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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Challenges in the transformation to lean production from different manufacturing-process choices: a path-dependent perspective
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Patricia Deflorin
  • M Scherrer-Rathje
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published electronically before print/final form (Epub ahead of print)
Language
  • English
Journal Title International Journal of Production Research
Publisher Taylor & Francis
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 0020-7543
Page Range 1 - 19
Date 2011
Date Annual Report 2011
Abstract Text The implementation of lean production remains popular among industrial companies, and the requirement for individualised steps in its implementation is widely accepted; however, research has not yet considered the different process choices available to the companies. The conclusions drawn from the automotive industry’s mass production environment may be misleading, given the different conditions of many other industries. We therefore compare case data from a craft producer with the rich, case-study based literature of mass producer companies that highlight the transformation from mass to lean production. We derive a list of specific challenges a craft producer must approach using a different strategy than a mass producer. This study adds to the lean production theory by demonstrating how different manufacturing process choices influence the lean transformation process and its successful implementation. It provides specific propositions concerning the transformation to lean by considering the different processes of craft and mass production companies. Furthermore, the case study gives an in-depth understanding of the challenges a craft-oriented company faces when becoming lean.
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