How Can Lean Manufacturing Lead the Manufacturing Sector during Health Pandemics Such as COVID 19: A Multi Response Optimization Framework

Lean manufacturing has been used for the last few decades as a process and performance improvement tool.Initially known as Toyota production system(TPS),lean is now used in almost all service and manufacturing sectors to deliver favorable results such as decreased operational cost,increased customer satisfaction,decreased cycle time,and enhanced profits.During the coronavirus disease(COVID 19)pandemic,the manufacturing sector struggled immensely and could not function well even after lockdown was eased in many countries.Many companies found out there are not ready to conform with new regulations made by authorities in many countries.This paper proposes the use of simulation and multi response optimization in addition to other typical lean tools in order to arrive at optimum performance at the end of each project through an established optimization framework.The framework is used in a real case study performed at an aluminum extrusion factory.Lean manufacturing helps organizations to operate with smaller number of resources.It standardizes all processes so that most of the jobs can be done by most of the workers,but this is not enough to create a healthy,sanitized work place.Our framework utilizes the strengths of lean tools and adds pandemic readiness factor to them to ensure improvement in performance and health pandemic readiness.Implementation of the framework in the case company resulted in 50%reduction in labor,$730000 in expected annual cost savings,reduction in inventory levels,improved employee morale and the achievement of pandemic ready status.

The Impact of Lean Manufacturing Practices on Sustainability Performance:A Natural Resource-Based View

Drawing upon a Natural Resource-Based View(NRBV),this paper aims to propose a quantitative model that could be used to investigate whether Lean Manufacturing(LM)practices/tools can improve the three aspects of corporate sustainability performance(economic,environmental,and social).This paper is based on a theoretical study to develop a new model by reviewing the literature and proposing new ideas according to the Natural Resource-Based View(NRBV).Reviewing the literature showed that there is a significant association between LM practices/tools implementation and the improvement on three aspects of corporate sustainability performance(economic,environmental,and social).This paper provides insights to manufacturing managers about the ability of LM practices to reduce cost of operations and maximize the value provided to customers.Further,it highlighted the importance of LM practices implementation to manage organizations’activities responsibly in terms of their environmental,social,and economic effects.By proposing such a quantitative model according to a NRBV,this study contributes to a broader understanding of how LM practices affect three pillars of sustainability.

Measuring Impact of Lean Manufacturing Tools for Continuous Improvement on Economic Sustainability

Using Lean Manufacturing(LM)tools in production processes is crucial for companies’economic,environmental,and social sustainability success.This study shows a structural equation model(SEM)that shows the relationship between LM Tools like Kaizen(KAI),Gemba(GEM),Value Stream Mapping(VSM)and Key Performance Indicator(KPI)with Economic Sustainability(ECS).Seven hypotheses were evaluated with data from 179 responses to a questionnaire about the Mexican maquiladora industry,showing that these variables are linked.At a 95%confidence level,the model was evaluated using the partial least squares method.The findings indicate that the relationships between KAI and GEM and KAI and VSM have the strongest relationship,followed by VSM and ECS;however,VSM has the strongest effect on ECS.Based on these findings,it is recommended that managers adopt a continuous improvement(KAI)approach based on working directly on the shop floor(GEM and VSM)to support their decisions regarding economic growth(ECS).

Enhancing Operational Efficiency: Exploring the Integration of SOPs Using Virtual Reality and Smart Glasses Technology in Food Manufacturing

This paper explores the integration of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) using virtual reality and smart glasses technology in food manufacturing. The study employs a thorough methodology, combining observational insights to develop a comprehensive SOP. Implementation at different firms resulted in significant improvements, reducing product waste and enhancing overall efficiency. The use of virtual reality further augments SOP adoption. The findings underscore SOPs’ transformative influence, offering a tangible solution to challenges in the food production sector. Recommendations include regular SOP reviews and ongoing training for sustained success. Different firms exemplify SOPs as indispensable tools for operational excellence.

Using lean methodologies for economically and environmentally sustainable foundries

Lean manufacturing is often seen as a set of tools that reduce the total cost and improve the quality of manufactured products.The lean management philosophy is one which targets waste reduction in every facet of the manufacturing business;however,only recently have studies linked lean management philosophies with improving environmental sustainability.These studies suggest that lean manufacturing is more than a set of lean tools that can optimize manufacturing efficiencies;it is a process and mindset that needs to be integrated into daily manufacturing systems to achieve sustainability.The foundry industry,as well as manufacturing in general,has significant challenges in the current regulatory and political climate with developing an economically and environmentally sustainable business model.Lean manufacturing has proven itself as a model for both economic sustainability and environmental stewardship.Several recent studies have shown that both lean and green techniques and "zero-waste" policies also lead to reductions in overall cost.While these strategies have been examined for general manufacturing,they have not been investigated in detail for the foundry industry.This paper will review the current literature and describe how lean and green can provide a relevant framework for environmentally and economically sustainable foundries.Examples of lean and green technologies and techniques which can be applied to foundries in a global context will be described.

Exploiting Virtual Elasticity of Manufacturing Systems to Respect OTD—Part 2: Post-Optimality Conditions for the Cases of Ergodic and Non-Ergodic Order Rate with Deterministic Product-Mix

Respecting the on-time delivery (OTD) for manufacturing orders is mandatory. However, for non-JIT Batch & Queue Push-manufacturing systems, the compliance of OTD is not intrinsically guaranteed. As an OTD related manufacturing theory is largely missing it is crucial to understand and formalize the necessary conditions of OTD compliance for complex production environments for maximum exploitation of the production capacity. This paper evaluates the conditions of post-optimality while being OTD compliant for production systems, which are characterized by stochastic order rate and a deterministic product-mix. Instead of applying discrete event simulation to explore the real case-by-case order scheduling optimization for OTD compliance, a Cartesian approach is followed. This enables to define theoretically the solution space of order backlog for OTD, which contributes to developing further manufacturing theory. At the base stands the recently defined new concept of virtual manufacturing elasticity by reducing lead-time to increase virtually production capacity. The result has led to defining additional two corollaries to the OTD theorem, which sets up basic OTD theory. Apart from defining the post-optimal requirements to guarantee for orders at least a weak solution for OTD compliance, this paper reveals that for a deterministic product-mix a non-ergodic order arrival rate can be rescheduled into an ergodic order input rate to the shopfloor if the virtual elasticity T is large enough, hence the importance of having fast and flexible production lines.

Digital Transformation of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Production Manufacturing

Industry 4.0 concepts have brought about a wind of renewal in the organization of companies and their production methods. However, this integration is subject to obstacles when it comes to Small and Medium sized Enterprises—SMEs: the costs of new technologies to be acquired, the level of maturity of the company regarding its level of digitization and automation, human aspects such as training employees to master new technologies, reluctance to change, etc. This article provides a new framework and presents an intelligent support system to facilitate the digital transformation of SMEs. The digitalization is realized through physical, informational, and decisional points of view. To achieve the complete transformation of the company, the framework combines the triptych of performance criteria (cost, quality, time) with the notions of sustainability (with respect to social, societal, and environmental aspects) and digitization through tools to be integrated into the company’s processes. The new framework encompasses the formalisms developed in the literature on Industry 4.0 concepts, information systems and organizational methods as well as a global structure to support and assist operators in managing their operations. In the form of a web application, it will exploit reliable data obtained through information systems such as Enterprise Resources Planning—ERP, Manufacturing Execution System—MES, or Warehouse Management System—WMS and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (deep learning, multi-agent systems, expert systems), big data, Internet of things (IoT) that communicate with each other to assist operators during production processes. To illustrate and validate the concepts and developed tools, use cases of an electronic manufacturing SME have been solved with these concepts and tools, in order to succeed in this company’s digital transformation. Thus, a reference model of the electronics manufacturing companies is being developed for facilitating the future digital transformation of these domain companies. The realization of these use cases and the new reference model are growing up and their future exploitation will be presented as soon as possible.

A Roadmap to Lean Production Implementation for Small Scale Nigerian Wire and Cable Companies

The increasing customers＇ demands in terms of speed of service and reduced cost at higher quality has generated a new platform on which manufacturing companies compete. This heightened challenge is virtually driving all manufacturing companies to introducing lean manufacturing principles into their production systems. This paper focuses on the analysis of the current state mapping of a case study and then proposes a future state mapping to the company. The extruder 60 production line of Denki wires and cables limited, Akure, Nigeria was carefully evaluated. Data were collected from actual operators on the shop floor and feedbacks from the customers at the Gemba. Denki＇s extruder 60 production line production lead time was massively reduced from 38.42 days to 5.16 days with a 12.86% waste reduction. At the end, a practical way of implementing this aspect of lean manufacturing was suggested.

Assessing Enabling Competence of Leagile Manufacturing Model and Its Impact on Performance of Small and Medium Factories in Uganda

Purpose: Leagile manufacturing is one of the time-based manufacturing practices used to improve factory performance. It is a practice that combines initiatives of Lean and agile manufacturing under certain enabling competences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is investigate the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. Methodology: Firstly, the underlying factor structure of competences and time-based manufacturing was examined was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Enabling competences and time-base manufacturing practices were modelled and validated for each using confirmatory factor analysis, particularly composite reliability, average variance extracted and convergent validity. A fully fledged structural equation model was used to test the impact of leagile manufacturing on performance of factories. Findings: The study results revealed that time-based manufacturing of lean, and leagile are related but differ, in terms of their enabling competences and philosophical orientation. The findings also revealed that when small and medium factories in Uganda adopt leagile practice, they are likely not improve their performance. This is perhaps due to the fact that small and medium factories have inadequate resources. Practical Implications: The study findings shed more insights on the factors that enable adoption and implementation of time-based manufacturing practices. The extent to which these competences are orchestrated determines the benefits derived from the time-based manufacturing practices. In addition, small and medium enterprises should keenly make a choice on the appropriate practices that purposely reduce their lead time and cost of conversion. Originality: This study investigated the combinative nature of time-based manufacturing practices under unique enabling competences and their impact on performance of factories in Uganda. It is among the few studies that provide evidence on the leagile model anchored in the appropriate enabling competences in the context of developing countries. The empirical survey was done on small and medium factories to validate a leagile manufacturing model and tested its impact on factory performance.

Exploiting Virtual Elasticity of Production Systems for Respecting OTD-Part 1: Post-Optimality Conditions for Ergodic Order Arrivals in Fixed Capacity Regimes

Respecting the on-time-delivery (OTD) for manufacturing orders is mandatory. This depends, however, on the probability distribution of incoming order rate. The case of non-equal distribution, such as aggregated arrivals, may compromise the observance of on-time supplies for some orders. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the conditions of post-optimality for stochastic order rate governed production systems in order to observe OTD. Instead of a heuristic or a simulative exploration, a Cartesian-based approach is applied to developing the necessary and sufficient mathematical condition to solve the problem statement. The research result demonstrates that increasing speed of throughput reveals a latent capacity, which allows arrival orders above capacity limits to be backlog-buffered and rescheduled for OTD, exploiting the virtual manufacturing elasticity inherent to all production systems to increase OTD reliability of non JIT-based production systems.

Intelligent Support System for Healthcare Logistics 4.0 Optimization in the Covid Pandemic Context

The covid pandemic points out inconsistencies and points to improve in the organization of healthcare logistics. Indeed, the dangerousness and the propagation process of the virus imply to increase health security (patient and personal health). In this context, healthcare logistics flows require a new and safety organization improving the hospital performance. The purpose of this paper consists in optimizing healthcare logistics flows by solving problems associated to the internal logistics such as reduction of the personal health wasting time and the protection of both patients and personal health. Then, the methodology corresponds to the use of the hospital sustainable digital transformation as a response to healthcare flows and safety problems. Indeed, social, societal and environmental aspects have to be considered in addition to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoTs), Big data and analytics. These parameters could be used in the healthcare for increasing doctor, nurse, caregiver performance during their daily operations, and patient satisfaction. Indeed, this hospital digital transformation requires the use of large data associated to patients and personal health, algorithms, a performance measurement tool (actual and future state) and a general approach for transforming digitally the hospital flows. The paper findings show that the healthcare logistics performance could be improved with a sustainable digital transformation methodology and an intelligent software tool. This paper aims to develop this healthcare logistics 4.0 methodology and to elaborate the intelligent support system. After an introduction presenting the common hospital flows and their main problems, a literature review will be detailed for showing how existing concepts could contribute to the elaboration of a structured methodology. The structure of the intelligent software tool for the healthcare digital transformation and the tool development processes will be presented. An example will be given for illustrating the development of the tool.

The Advanced Manufacture Theory and Practice Based on the Management Science

The paper points out that the science and technology, social productivity and economic form are the decisive strengths in facilitating the reformation of the production method of the manufacturing industry. This kind of strength happens through making an influence on the theory of management and science. It analyses the stage and the characteristic of the development model of manufacturing industry of human society, and on this basis does the detailed research on the several patterns of the advanced manufacturing theory and practice： the computer integrated making, concurrent engineering, lean production, agile manufacturing, planning of enterprise resources, global manufacturing. Finally, it thinks that the development model of the advanced manufacture theory and practice embodies a continuous curve of the technical innovation, which is on the basis of the theory of management science.