Title: Effective toolbox for lean service implementation

Authors: Wenchao Song, Kim Hua Tan, Andrej Baranek

Addresses: Vereco Beijing Representative Office, Room no. 1015, Fortune West, No. 58, Caihuying, Fengtai District, Beijing 100054, PR China. ' Nottingham University Business School, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK. ' Nottingham University Business School, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK

Abstract: Fierce competition in global economy has led to a change in service operation management. Researches argue that lean approach could be used to tackle issues such as how to lower operating cost and increase customer satisfaction. The key questions are what tools and processes can be used to implement the lean effectively and efficiently in service operations. This paper focuses on the study of effective lean toolbox available in service industries. It aims to improve the understanding of the lean tools and techniques and how these could be applied successfully in service operations to prevent the wastes in their operations.

Keywords: lean services; lean toolbox; effective implementation; service operations management; waste prevention; lean impact.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSS.2009.021663

International Journal of Services and Standards, 2009 Vol.5 No.1, pp.1 - 16

Published online: 30 Nov 2008 *

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