Application of benchmarking for assessing the lean manufacturing implementation

Purpose – In recent times, many organizations have attempted to implement or have already implemented lean manufacturing (LM). Some companies have implemented a few tools/techniques/practices/procedures (i.e. “elements” in short) of LM, while others have implemented a whole spectrum of LM elements. Under such circumstances, it becomes very difficult to gauge which organization has really embraced the lean philosophy and where it stands in comparison with other LM organizations. This paper seeks to determine the current status of benchmarking in the field of LM.Design/methodology/approach – A case study, demonstrating the application of a benchmarking (BM) process is presented.Findings – This research lists out the elements and performance measures of LM apart from highlighting the gaps in terms of performance and practices between the two organizations.Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study are that only a preliminary BM study was carried out instead of a complete study. Similar...

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