Academic literature on the topic 'Lean management principles'

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2006.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-76).<br>Lean was first adopted as a management technique for improving results in manufacturing environments. It is based on the 5 principles of identifying the Value to be created, mapping the Value-Stream (incremental addition of value), ensuring process Flow, orienting the process towards the Pull of the customer and finally eliminating all Waste through a process of continuous improvement. This framework is highly adaptable, and has been applied in recent years to non-manufacturing efforts, such as product development and the retail and service industries. We explore the application of Lean to voting. Applications can be found in the phases of technology development, production, deployment, poll management and more. By following a structured approach based on Lean, the efforts to advance voting solutions in the US can gain in efficiency, security, privacy and credibility over their current state. These will be adapted to deal with the voting environment, which imposes a unique set of challenges and follows priorities different from normal corporations. Additional Lean elements, such as eliminating irregularities through standardization, improved training and process transparency will be reviewed.<br>(cont.) The development and deployment of Brazilian voting system will be presented as an example of how Lean elements can be used in the voting setting. While not intentionally created by the Lean model, the design, deployment and current use of the Brazilian system is highly complimentary to this model. Finally, we suggest ways in which such an approach can be applied to the U.S. voting system. With a theoretical structure in place, specific improvement efforts can be devised and applied in the field. This study, therefore, is intended as a preliminary effort of identifying a problem and modeling it. It hopes to induce a commitment to Lean which will put in motion a cycle of implementation, elaboration and continuous improvement.<br>by Tomer Posner.<br>S.M.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The political changes in South Africa since 1994 and globalisation have brought about a dramatic increase in competition for South African companies. To ensure long-term survival and success, companies have to focus their strategies on continuous improvement and the ability to adapt to continuous change. Lean manufacturing principles were derived from the Toyota Production System (TPS) which was created by Taiichi Ohna, who is widely credited to be the father of Lean manufacturing principles. Lean principles originated in the automotive industry and transformed an industry that previously focused all its improvement efforts on the theory of mass production. Lean principles can be summarised as continuous improvement through focus on the elimination of waste from processes. Lean principles specify that organisations: • Change from using their view to using the view of the customer when evaluating value-creating activities; • Change production plans that focus on mass production to production plans that produce only what customers want now in flow production with small production batches; • Reduce lead times; • Improve quality; and • Achieve the above-mentioned by eliminating waste in all processes. Lean principles are based on the assumption that once waste is removed, the process improves and results in reduced lead time, improved quality, reduced costs and improved customer service. The aim of this research study was to test Lean principles by implementing applicable parts of it in the engine rebuilding section of MultiMech, a division of Golden Arrow Bus Services. The changes that formed part of the implementation included: • Reduced work in progress through improved production planning; • Improved performance of inbound processes through improved communication based on improved production planning; and • Improved productivity due to improved inbound processes and improved performance measuring. The results from the pilot implementation of Lean principles at the engine rebuilding section support the benefits documented in the theory. The major results were: • An increase in the number of engines built for the months June to September, from 54 in 2007 to 88 in 2008 which represents a 63 per cent improvement in productivity; • A decrease in the number of works orders from 58 to 21, which represents a decrease of 63 per cent in work in progress; and • A reduction in stores' lead time from 3.5 days to 1.4 days, which represents an improvement of 60 per cent. The results from the pilot implementation is only an indication of the total potential that will be realised when Lean principles are implanted throughout MultiMech.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die politieke veranderinge in Suid-Afrika sedert 1994 en globalisering het 'n dramatiese verhoging in mededinging vir Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye tot gevolg gehad. Ten einde langtermyn oorlewing en sukses te verseker, moet maatskappye hul strategiee fokus op aanhoudende verbetering en die vermoe om by konstante verandering aan te pas. 'Spilvrye' vervaardigingsbeginsels ('Lean manufacturing principles') is afgelei van die Toyota produksiestelsel ('Toyota production system') (TPS), wat ontwikkel is deur Taiichi Ohno, wat algemeen beskou word as die vader van spilvrye vervaardigingsbeginsels. Hierdie beginsels het ontstaan in die motorvervaardigingsindustrie en 'n industrie transformeer wat voorheen al sy verbeteringspogings gefokus het op die teorie van massaproduksie. Spilvrye beginsels kan opgesom word as konstante verbetering deur te fokus op die eliminasie van verspilling uit prosesse. Spilvrye beginsels bepaal dat organisasies: • Nie meer vanuit hulle eie perspektief nie, maar vanuit die klient se perspektief waardeskeppende aktiwiteite beoordeel; • Produksieplanne verander wat fokus op massaproduksie tot produksieplanne wat slegs produseer wat kliente nou wil he in 'n vloeiproduksieproses met klein produksievolumes; • Wagperiodes verminder; • Kwaliteit verbeter; en • Bogenoemde bereik deur verspilling in alle prosesse te elimineer. Spilvrye beginsels is gebaseer op die aanname dat sodra verspilling verwyder is, die proses verbeter en verkorte wagperiodes volg, kwaliteit verbeter, kostes verminder en klientediens verbeter. Die doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om Spilvrye beginsels te toets deur toepaslike gedeeltes daarvan te implementeer in die enjinbou afdeling van MultiMech, 'n divisie van Golden Arrow busdienste. Die veranderinge wat deel uitgemaak het van die implementering sluit in: • Verminderde werk-in-proses deur verbeterde produksiebeplanning; • Verbeterde prestasie van inkomende prosesse deur verbeterde kommunikasie gebaseer op verbeterde produksiebeplanning; en • Verbeterde produktiwiteit as gevolg van verbeterde inkomende prosesse en verbeterde prestasiemeting. Die resultate van die loodsimplemetering van Spilvrye beginsels by die enjinbou afdeling ondersteun die voordele wat in die teorie gedokumenteer is. Die vernaamste resultate sluit in: • 'n Toename in die aantal enjins gebou vir die maande Junie tot September, van 54 in 2007 tot 88 in 2008 wat 'n 63 persent verbetering in produktiwiteit verteenwoordig; • 'n Afname in die aantal werksopdragte vanaf 58 tot 21, wat 'n afname van 63 persent in werk-in-proses verteenwoordig; en • 'n Afname in store se wagperiode van 3.5 dae tot 1.4 dae, wat 'n verbetering van 60 persent verteenwoordig. Die resultate van die loodsimplementering van Spilvrye beginsels is 'n teken van die totale potensiaal wat gerealiseer sal word met die implementering in ander departemente van MultiMech.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2002.<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-91).<br>by Freddie Douglas, III.<br>S.M.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2018.<br>Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2018.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (page 71).<br>A universal imperative of most manufacturing firms is to lower cost, increase production rate, and deliver exceptional quality for every product. The manufacturing firm that springs to mind as the standard bearer for all three is Toyota and the generalized lean manufacturing method known as the Toyota Production System. The literature on what lean manufacturing is and how to do it is vast. This thesis first contributes to that cache of lean literature an example of one aerospace company's interpretation of lean and how it is defined in assembly production design. In other words, this thesis tests the claim that lean principles can be incorporated in the design of an aircraft assembly process to achieve the lean goals of producing a perfect product with zero waste at the rate at which a customer demands it. The thesis covers a seven-month research period at an aircraft assembly factory and is broken into three phases. The first phase presents research on an existing lean transformation initiative in the factory and measures its success at achieving lean goals. This evaluation determines that the as-designed system does meet the goals of lean to continuously improve and eliminate waste but also exposes problems to other sub-systems in the factory. Phase I identified several improvement candidates for deeper study, and the rest of the thesis considers one of these opportunities, specifically on the material delivery system. The second part of the thesis focuses on a root cause analysis of the problems associated with the material delivery system at meeting lean goals. The resulting question is what changes to the material delivery system are required to further these goals. The company was already considering several solutions to answer this question; however, the proposed solutions would violate the original design requirements for the system. This hindered the ability to make improvements. The third part of this thesis examines the redefinition of the design requirements that embody lean principles as well as other requirements imposed on the system. This allows for new solutions to be evaluated against the design requirements and a final recommendation is proposed.<br>by Dora Leanne Aldama.<br>S.M.<br>M.B.A.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2008.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 179).<br>Expanding Lean principles beyond the manufacturing floor, ultimately to entail a comprehensive Lean Enterprise, has gained increasing attention among corporations. This thesis entails a detailed case study of initiating a Lean Transformation in the Supply Chain department of a technology center for engineering, integration and final assembly of directional drilling equipment. This technology center is part of Schlumberger, a global corporation and industry leader in directional drilling and other oilfield technologies and services. Initiating the Lean Transformation in this Supply Chain department is detailed and used as the central theme throughout the thesis. The rapid, successive applications and results of conventional Lean principles are evaluated. Due to the near relative proximity of the several initiatives undertaken, in both time and within the organization, this case is used to evaluate the Autocatalytic Nature of Lean Principles within the Supply Chain department. Concurrently, the dynamics involved with the interactions of personnel within the department are evaluated. As a Lean Transformation is so heavily dependent upon the personnel participating in the change, tactics for initiating a Lean Transformation are treated in reference to the several initiatives of this case study. These three components, Lean principles, their autocatalytic interaction, and relevant human interactions, are all combined to comprehensively address the most influential aspects of affecting a Lean Transformation in a Supply Chain department.<br>by Bryan Gardner.<br>S.M.<br>M.B.A.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2002.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-75).<br>This thesis describes the work performed over a six and a half month internship at Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY. The thesis focuses on the implementation of a lean manufacturing system, modeled after the Toyota Production System, in the Kodak color film business. The goal of the system is to systematically eliminate all forms of waste from the production process in an attempt to reduce costs and inventory. This thesis approaches the problem from two different points of view. On the one hand, it takes a high level view of the entire supply chain and describes how material and information should flow through the supply chain. It highlights where inventory buffers should be located and which operations should be improved in order to reduce the size of these buffers. Finally, this thesis highlights the importance of leveling the customer demand signal in order to implement a true pull system using Kanbans. On the other hand, this thesis describes the implementation of lean manufacturing tools such as Kanban systems and Heijunka boards in some Kodak operations. This work includes the use of tools such as visual signals, cellular manufacturing, Kanbans, Heijunka boards, etc. The work performed over the internship sets the foundation for the transformation of the Kodak supply chain into a lean supply chain capable of dealing with uncertain demand. Additionally, the work can easily be transferred and applied to other Kodak businesses such as paper and photochemicals.<br>by Emanuele F. Gillio.<br>S.M.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2005.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66).<br>Intel Corporation's Fab 23 is committed to implementing lean manufacturing to reduce their production cycle times and cost. This thesis is focused around the development of the principles of lean that are most relevant to Intel's complex manufacturing flow and then the application of these principles to improve the operations in a focused area, the Sorting floor. Direct examination of the work in Sort raises the awareness of inefficiencies from overproduction and inventory; viewing this work as a series of structured activities, customer-supplier connections, and simplified flows further crystallizes the need for a structured approach towards WIP management. A pilot implementation of a CONWIP control of inventory demonstrates reductions in cycle time variability and provides a foundation for further improvements. In conclusion, the challenges experienced with changing the manufacturing systems in Sort were largely organizational and likely to be seen in many other operational areas at Fab 23.<br>by Roy C. Wildeman, Jr.<br>S.M.<br>M.B.A.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2008.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-74).<br>Many companies have realized significant value through the application of lean principles to manufacturing and supply chain operations. Dell Inc. in particular garnered international fame for its ability to manufacture and deliver computers using a lean, direct-to-customer approach that provided a tremendous competitive advantage. The Author suggests that these same lean principles can be applied to improve a firm's service and support operations, while acknowledging some important nuances of applying lean in a customer service environment. The Author calls to light a key differentiator between lean manufacturing and lean customer service. Specifically, while customers use relatively consistent value systems to assess manufacturing operations, different customer segments typically value customer service in very different ways. Thus, lean customer service must begin by thoroughly characterizing the value expectations and contributions of each customer segment. After characterizing these value systems, a firm must design a support channel architecture aligned with the value exchange system of the entire customer population. After designing a lean channel architecture, lean principles may be tactically applied to optimize performance within individual channels. This research project focused on improving customer service operations at Dell by using lean principles to: 1. Establish a data-driven, strategic architecture for Dell's consumer support division and 2. Identify operational improvement opportunities to drive the tactical execution of that strategy. The project began with a benchmarking study of customer service strategies at companies such as Best Buy, Apple, Fed-Ex, Amazon.com, GM, and Comcast.<br>(cont.) The Author then proposes a "Lean Support Channel Architecture" using on-line and retail service channels to offload demand from the call centers, effectively eliminating waste from call centers. Finally, the Author examines how lean principles can be tactically applied to a retail service channel to enable the cost-effective delivery of retail support in line with the support channel architecture proposed.<br>by Hannah Elizabeth McClellan.<br>S.M.<br>M.B.A.