An empirical study on applicability of lean and green practices in the foundry industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of lean and green practices to foundry industry in India for improving productivity and eliminating waste, incorporating the sustainability into business performance measures. Design/methodology/approach – The study used survey questionnaire method to collect data against 16 lean and green practices from 71 middle- to senior-level professionals belonging to Indian foundry industry. The survey instrument of lean and green practices was developed based on a number of sources from the literature and formal discussions with academicians and foundry industry professionals. The responses were received on a five-point Likert scale ranging from least applicable to most applicable. Exploratory factor and reliability analyses are conducted to obtain and validate constructs and measure each constructs Cronbach’s α (i.e. a consistency coefficient). The lean and green practices are categorized into the four constructs, namely, workplace organizati...

[1]  Manoj Kumar Tiwari,et al.  Lean tool selection in a die casting unit: a fuzzy-based decision support heuristic , 2006 .

[2]  Nick Oliver,et al.  Lean Production Practices: International Comparisons in the Auto Components Industry1 , 1996 .

[3]  Bimal Nepal,et al.  On the adoption of lean manufacturing principles in process industries , 2015 .

[4]  R A Abrahams,et al.  USING LEAN METHODOLOGIES FOR ECONOMICALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE FOUNDRIES , 2011 .

[5]  Nick Rich,et al.  The seven value stream mapping tools , 1997 .

[6]  Ye Li,et al.  From value stream mapping toward a lean/sigma continuous improvement process: an industrial case study , 2010 .

[7]  J. Nunnally,et al.  Psychometric Theory: NY. , 1978 .

[8]  Shahram Taj,et al.  The impact of lean operations on the Chinese manufacturing performance , 2011 .

[9]  John Naylor Operations Management , 1995 .

[10]  Siti Norezam Othman,et al.  Impact of lean practices on operations performance and business performance , 2013 .

[11]  Rachna Shah,et al.  Defining and developing measures of lean production , 2007 .

[12]  Girish Sethi,et al.  Towards cleaner technologies in small and micro enterprises: a process-based case study of foundry industry in India , 2008 .

[13]  S. Vinodh,et al.  Tools and techniques for enabling sustainability through lean initiatives , 2011 .

[14]  Qinghua Zhu,et al.  The moderating effects of institutional pressures on emergent green supply chain practices and performance , 2007 .

[15]  Barbara B. Flynn,et al.  Empirical research methods in operations management , 1990 .

[16]  J. Jayaram,et al.  Relationship building, lean strategy and firm performance: an exploratory study in the automotive supplier industry , 2008 .

[17]  K. Lai,et al.  Confirmation of a measurement model for green supply chain management practices implementation , 2008 .

[18]  Stanley Fore,et al.  Cleaner production for environmental conscious manufacturing in the foundry industry , 2010 .

[19]  Jeffrey K. Liker,et al.  The Toyota way : 14 management principles from the world's greatest manufacturer , 2004 .

[20]  Richard Florida,et al.  Lean and Green: The Move to Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing , 1996 .

[21]  Fei Liu,et al.  A FRAMEWORK OF SCHEDULING MODELS IN MACHINING WORKSHOP FOR GREEN MANUFACTURING , 2008 .

[22]  H. Kaiser A second generation little jiffy , 1970 .

[23]  Roger G. Schroeder,et al.  The impact of just-in-time manufacturing and its infrastructure on manufacturing performance , 1997 .

[24]  Stephan Vachon,et al.  Green supply chain practices and the selection of environmental technologies , 2007 .

[25]  E. James Flynn,et al.  World class manufacturing: an investigation of Hayes and Wheelwright's foundation , 1999 .

[26]  Ritesh Kumar Singh,et al.  An integrated fuzzy-based decision support system for the selection of lean tools: A case study from the steel industry , 2006 .

[27]  Ravi Shankar,et al.  Lean philosophy: implementation in a forging company , 2008 .

[28]  Qinghua Zhu,et al.  Green supply chain management in China: pressures, practices and performance , 2005 .

[29]  Ali Diabat,et al.  An exploration of green supply chain practices and performances in an automotive industry , 2013 .

[30]  P. V. Mohanram,et al.  A survey on lean practices in Indian machine tool industries , 2011 .

[31]  Ron McLachlin,et al.  Management initiatives and just-in-time manufacturing , 1997 .

[32]  R. Schroeder,et al.  Relationships between implementation of TQM, JIT, and TPM and manufacturing performance , 2001 .

[33]  James J. Cordeiro,et al.  Firm-level correlates of emergent green supply chain management practices in the Chinese context , 2008 .

[34]  Peter T. Ward,et al.  Lean manufacturing: context, practice bundles, and performance , 2003 .

[35]  Roger G. Schroeder,et al.  The Impact of Quality Management Practices on Performance and Competitive Advantage , 1995 .

[36]  Roberto Panizzolo,et al.  Applying the lessons learned from 27 lean manufacturers.: The relevance of relationships management , 1998 .

[37]  Ma Ga Yang,et al.  Impact of lean manufacturing and environmental management on business performance: An empirical study of manufacturing firms , 2011 .

[38]  I. K. Hui,et al.  Environmental impact assessment in an uncertain environment , 2002 .

[39]  Toni L. Doolen,et al.  A review of lean assessment in organizations: An exploratory study of lean practices by electronics manufacturers , 2005 .

[40]  George L. Hodge,et al.  Adapting lean manufacturing principles to the textile industry , 2011 .

[41]  Sang-Bing Tsai,et al.  Establishing a criteria system for green production , 2015 .

[42]  L. Cronbach Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests , 1951 .

[43]  A. Sánchez,et al.  Lean indicators and manufacturing strategies , 2001 .

[44]  Joseph Sarkis,et al.  AN INTER- SECTORAL COMPARISON OF GREEN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN CHINA: DRIVERS AND PRACTICES , 2006 .

[45]  B Haque,et al.  Measures of performance for lean product introduction in the aerospace industry , 2004 .

[46]  Pamela J. Zelbst,et al.  Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance , 2012 .

[47]  John K. Gershenson,et al.  Classification scheme for lean manufacturing tools , 2003 .

[48]  Richard Taylor Interpretation of the Correlation Coefficient: A Basic Review , 1990 .

[49]  Hsu-Shih Shih,et al.  A business strategy selection of green supply chain management via an analytic network process , 2012, Comput. Math. Appl..

[50]  Majed Alsmadi,et al.  A comparative analysis of Lean practices and performance in the UK manufacturing and service sector firms , 2012 .

[51]  H. Sekhar,et al.  Confluence of Six Sigma, simulation and environmental quality: An application in foundry industries , 2006 .

[52]  J. Worley,et al.  The role of communication and management support in a lean manufacturing implementation , 2006 .

[53]  Michael J. Lenox,et al.  LEAN AND GREEN? AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEAN PRODUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE , 2001 .

[54]  J. Hair Multivariate data analysis , 1972 .

[55]  Qinghua Zhu,et al.  Initiatives and outcomes of green supply chain management implementation by Chinese manufacturers. , 2007, Journal of environmental management.

[56]  M. Bartlett TESTS OF SIGNIFICANCE IN FACTOR ANALYSIS , 1950 .

[57]  B Haque,et al.  Lean engineering in the aerospace industry , 2003 .

[58]  Yanbin Du,et al.  A methodology for selecting a green technology portfolio based on synergy , 2010 .

[59]  Peter T. Ward,et al.  Impact of Information Technology Integration and Lean/Just-In-Time Practices on Lead-Time Performance , 2006, Decis. Sci..