A Conceptual Model of Lean Manufacturing Dimensions

Lean manufacturing or also known as lean production has been one of the most popular paradigms in waste elimination in the manufacturing and service industry. Thus, many firms have grabbed the benefits to practice lean manufacturing in order to enhance quality and productivity. However, previous research shows that there are various sets of tools or techniques that had been adopted at a certain degree across firms according to their own understanding of lean manufacturing. The scenario resulted with varying leanness measures in order to measure lean practices. This paper describes a preliminary study in developing a conceptual model to measure leanness in manufacturing industry. Thorough literature survey, books and report analysis contribute to the main preliminary analysis of this study. The most common tools or techniques and their usefulness have been investigated. In this research, a conceptual model for leanness measurement in the manufacturing industry has been developed and designed in two main levels, namely the dimensions and the factors. There are seven main dimensions in measuring leanness in lean manufacturing practices such as manufacturing process and equipment, manufacturing planning and scheduling, visual information system, Supplier relationship, customer relationship, workforce and product development & technology. In addition, the model also shows how lean dimensions in the manufacturing system relate to eight types of wastes.

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