Title: Lean manufacturing concept: the main factor in improving manufacturing performance – a case study

Authors: N. Zakuan, M.Z. Mat Saman

Addresses: Lecturer, UTHM, Parit Raja, Johor 86400, Malaysia. ' Senior Lecturer, UTM, Skudai, Johor 81310, Malaysia

Abstract: In this ever-competitive business environment, the company that can deliver a product that can thoroughly satisfy the manufacturing outputs will attain the most market share. Besides that, cost cutting is key in competing with lower labour cost region in the world. Inability to execute cost reduction programme effectively will result in loss of contract to competitors. In relation to that, lean manufacturing approach offers tools to pursue reduce operational cost through reduction of waste of resource in the manufacturing industry. This paper has attempted to analyse the current production system of the company. The results show that, the company have to redesign the production system in order to satisfy the current needs. They have to setup a new strategy in order to achieve these needs. Based on that, lean manufacturing concept was suggested to the company and several analyses have been done in order to improve the current performance.

Keywords: lean manufacturing; manufacturing outputs; manufacturing performance; cost reduction; value stream analysis; production redesign.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2009.023961

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2009 Vol.17 No.4, pp.353 - 363

Published online: 22 Mar 2009 *

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