Application of lean paradigm in red meat processing

Purpose – Lean is a well‐established industrial paradigm and has proved to be of significant benefit in different sectors of the manufacturing industry (e.g. automotive and aerospace). This paper aims to report on the introduction of lean to a new sector – the “UK red meat industry”. It highlights the benefits of lean production in one specific manufacturing area, the “cutting room”, where meat is split down from a carcass into retail cuts of meat.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study approach is adopted in this paper. As part of the Red Meat Industry Forum's Value Chain Analysis Initiative, five cutting plants are presented as case studies in this paper.Findings – This paper identifies two “traditional” and three “advanced” cutting rooms and reports a typical 25 per cent productivity gap. The paper tentatively concludes this is due to the advanced cases practicing lean techniques, such as “Takt‐time” and “work standardization”.Originality/value – The literature review identifies a gap in pr...

[1]  David A. Hounshell,et al.  From the American System to Mass Production 1800–1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States by David A. Hounshell (review) , 2023 .

[2]  Allard Droste.  Lean thinking, banish waste and create wealth in your corporation , 2007 .

[3]  Michael Bourlakis,et al.  Identifying the determinants of value in the U.K. red meat industry: A value chain analysis approach , 2003 .

[4]  Christina Goulding.  Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide for Management, Business and Market Researchers , 2002 .

[5]  Don Tapping,et al.  Value Stream Management: Eight Steps to Planning, Mapping, and Sustaining Lean Improvements , 2002 .

[6]  A. Fearne,et al.  Managing perceived risk: a multi-tier case study of a uk retail beef supply chain , 2001 .

[7]  J. Holden,et al.  Hawthorne effects and research into professional practice. , 2001, Journal of evaluation in clinical practice.

[8]  D. Pickernell,et al.  Succeeding in the post‐BSE UK meat, poultry and cheese processing and packaging industries , 1999 .

[9]  Rudi Volti,et al.  Fordism Transformed: The Development of Production Methods in the Automobile Industry (review) , 1998 .

[10]  John Paul Macduffie,et al.  The Adoption of High‐Involvement Work Practices , 1996 .

[11]  Loraine Blaxter,et al.  How to Research , 1996 .

[12]  John Paul Macduffie.  Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance: Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry , 1995 .

[13]  N. Denzin,et al.  Handbook of Qualitative Research , 1994 .

[14]  Yasuhiro Monden,et al.  Toyota Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time , 1993 .

[15]  Taiichi Ohno,et al.  Toyota Production System : Beyond Large-Scale Production , 1988 .

[16]  R. Yin.  Case Study Research: Design and Methods , 1984 .

[17]  R. Burgess.  In the Field: An Introduction to Field Research , 1984 .

[18]  F. J. Roethlisberger,et al.  Management and the Worker , 1941 .

[19]  P V Tarrant,et al.  Some recent advances and future priorities in research for the meat industry. , 1998, Meat science.

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

[21]  James R. Anderson,et al.  Willow Run: Colossus of American Industry , 1996 .

[22]  Robert K. Yin,et al.  Applications of case study research , 1993 .

[23]  Daniel T. Jones,et al.  The machine that changed the world : based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 5-million dollar 5-year study on the future of the automobile , 1990 .

[24]  A. Strauss,et al.  The Discovery of Grounded Theory , 1967 .