Lean Indicators for Small Batch Size Manufacturers in High Cost Countries

Abstract

Lean manufacturing is commonly agreed as efficient and competitive performance towards which all manufacturing companies desire to develop<br/>their operations. Literature largely supports this with numerous case studies on various industries and fields, from manufacturing to services and<br/>health business. However, among manufacturing companies of complex products, produced in small batch sizes in high cost countries, most of<br/>the companies have either not achieved lean performance or have only partially benefited from it. There is lack of sufficient descriptions and<br/>measures on how companies, other than mass producers, could achieve and sustain leanness holistically. To address this gap, this paper introduces<br/>a lean manufacturing reference framework situated in the small batch size manufacturing, which emphasises integrated product and production<br/>development, and contingent factors to better align with the demands of manufacturers. The framework is constructed based on literature review<br/>and then validated with Sustainability and Key Performance Indicators Landscape.