Approaches and practices of lean manufacturing: the case of electrical and electronics companies

Lean manufacturing is now one of the most powerful manufacturing systems in the world. Numerous plants around the world have attempted to implement or adopt it to enhance their efficiency. However, little studies regarding lean manufacturing have been done in Malaysia especially in the electrical and electronics industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the approach of adopting lean, the tools and techniques implemented, the changes in the organizations, the problems encountered as well as the lessons learnt. This paper describes the results and findings of four industrial case studies conducted in different electrical and electronics companies in Malaysia. Interviews were conducted with the key personnel to answer some issues which were crucial in this study. Comparisons and discussion were made among the case companies. One of the key findings obtained is that people in the organization should possess the lean mindset and act in the lean way in order to make a lean initiative successful. This is perhaps the first study that investigates the actual implementation of lean manufacturing in the Malaysian electrical and electronics industry. The information presented in this paper can be used or emulated by other companies in the same industry to improve their operational performance.   Key words: Lean manufacturing, implementation, case studies, electrical and electronics, Malaysia.