Title: Improving production systems with lean: a case study in a medium-sized manufacturer

Authors: Sérgio Manuel Oliveira Vieira; Rui Borges Lopes

Addresses: DEGEIT, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal ' CIDMA – Center for Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications/DEGEIT, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

Abstract: Lean principles and tools have been increasingly employed in companies across several sectors, with numerous successful implementations both inside and outside production environments. In the case of Portuguese companies, few works have reported the application and corresponding results of lean, and even fewer focusing on small and medium sized companies. This work presents a case study of an implementation of several lean principles and tools in the production sector of a Portuguese medium-sized screw cap manufacturer. Visual management, A3 thinking, and single-minute exchange of die (SMED) were employed to identify and reduce inefficiencies and waste in the shop floor. The implementation of these principles and tools is detailed, showcasing the necessary adjustments for being correctly embedded in the company's culture. Qualitative and quantitative results are presented concerning the case study, where a continuous improvement culture was adhered to and a significant gain in productivity could be observed.

Keywords: lean tools; case study; bottle cap industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2019.102469

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2019 Vol.33 No.2, pp.162 - 180

Received: 26 Jan 2017
Accepted: 03 Feb 2018
Published online: 27 Sep 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article