Investigating the influence of lean manufacturing approach on environmental performance: A systematic literature review

The growing emphasis on environmental sustainability has drawn considerable attention from both academia and industry practitioners. Factors such as escalating energy costs, heightened environmental degradation, and a burgeoning market demand for eco-friendly practices have compelled businesses to reassess their strategies through a green lens. Given that Lean principles are rooted in optimising operations to minimise waste across design and production processes, their synergy with the green paradigm is evident. However, despite the intuitive connection between Lean methodologies and environmental sustainability, the scholarly exploration of their impact remains largely underdeveloped. This research seeks to bridge this gap by conducting a comprehensive systematic literature review to dissect the current understanding of Lean manufacturing practices and their influence on environmental sustainability performance. The selected papers were meticulously screened and grouped into three clusters using the PRISMA diagram methodology. The primary objective was to discern the tangible effects of Lean practices on eco-efficiency performance and explore integrating Lean manufacturing principles with broader sustainable manufacturing approaches. A structured matrix was created to categorise and visualise the identified impacts gleaned from the initial articles. Nevertheless, the review revealed significant gaps in understanding, particularly regarding the factors that shape the efficacy of Lean manufacturing tools in enhancing eco-efficiency performance. The findings underscore the need for further research to unravel these complexities and delineate the mechanisms through which Lean practices contribute to environmental sustainability. Several avenues for future research have been delineated, focusing on how Lean manufacturing practices can be leveraged to support eco-efficiency performance effectively. While the preliminary findings shed light on the promising intersection between Lean principles and environmental sustainability, they also underscore the imperative for continued scholarly inquiry to unlock the full potential of Lean methodologies in fostering a greener industrial landscape

Implementation of lean in IT SME company: an Italian case

Purpose: In spite of huge advancement of Lean in the manufacturing sector, its advantage in the service sector is not fully investigated. The purpose of this paper is to cover this gap in particular for the information technology (IT) sector through the implementation of the Lean philosophy in a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), operating in the IT sector. Design/methodology/approach: A case study is conducted and following the A3 model, Lean is deployed in the case company. Data were collected through on-site interviews, waste sources were identified and then countermeasures for their reduction were proposed and adopted. Findings: This study reveals that the implementation of the Lean practices in an SME operating in the IT sector offers good operative and financial results, thanks to the higher productivity obtained through the reduction of non-value-added activities. Research limitations/implications: This paper reports a single case study, not enough to generalize the results. Moreover, more Lean tools and practices should be tested in IT companies to assess their effectiveness. Practical implications: This paper increments the knowledge base for the application of Lean and A3 model outside the manufacturing industry. This paper should assist practitioners and consultants who have the desire to understand a better way of Lean implementation in fast-growing IT industry and in SME. Originality/value: Research on Lean implementation in an SME company and in IT sector is scarce. This study aims to assess the efficiency of the adoption of Lean practices following the A3 model. The results could be highly valuable for similar companies (dimension or sector), especially those that are facing transition situations in terms of size and at the same time want to improve their operations performance, efficiency and avoid waste

Collaborative supplier development for Lean implementation: a case study

Enterprises face numerous barriers when dealing with Lean implementation campaigns, especially if the companies’ dimensions are small. Recent studies highlighted the struggles of small firms in dealing with Lean implementation barriers, but few discussed the importance of collaborative supply chain relationships to overcome these barriers. This article depicts a case study undertaken in a company that shows how a collaborative customer-supplier relationship can help small-medium enterprises enter the Lean philosophy. The methodology used in this paper is a case study carried out in one Italian mechanical company working mainly as a tier-two supplier in the automotive sector. The implementation of Lean in this firm was prompted and actively supported by a tier-one automotive firm settled in Italy. The outcome of this paper depicts a successful Lean implementation in an SME thanks to the use of Lean Thinking tools, the collaborative relationship between customer-supplier and the support given by the first to the latter. This research limit lies in using a single case study and the lack of a long-term study period. This paper can help managers, practitioners, and firms understand the potentiality and opportunities given by the collaboration between different supply chain actors, ensuring a successful Lean implementation

Industry 4.0 digital technologies enhancing sustainability: Applications and barriers from the agricultural industry in an emerging economy

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Introducing Lean practices through simulation: A case study in an Italian SME

Lean is a management paradigm that focuses on respect for people and promises improvement in a company’s performance across sectors and sizes. SMEs, in particular, are a point of interest, considering that their malleability in bureaucracy allows for a more significant margin of continuous improvement application. Several organizational theories have gained advantages from technological innovation, and Lean is no exception. The relationships between Lean and new technologies have been studied throughout the years and gained particular interest in the years when Lean started to be integrated with Industry 4.0 (I4.0) to enhance firms’ performance. This article would like to take that discussion from a different point of view, that of I4.0's impact on proving the importance of implementing Lean in manufacturing companies. Through a mixed-method approach of case study and Simulation, this article will answer the identified research question: "How do Lean tools and their integration impact SMEs’ process performance?" by showing the importance of implementing Lean tools in a non-Lean company. The results show that Simulation can identify the Lean tools that benefit the company’s performance most. Managers could benefit from this study by highlighting which tool or combination to invest in according to the impact on operational performance

A D-Band 16-Element Phased-Array Transceiver in 55-nm BiCMOS

A 16-element 140-160-GHz phased array transceiver is reported. The chipset is fabricated using STMicroelectronics' 55-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. Five different chips are implemented: a 4-channel transmitter with a maximum gain per channel of 15 dB and 0-dBm saturated output power; a 4-channel receiver with a maximum gain of 8 dB, a -10.4-dBm input 1-dB compression point (IP1 dB), and a minimum noise figure (NF) of 15.6 dB per channel; a 0-1-GHz to 140-160-GHz I/Q up-converter with integrated frequency doubler, exhibiting a -13.5-dB conversion gain (CG) and -6-dBm output 1-dB compression point using a 70-80-GHz local oscillator (LO); a 140-160-GHz to 0-1-GHz I/Q down-converter with integrated frequency doubler, exhibiting a CG of 0 dB and IP1 dB of 0 dBm using a 70-80-GHz LO and an 11.67-13.33-GHz to 70-80-GHz x6 frequency multiplier for the LO, delivering 5.6-dBm maximum output power. The chips are assembled together with 16 cavity-backed aperture-coupled patch antennas using a high-performance and low-cost commercial PCB, supported over a heat sink. The main challenges encountered during the integration of the proposed system are also discussed. The complete system is used to build a wireless radio link in the laboratory, demonstrating 2-D beam steering in a range of +/- 30 degrees