Title: Critical factors for sustaining lean manufacturing in the long-term: a multi-method study

Authors: Natalia Roberta Lopes; Moacir Godinho Filho; Gilberto Miller Devós Ganga; Guilherme Luz Tortorella; Mario Henrique Bueno Moreira Callefi; Bruna Tamara de Lima

Addresses: Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz km 235, São Carlos, Brazil ' Metis Lab, Department of Supply Chain Management and Decision Sciences, EM Normandie Business School, 20 Quai Frissard, 76600 Le Havre, France; Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz km 235, São Carlos, Brazil ' Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz km 235, São Carlos, Brazil ' Department of Systems and Production Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil; School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia ' Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, State University of Maringá, Avenida Reitor Zeferino Vaz, Goioerê, Brazil; Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz km 235, São Carlos, Brazil ' Graduate Program in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luiz km 235, São Carlos, Brazil

Abstract: In recent years, lean manufacturing (LM) has been used to improve the operational performance of organisations by improving the productivity, quality and profitability of their operations. However, some authors claim that these organisations are struggling to implement and maintain lean initiatives in a sustainable way over time. This paper proposes a list of critical factors for sustaining LM in the long-term. We used a multi-method research approach. First, we generated a list of critical factors for sustaining LM in the long-term using the systematic literature review approach. Subsequently, interviews with experts were used to refine these factors. Following this, two case studies were performed, and the results passed through another round of interviews with experts to ensure the robustness of the results. The main result of the research is a list of 19 LM sustainability factors. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first research to propose a scientifically validated list of critical factors for sustaining LM. The contribution of this work lies in consolidating the lean sustainability factors widely found in the literature. In practical terms, the proposed list can guide managerial efforts towards sustaining lean in the long-term. [Submitted: 22 April 2021; Accepted: 29 December 2021]

Keywords: lean; lean manufacturing; sustainability; multi-method research; continuous improvement.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIE.2023.127740

European Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2023 Vol.17 No.1, pp.60 - 89

Received: 22 Apr 2021
Accepted: 29 Dec 2021
Published online: 15 Dec 2022 *

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