Lean manufacturing in continuous process industry: An empirical study

Abstract

Lean manufacturing is a production strategy for organizational effectiveness focusing on waste reduction and improving productivity through application of various tools. This paper attempts to find out the reasons for sparse adoption of the concept in Indian manufacturing organisations through a cross-sectional survey study. The study highlights knowledge and understanding levels of Indian managers about the concept of lean manufacturing, its adaptability, the driving factors that lead to its adoption, benefits derived thereon and application of lean tools looking into operating environments (whether a continuous or discrete). The study finally concludes with a broad implementation framework for application of lean manufacturing in continuous process industries by emphasizing its key areas of application.