The Barriers to SMEs ’ Implementation of Lean Production and Countermeasures — — Based on SMEs in Wenzhou

Lean production (LP) in China has more than 20 years of development history, but few enterprises have made significant achievement, especially in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs play a vital role in the economic growth of developing countries, and pushing effective implementation of lean production in SMEs is significant. This paper aim to analyze the barriers to SMEs’ lean production practice based on the investigation of SMEs in Wenzhou and point out the countermeasures affecting effective implementation of lean manufacturing. Using a case study method approach, this paper examined the countermeasures how to carry out lean production effectively. The author concludes that SMEs should be provided from the following four organizational points of view, and they are the attention and involvement of senior managers, good communication platform, learning organization and the establishment of performance evaluation system.