Approaches and practices of lean manufacturing: the case of electrical and electronics companies

Abstract

Lean manufacturing is now one of the most powerful manufacturing systems in the world. Numerous plantsaround the world have attempted to implement or adopt it to enhance their efficiency. However, little studiesregarding lean manufacturing have been done in Malaysia especially in the electrical and electronicsindustry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the approach of adopting lean, the tools and techniquesimplemented, the changes in the organizations, the problems encountered as well as the lessons learnt. Thispaper describes the results and findings of four industrial case studies conducted in different electrical andelectronics companies in Malaysia. Interviews were conducted with the key personnel to answer some issueswhich were crucial in this study. Comparisons and discussion were made among the case companies. One ofthe key findings obtained is that people in the organization should possess the lean mindset and act in thelean way in order to make a lean initiative successful. This is perhaps the first study that investigates theactual implementation of lean manufacturing in the Malaysian electrical and electronics industry. Theinformation presented in this paper can be used or emulated by other companies in the same industry toimprove their operational performance.