Title: Productivity improvement through lean initiatives: a service sector case study in India

Authors: Akhil Chandran; P.G. Saleeshya

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India

Abstract: Lean transformation has already been in use in the manufacturing sector has gained wide acceptance in service sector. Indian economy heavily depends on its service sector. Preliminary study conducted in this sector revealed the emergence of e-commerce has badly affected certain services of the postal systems. So, we felt ahead to assess its performance efficiency. A detailed survey based on specific questionnaires was conducted among employees as well as customers in post offices located in South India. Simultaneously, a field study was done covering various banking systems and courier services. Based on studies and related literature reviews, we developed a new system-based model christened objectivated lean attainment model (OLAM) to assess the performance of postal systems through lean initiatives. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is identified to prioritise factors across different levels of the model. The findings and analysis reveals many important aspects which will enable Indian postal system to provide consistent performance index.

Keywords: Indian postal system; lean; efficiency; productivity; objectivated lean attainment model; OLAM; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2020.107841

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2020 Vol.22 No.2, pp.208 - 228

Received: 12 May 2018
Accepted: 16 Oct 2018
Published online: 24 Jun 2020 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article