Challenges and success factors for implementation of lean manufacturing in European SMES

Small and medium-sized enterprises are crucial to value creation in the European economy. The SMEs need continuous improvement initiatives to stay competitive. However, SMEs are less likely to implement lean practices compared to larger companies. Limited research exists on the factors that are vital for succeeding with Lean implementations in SMEs. A case study of Norwegian and Belgium SMEs has been conducted in the European research project ERIP (European Regions for Innovative Productivity). Six critical success factors are suggested, which correspond well with previous research: 1) Ensure strong management involvement. 2) Develop thorough employee participation. 3) Allocate sufficient time for preparing the organisation. 4) Focus on creating motivation to complete initiatives. 5) Build competence internally in the organisation. 6) Establish a performance evaluation system

Implementation of a lean six sigma approach in the manufacturing sector: a systematic literature review

Lean Six Sigma is a continuous improvement methodology that aims to reduce production costs, improve organisational capability, and maximise the value for shareholders. This paper aims to explore the most common themes within LSS in the manufacturing sector, and to identify any gaps in those themes which may be preventing users from getting the most benefit from their LSS strategy. This paper also identifies the gaps in current literature and develops a research agenda for future research into Lean Six Sigma themes. The following research is based on a Systematic Literature Review of 33 papers which were published on LSS in the top journals in the field and other specialist journals, from 2000 to 2012. There are important themes cited in this paper which are; Critical Success Factors, benefits, motivation factors, limitations and impeding factors. However, there are many gaps and limitations that need to be covered in future research

Quality Management Practices in Indian SMEs

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an insight on the status of quality management practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of South India. A survey-based approach was adopted to understand the established quality management practices in the SMEs. A short survey instrument was designed by reviewing the literature on quality management initiatives in SMEs. Sample of 270 manufacturing SMEs across Southern India was selected through stratified random sampling technique. Projects with small teams, management commitment and involvement, communication, and culture change have high influence as success factors in implementing quality initiatives. Overall equipment effectiveness, root cause analysis, bottleneck analysis, and PDCA are often used tools and techniques by the organizations. High cost of training and limited knowledge were the reasons cited for not implementing quality initiatives. The study is an attempt to understand the quality management practices application in SMEs from a specific geographic location. The strength lies in bringing a different perspective from the present studies, whereas specific context of the study limits its generalizability. The findings of this chapter will help the industry to identify current quality management practices in SMEs to focus on improving their performance