Purpose



– The advent of recession at the beginning of twenty-first century forced many organizations worldwide to reduce cost and to be more responsive to customer demands. Lean Manufacturing (LM) has been widely perceived by industry as an answer to these requirements because LM reduces waste without additional requirements of resources. This led to a spurt in LM research across the globe mostly through empirical and exploratory studies which resulted in a plethora of LM definitions with divergent scopes, objectives, performance indicators, tools/techniques/methodologies, and concepts/elements. The purpose of this paper is to review LM literature and report these divergent definitions, scopes, objectives, and tools/techniques/methodologies. 




Design/methodology/approach



– This paper highlights various definitions by various researchers and practitioners. A total of 209 research papers have been reviewed for the research contribution, research methodology adopted, tools/techniques/methodologies used, type of industry, author profile, country of research, and year of publication. 




Findings



– There are plethora of LM definitions with divergent objectives and scope. Theory verification through empirical and exploratory studies has been the focus of research in LM. Automotive industry has been the focus of LM research but LM has also been adopted by other types of industries also. One of the critical implementation factors of LM is simultaneous adoption of leanness in supply chain. LM has become an integrated system composed of highly integrated elements and a wide variety of management practices. There is lack of standard LM implementation process/framework. 




Originality/value



– The paper reviews 209 research papers for their research contribution, research methodology, author profile, type of industry, and tools/techniques/methodology used. Various characteristics of LM definitions are also reviewed.

Lean manufacturing: literature review and research issues

Collaborative construction project arrangements have been the subject of many development efforts owing to the frustration felt toward the opportunism inherent in traditional contracting. Globally, three approaches have stood out: project partnering, project alliancing and integrated project delivery. These so-called relational project delivery arrangements have much in common. This study aims to clarify the similarities and differences between the arrangements by examining their key concepts and features one by one and in relation to each other; the motivation behind each is also examined. Early involvement of key parties, transparent financials, shared risk and reward, joint decision-making, and a collaborative multi-party agreement are some of the features incorporated in all the arrangements to a varying degree. Beyond the numerous details, divergent applications and constant evolution presented, the study also recognizes project alliancing as a project delivery system in its own right due to its cont...

Making sense of the multi-party contractual arrangements of project partnering, project alliancing and integrated project delivery

The productivity of the construction industry worldwide has been declining over the past 40 years. One approach for improving the situation is using lean construction. Lean construction results from the application of a new form of production management to construction. Essential features of lean construction include a clear set of objectives for the delivery process, aimed at maximizing performance for the customer at the project level, concurrent design, construction, and the application of project control throughout the life cycle of the project from design to delivery. An increasing number of construction academics and professionals have been storming the ramparts of conventional construction management in an effort to deliver better value to owners while making real profits. As a result, lean-based tools have emerged and have been successfully applied to simple and complex construction projects. In general, lean construction projects are easier to manage, safer, completed sooner, and cost less and are of better quality. Significant research remains to complete the translation to construction of lean thinking in Egypt. This research will discuss principles, methods, and implementation phases of lean construction showing the waste in construction and how it could be minimized. The Last Planner System technique, which is an important application of the lean construction concepts and methodologies and is more prevalent, proved that it could enhance the construction management practices in various aspects. Also, it is intended to develop methodology for process evaluation and define areas for improvement based on lean approach principles.

https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/12413.pdf

Applying lean thinking in construction and performance improvement

Purpose – The contribution of lean construction techniques in sustainable construction cannot be over emphasised, as sustainable development is now enshrined in government policy. In addition, lean construction is now faced with the challenges of sustainable development, continuous improvement, waste elimination, a stronger user focus, increased value for money along with high quality management of projects and supply chains, and improved communications. This paper presents an exploratory study from extant literature and the results of the use of questionnaire survey among construction participants to explore the contribution of implementing lean construction techniques in sustainable construction. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys of UK-based construction professional were conducted. The data collected were analysed with SPSS 19.0 version software using the percentile method, Cronbach ' s α reliability test, Kruskal Wallis test, Kendall ' s coefficient of concordance and one sample t-test. Findings –...

An empirical study of the impact of lean construction techniques on sustainable construction in the UK

Implementation of lean practices in the construction industry: A systematic review

The goal of this paper is to test the effectiveness of some lean construction tools, in particular, those tools that can be applied in medium size construction firms. Due to the success of the lean production system in manufacturing, the construction industry has adapted lean techniques to eliminate waste and increase profit. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of some lean construction techniques including last planner, increased visualization, daily huddle meetings, first run studies, the 5s process, and fail safe for quality. The data collection methods included direct observations, interviews, questionnaires, and documentary analysis. The effectiveness of the lean construction tools was evaluated through the lean implementation measurement standard and performance criteria. It was found that last planner, increased visualization, daily huddle meetings, and first run studies achieved more effective outcomes than expected. However, the results of implementation of 5s process and fail safe for quality did not meet the expectations of the tool champions and the research team. It was found that there is need for behavioral changes and training for effective use of lean tools. Most of the lean construction tools selected for the project are either ready to use, or are recommended with some modifications. A summary of the results is provided, and future research needs are outlined.

Site Implementation and Assessment of Lean Construction Techniques

Since the early 1990's, the US construction industry has taken interest in the application of lean production as a new theoretical framework. The IGLC has provided a new set of tools to improve project performance measures (e.g., productivity, quality, and safety). This article compares the techniques developed for lean assembly with those of lean manufacturing. It also introduces an assessment tool implemented by a general construction project in Ohio, USA. This assessment tool comprises six elements: Last Planner, Increased Visualization, Huddle Meetings, First Run Studies, FiveS's, and Fail-Safe for Quality. The successful understanding and impact of this tool emphasizes the need for a simple and comprehensive approach that is transferable to any construction project.

/pdf/the-path-from-lean-manufacturing-to-lean-construction-224mn9emta.pdf

M. Luegring

Papers

Site Implementation and Assessment of Lean Construction Techniques

The Path from Lean Manufacturing to Lean Construction: Implementation and Evaluation of Lean Assembly