The aim of this article is to identify opportunities for using synergies obtained by incorporation of the two methods of management: Lean Management and Agile Management on the example of the process of column concreting. Despite the seemingly contradictory assumptions the two concepts complement each other in analysed example. The strategy is based on using the idea of "one piece flow" in accordance with the Lean Management which led to a reduction of costs due to increased turnover of formwork. At the same time the success of the project resulted in a significant dependence on the ability to provide a rapid response to changing conditions during in the maturation of concrete (depending on weather conditions, which can be expected on the basis of projections having different reliability). The simultaneous use of Lean and Agile Management allowed to achieve positive results for different scenarios of environment impact on the analysed process.

This paper proposes the application of the digital numerical control (DNC) technique to connect the smart meter to the inspection system and evaluate the total harmonic distortion (THD) value of power supply voltage in IEEE 519 standard by measuring the system. Experimental design by the Taguchi method is proposed to evaluate the compatibility factors to choose Urethane material as an alternative to SS400 material for roller fabrication at the machining center. Computer vision uses artificial intelligence (AI) technique to identify object iron color in distinguishing black for urethane material and white for SS400 material, color recognition results are evaluated by measuring system, system measurement is locked when the object of identification is white material SS400. Computer vision using AI technology is also used to recognize facial objects and control the layout of machining staff positions according to their respective skills. The results obtained after the study are that the surface scratches in the machining center are reduced from 100% to zero defects and the surface polishing process is eliminated, shortening production lead time, and reducing 2 employees. The total operating cost of the processing line decreased by 5785 USD per year. Minitab 18.0 software uses statistical model analysis, experimental design, and Taguchi technical analysis to evaluate the process and experimentally convert materials for roller production. MATLAB 2022a runs a computer vision model using artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize color objects to classify Urethane and SS400 materials and recognize the faces of people who control employee layout positions according to their respective skills.

Industry 4.0 promises to make manufacturing processes more efficient using modern technologies like cyber-physical systems, internet of things, cloud computing and big data analytics. Lean Management (LM) is one of the most widely applied business strategies in recent decades. Thus, implementing Industry 4.0 mostly means integrating technologies in companies that already operate according to LM. However, due to the novelty of the topic, research on how LM and Industry 4.0 can be integrated is still under development. This paper explores the synergic relationship between these two domains by identifying six examples of real cases that address LM-Industry 4.0 integration in the extant literature. The goal is to make explicit the best practices that are being implemented by six distinct industrial sectors

Lean Green is a concept which is implemented as a part of the sustainable development strategy, share allowing for reduction of the company’s costs related to, on the one hand, efficient use of energy factors and on the other optimum use of production factors aimed at minimisation of wastefulness, in particular in the area of post-production waste and pollution. The purpose of the article is to identify the determinants, internal stimuli and to specify the force with which they affect the implementation of the Lean Green concept in companies on various continents: America, Asia and Europe. For the purpose of better recognition of the examined problem, analysis of results of studies was made in consideration of the following criteria: country where a given company operates and share of persons outside the company in the process of implementation of this concept. In article uses the one-way ANOVA methodology, the Shapiro Wilk and Levene tests and the non-parametric Kruskal Wallis test. Hitherto studies have confirmed that the determinants are regional, which indicates the necessity of directional studies.

Understanding of how to implement Lean successfully and how it contributes to performance in manufacturing organizational is still relatively lacking so that Lean exploration is still needed in the management aspect. This research will examine the effect of LMS, LWRT on LBR. This research was conducted on 30 companies in industrial centers in Indonesia, and the data were processed using the Structural Equation Model method. It was found that LMS has no significant effect on LBR, but LMS has a significant effect on LWRT, while LWRT has a significant effect on LBR. In detail, LBR variation of 78.8% is simultaneously influenced by LMS and LWRT, 21.2% is influenced by other variables. While 72.7% LWRT variation is influenced by LMS variation, and 27.3% is influenced by other variables. This result confirms Bergmiller’s research (2009) that LMS has a significant effect on LBR through LWRT for the manufacturing industry in Indonesia.

The situation on the construction market is difficult. One way to improve it can be to implement modern methods and techniques related to the lean management in construction. The article presents an algorithm supporting the selection of appropriate Lean Management tools and techniques for construction companies using AHP method. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by a case study consisting of a small construction company performing insulation works in a multifamily house. The presented approach is part of the broader research work carried out by the authors in the field of improving construction processes and verifying the efficiency and effectiveness of Lean Management methods and techniques construction works.

One of the key factors of a competitive economy is creating a strong, internationally competitive SME sector. This essay is based on the fact that management tools used in the SME sector are insufficient. With the development of these tools, the competitiveness of companies could improve. According to the literature, using lean thinking has a positive influence on the company’s effectiveness, and also proved that lean approach can be successfully extended out of the car industry, into the limitedly resourced SME sector, too. Even though the topic of lean manufacturing is analysed by many studies, there is a lack of papers dealing with its usage in the SME sector. The originality of this paper lies in analysing the current status of using lean manufacturing practices among the Hungarian SMEs operating in the manufacturing industry. The paper includes an examination about how deeply the elements of lean thinking are present in the Hungarian SME sector, how large the development reserves are, and whether there is a difference between the usage of lean practices. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. SMEs’ representatives, mostly CEOs and managers from the Hungarian manufacturing industry participated in the survey. The sample contained 128 observations. The study has two control variables, which are the size of the company and the relation to the lean management. The survey brought the following results. First of all, it shows that the level of using lean is low among the Hungarian SMEs. Furthermore, customer orientation is a key factor in the sector, however, there are considerable possibilities for progress by the inner processes and the handling and involvement of the suppliers. Firstly, a good basis to increase the effectiveness could be the creation of thinking in processes influencing the supply chain. Secondly, the development of the leadership and the involvement of the employees at some level are also significant. Key findings is that without state incitement and the involvement of outside experts, progress cannot be expected to spread on a broad scope. The background of the research method was created to fit the available literature and to capable to be used in other countries, too. Moreover, this way the available information can be expanded with a regional dimension, in case further studies are going to be made.

Small and Medium Enterprises SME play a crucial role in the global economy through their contribution in countries economy and creation of employment opportunities, and their success heavily relies on the implementation of efficient manufacturing systems like Lean Production(LP). LP is a continuous improvement philosophy based on various lean activities for improving enterprise lean performance. A fuzzy model that integration Fuzzy Consistency Algorithm (FCA) and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was proposed as a comprehensive framework to assess the levels of importance and priority of nineteen SME lean activities that categorized into the related five related lean dimensions. FCA was used to construct the fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix to ensure obtaining consistent experts judgment, whereas FAHP was applied to identify the level of importance and priority of lean activities. Identifying the level of importance of lean activities will be contributed in focuses SME efforts in the improvement process on the most important lean activities to ensure effective resource allocation and foster continuous improvement process and offer a practical tool for enhancing their competitiveness and sustainability. The proposed model was applied in Iraqi SME. The result showed that FCA is an efficient approach to construct a consistent judgment matrix. Efficient manger, Kaizen team, supplier relationship, execution customer suggestions and customer satisfaction job rotation are the most important lean activities with level of importance 58.90%, 21.30%, 49.80%, 38.50%, 41.20% respectively. The proposed model can be used for small or medium size enterprise for various production industries.

The purpose of this research is to develop a Lean-RFID based waste identification system (LRWIS) for small-medium manufacturing companies. The specific objective of this research is to develop and implement the LRWIS from integrating the appropriate lean tools and advanced technologies for wastes reduction and inventory management. Subsequently, the framework was converted into a system for a small-medium sized wood processing manufacturer in Malaysia and integrated into a computerized program. The LRWIS can monitor real-time inventory and production status so the manufacturer can optimise the quantity of the primary products and deliver them on time as per the RFID information of each container. The manufacturer can also make decision instantly for controlling and changing different products in the production progress. The system provides simple constructed framework under a low cost infrastructure, yet it is of practical value in reducing the wastes and also optimising the production process.

The main purpose of the paper is to identify and analyse a state of exploratory motivating factors in terms of lean management as the instrument of a policy of human resource management in the face of COVID-19 pandemic implemented in service companies. The main question is: if the motivation system used in the companies works out up against the unpredictable situation such as COVID-19 pandemic? The secondary purpose of the paper is to recognise relations and dependencies between these factors, and the question is: what factors have the strongest or the weakest relations with Lean Staff Management (LSM) tools? This research designed based on interview was conducted due to the lack of existing studies on the current status of motivating factors in terms of lean management tools in two service companies (case studies) in the light of COVID-19. The results show that factors influencing work efficiency in a dominating manner were, primarily, financial incentives (almost 21%), communications (around 21%), and workplace atmosphere (almost 18%). The paper investigates also the benefits and concerns of implementing LSM in service companies during the pandemic. This research might help the service organization’s management to identify the employees‘ problems to implement more effective lean services.

In a reality of global competition, companies have to minimize production costs and increase productivity in order to boost com-petitiveness. Facility layout design is one of the most important and frequently used efficiency improvement methods for reducing operational costs in a significant manner. Facility layout design deals with optimum location of facilities (workstation, machine, etc.) on the shop floor and optimum material flow between these objects. In this article, the objectives and procedure of layout design along with the calculation method for layout optimization are all introduced. The study is practice-oriented because the described case study shows how the layout of an assembly plant can be modified to form an ideal re-layout. The research is novel and innovative because the facility layout design and 4 lean methods (takt-time design, line balance, cellular design and one-piece flow) are all combined in order to improve efficiency more significantly, reduce costs and improve more key performance indicators. From the case study it can be concluded that the layout redesign and lean methods resulted in significant reduction of the following seven indicators: amount of total workflow, material handling cost, total travel distance of goods, space used for assembly, number of workers, labor cost of workers and the number of Kanban stops.

Lean has established itself as the primordial approach to obtain operational excellence. Its simple and intuitive techniques focus on reducing lead time through continuous improvement, involving all levels of employees in the organization. However, the rate of successful implementations has remained low. This paper contributes to the understanding of continuous improvement in a Lean context, by analyzing a database of almost 10.000 improvement actions, from 85 companies, covering the time frame 2010–2018. It discusses categories of actions, their impact and cost, as well as key characteristics of the companies. It proposes an objective criterion to identify “success” and “failure” in Lean implementation and tries to link these to operational results. It is probably the first time an analysis of this magnitude on the subject has been performed.

Lean manufacturing [LM], quality management system and environmental management system are clear initiatives with a goal of improving effectiveness and efficiencies of organizations. Many organisations tackle lean philosophy, ISO standards individually but this kind of attempt do not focus on the synergy and the advantage from the potential collaboration. This paper aims to present the possibility of integration Lean Management concept with ISO management systems – Quality Management System [QMS] ISO 9001and Environmental Management System [EMS] ISO 14001 already implemented in the enterprises. The integration of these three concepts can be obtain due to improvement of main KPI’s defined in the organization. Based on critical research literature and participant observation presented as a case study (one of the author of the paper works as a consultant and is being implemented Lean Manufacturing concept in different organization since ten years) authors defined concept of integration of EMS and QMS (already implemented in the organization) with chosen Lean Management tools. Concept has been developed based on literature analysis and experience of the authors. Results and summary from concept implementation has been described in last chapter of the paper.

This study is aimed at investigating the functionality of Visual Performance Management (VPM), along with determining the necessary features such a method should demonstrate to be an effective and meaningful tool for the development of Lean Management in an organisation. Based on the analysis of a case study in a large manufacturing organisation, a crosscutting assessment of such a system was made, a literature review proves the lack of such a comprehensive study. Six critical features of VPM were identified, they are very practical and giving many interesting insights into studied Lean method. The view emerged from empirical investigated shows VPM as of the wider functionality then only visual information exchange methodology. The VPM serves as cascade information exchange system and has substantial potential to support employee’s participation.

Value Stream Mapping has been a key Lean tool since its publication in 1988, offering a strategic view on the reconfiguration of an organization’s processes to reduce overall lead time. It has since been used in many different domains beyond (car) manufacturing. However, the potential offered by its concise representation of both material flow and its controlling information flow seems to have been largely underused. Most literature reports on VSM in the context of waste detection and local improvements. VSM also supports redesigning the material flow (even on a supply chain level) towards (pure) pull systems. However, it fails to adequately give guidance on how to gradually evolve towards this ultimate ideal state. This paper wants to offer a significant contribution to practitioners on how to use VSM to bridge this gap. Another key challenge that remains largely unpublished is how to adapt the planning systems accordingly at each reconfiguration of the material flow. This paper presents extensions to the basic VSM tool to meet these challenges. It includes a more comprehensive 5-level hierarchy that allows to position most lean flow-related techniques. It also extends the basic “door-to-door” VSM with new symbols to accommodate these techniques into the map. Finally, it introduces a new set of 13 questions to support redesigning not only the material flow, but also the information flow. The resulting richer future state maps better support the gradual evolution towards a leaner future shop floor, as illustrated with an example.

This paper presents the concept and methodology for the designing of a “tree-shaped” production line. The concept is a result of the search for production unit organization that meets the Lean Production assumptions, i.e. focusing on lead time (throughput time) shortening with simultaneous ability of use in conditions of varied product range. The varied product range characterized by lower technological-organizational similarity when compared to “Ushaped” units typical for Lean Production. The paper presents an algorithm for the designing of a “tree-shaped” production line and examples of its application. The designed unit underwent evaluation according to the criteria preferred by Lean Manufacturing experts. The designed production unit achieved results confirming the effectiveness of the proposed concept for the analysed sets of input data on the product range and production capacities.

The article presents the possibility of increasing the production efficiency in an enterprise dealing in the production of lounge furniture. The literature review shows that Poland is the sixth country in the world in the amount of furniture production. It is also one of the leading exporters of upholstered furniture in Europe. Each year, the value of furniture sales production increases by a few percentage points. Due to the constantly growing customer orders, many companies in this industry are struggling with delays in delivering products to customers. This problem also occurs in the analyzed company. While analyzing the production process, the occurrence of a large number of non-conformities was also noticed. An analysis was carried out to indicate the number of non-conformities and the place of their occurrence. The FMEA analysis was used, which indicated which non-conformities are the most important, and the 5Why method, which allowed to indicate the cause of their occurrence. The analysis of production processes showed which activities do not bring added value and how they can be eliminated at no cost. All these measures contributed to increasing the efficiency of the production of lounge furniture.

The paper presents the technology and organization of the artistic cast production. On the basis of the actual cast production system, the

manufacturing process was shown, in particular sand–piece moulding, which is a very important process and a time-consuming part of the

entire manufacture of the casts. The current state of the production process as well as the organization of the work and production

technology were analysed with the use of methods and techniques of production improvement, the Lean Manufacturing concept and

computer systems. The results of the analysis and studies were shown with use of schemes and graphs of the layout of the production

resources, a flow chart of the production process, value stream mapping, and a costs table for the production and modernization of the

moulding stage. The work has shown that there are possibilities to improve the artistic cast production system. This improvement leads to

increased productivity, lower production costs of artistic casts and increased competitiveness of the foundry.

Lean management has become a much-researched topic in operations management. Beyond

its technical aspects, nowadays the analysis of soft factors (corporate culture, organization,

management, human resource management, knowledge transfer practices) have come to the

fore. However, there are few sources available to the lean organization to find out what organizational

changes are taking place alongside the lean application, and what organizational

structures are being developed. In our study first we deal with the literature-based concepts

of lean organizational structure and with the international examples, and then through five

Hungarian corporate solutions and with help of the literature of organizational theories we

synthesize the lean organizational forms.

Current fast development requires continuous improvement of employees’ skills and knowledge.

Therefore, companies are looking for the best way for improving the employees’ qualifications

and understanding of new concepts and tools which have to be implemented in

manufacturing areas. One method employs gamification for this purpose. The aim of this

paper is to present how gamification can increase the acquisition of knowledge concerning

lean manufacturing concept implementation. Gamification is an active learning approach for

people who will understand the subject easier by ‘feeling’ and ‘touching’ personally the analysed

problems. The research utilized a questionnaire which assessed the game participants’

engagement level. The assessment focused specifically on the participants’ motivation, cognitive

processing and social aspects. The participants were also examined before and after the

game in order to assess the increase of their understanding of different lean manufacturing

topics and tools. Five different games with different groups of participants were played. The

results confirmed the hypothesis that gamification has a positive impact on the knowledge

acquisition as well as on motivation, cognitive processing and social aspects. Finally, various

insights on how to better design, conduct and utilize gamification in the similar technical

context are presented.

Studies linking the use of lean practices to company performance have been increasing as

markets are becoming more competitive and companies are eager for reducing waste and

therefore implementing the Lean Management (LM) philosophy to improve performance.

However, results from these studies have found various and different impacts and some light

is needed. Extant literature was reviewed and, to achieve the research objective, a metaanalysis

of correlations was carried out. The obtained results suggest a positive relationship

between some lean practices and performance measures. Furthermore, the presence of moderators

influencing the relationship between lean practices and performance outcomes is

highlighted in our results. To our best knowledge, this is the first research that proposes

a comparison of results from primary studies on Lean implementation, by analysing the

linear relationship between lean practices and enterprise performance. It fills this gap and

therefore represents an important contribution.

Lean is one of the systematic approach to achieve higher value for organizations through

eliminate non-value-added activities. It is an integrated set of tools, techniques, and principles

designed to optimize cost, quality and delivery while improving safety. In Vietnam,

industry waste management and treatment has become serious issue. The aim of this research

is to present the effective of Lean application for industrial wastes collecting and

delivery improvement. Through a case study, this paper showed the way of Lean tools and

principles applied for wastes management and treatment such as Value Stream Mapping,

Pull system, Visual Control, and Andon to get benefit on both economic and environment.

In addition, the results introduced a good experience for enterprises in Vietnam and other

countries have similar conditions to Vietnam in cost saving and sustainable development in

waste management.

This paper introduces the Lean School, a Learning Factory, along with a “game” of physical

simulation that is developed in it. All this is focused on teaching-learning, both of students

and professionals, of the potential advantages offered by the implementation of the Lean

Production in the organizations.

The participants gain a practical experience, based on experimental learning, which gives

them a better understanding of the principles and tools of Lean philosophy.

This physical environment is not limited to theoretical teaching, but goes beyond and implements

a production system near a real one. It starts from a configuration of a production

plant with an unbalanced system and throughout the different iterations, called productions,

introduces and implement the Lean principles, which makes its participants acquire

not only knowledge but also the skills needed to implement an efficient production in their

organizations.

All the constituent elements of the system will be described briefly: the product, the variations

thereof, the initial design with its layout, as well as the subsequent productions, and

the results of learning of each one.

A robust manufacturing sector is imperative for achieving sustainable and inclusive development.

Also, in the Indian context, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are

of vital importance due to their contribution to GDP, exports and employment. Indian

Government has launched many schemes to vitalize and improve the competitiveness of

Manufacturing MSMEs. ‘Lean Manufacturing Competiveness Scheme’ (LMCS) is a huge

step aimed to act as a catalyst for lean adoption by Indian MSMEs. This paper uses SAP

LAP framework to address critical questions regarding lean adoption by Indian manufacturing

MSMEs in the context of the government scheme ‘LMCS’. The study adds to the

existing body of knowledge on lean manufacturing that emphasizes on the importance of

soft issues while implementing lean. It also benefits the stakeholders by suggesting suitable

actions that can be taken to further improve the competitive priorities of MSMEs.