintenance wastes and deliver services that their customers value. To this end, maintenance managers are implementing lean maintenance practices. But how does one consistently estimate the leanness of these practices in their organization? The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for a metrics – referred to as the lean maintenance index (LMI) that can help managers estimate the leanness of maintenance practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a comprehensive review of literature in the domain, this study identifies four factors and nineteen subfactors that are essential for the success of a lean maintenance program. A fuzzy-set-theory-based assessment framework is developed that can be used by an in-house team to measure the degree of implementation of lean maintenance practices in their organization. The authors applied the framework to a maintenance workshop that services diesel engines and other prime movers.

Findings

The framework provides maintenance managers valuable insights to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of their organization vis-à-vis their maintenance practices, thus enabling them come up with a firm action plan for future process improvements.

Originality/value

This paper adapts the concept of agility and readiness to maintenance work. A key contribution of this study is the identification of factors and subfactors that forms the basis to estimate the leanness of maintenance practices in an organization. Another contribution is its application to a large maintenance workshop that demonstrates the ease of its implementation. Future research in this area can help identify more factors and subfactors and thus improve the estimation of leanness.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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