Lean Six Sigma

About: Lean Six Sigma is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1919 publications have been published within this topic receiving 29142 citations.

Could lean and green be the driver to integrate business improvement throughout the organisation

Abstract: Purpose It seems to be the consensus (Zhang et al, 2012, George et al, 2003, Arumugam et al 2013) that Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has become a beneficial improvement initiative used in a variety of industries. There is a move towards integrating any high level business improvement methods holistically throughout the whole organisation. Indeed Hoerl (2014) explored the idea that when using Lean Six Sigma for business improvement the programme should engage the whole organisation in much the same way as the financial function is present throughout each department. This paper posits that using the Lean and Green agenda may be the driver to achieve integration. Design/methodology/approach The research adopted a subjective ontological perspective with the researcher using participant observation as the main research instrument. Denzin and Lincoln (2005) note that it is now common for scholars to argue that the only relevant data are those based upon the personal experience of the researcher, this served as an inform...

Green lean six sigma sustainability – oriented project selection and implementation framework for manufacturing industry

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to deal with the selection of the sustainability-oriented Green Lean Six Sigma (GLS) project for the manufacturing industry in the complex decision-making environment. Moreover, the study also proposes a GLS implementation framework for improved organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach GLS project selection has been done based on the six sustainability-oriented criteria formed from 17 sub-criteria (found from the literature and developed by authors). The weights of the criteria have been determined through the entropy method. The projects have been ranked based on the criteria through the advanced decision-making approach: grey relation analysis (GRA). The results of the study were validated using best worst method and sensitivity analysis. Findings It has been found that the productivity-related criterion is the most significant among other criteria with entropy weight of 0.2721. GRA has been used in this research work to rank the potential GLS projects in a manufacturing industry based on six sustainability criteria, to select a project that exhibits the maximum potential for sustainable improvement. The machine shop has been found as the most significant GLS project with grey relation grade of 0.4742. Practical implications The present study facilitates practitioners and industrial managers to implement an inclusive GLS approach for improved sustainability dynamics through effective GLS project selection and implementation framework. Originality/value With increased globalized competition in recent times, new projects are being considered as the foundation stone for organizational success. The decision-making becomes quite complex to select an effective project due to the intriguing nature of various criteria, sub-criteria and different aspects of sustainability. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind that provides ways for the selection of sustainability-oriented GLS projects.

Development of sustainable value stream mapping (SVSM) for unit part manufacturing: A simulation approach

Abstract: The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the current state of a bonnet-manufacturing industry and to optimize the process by designing a future state map using simulation approach.,The case study approach has been proposed to highlight the applicability of value stream mapping (VSM) in an Indian bonnet manufacturing organization. The methodology used relies on formulation of VSM being the main tool used to identify the opportunities for classifying and eliminating bottlenecks with the help of various lean techniques. A contrast of present and past scenarios is highlighted to underscore the importance of using VSM with ARENA simulation.,Application of the proposed simulation approach has helped the organization reduce the cycle time significantly by 30 per cent over the entire production time. The average number of work-in-progress pieces has also decreased by about ten. In addition, enhancements have been seen with respect to ecological parameters, e.g. carbon footprint has been reduced to 83.7 percent across the process.,The proposed approach of using a simulation-based VSM helps in reducing the time involved in traditional VSM method. This approach is also easy to implement at any organizational level.,It is believed that this paper will aid not just industrialists but also academic professionals to appreciate the role of simulation using ARENA in helping them understand how to attack the various problems faced by industries. The results of the study indicate that by applying this methodology, there will be a reduction not only in cost but also in environmental impacts.,The paper incorporates a real case study, which shows application of VSM for implementing lean principles in a bonnet-manufacturing industry. Break-even analysis presented fills the gap which previous literatures have been missing.

Lean Six Sigma Initiative: Business Engineering Practices and Performance in Malaysian Automotive Industry

Abstract: The automotive industry in various countries struggle to sustain a high degree of lean practice due to competitive market and customer pressure. Recently, Integration between lean and six sigma initiatives are increasingly implemented in the industry. The importance and relationship between lean practices and organizational performance has been highlighted in many studied. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices and organizational performance in Malaysian automotive industries. A Conceptual model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has been proposed. This model will be used to study the relationship between LSS practices and organizational performance in Malaysian automotive industries. Based on the proposed conceptual model and reviewed, research hypotheses are being developed. The paper concludes with suggest future research work.