Lean manufacturing is a management style aimed at simplifying work by hunting and eliminating waste, where wastes concern activities which absorb resources without creating value. Lean thinking is deep-rooted in the Toyota Production System (TPS), thus conceiving the automotive industry as its native scenario. By implication, the mass production is typically considered a precondition for Lean adoption, although in the last decades change is coming. Indeed, this paradigm is ever more targeted by non-repetitive environments like engineer to order (ETO) companies. Accordingly, the dissertation aims at investigating whether lean practices can perform also in an ETO scenario, by also deepening adaptations they need undergoing to better suit the new context. Meanwhile, the thesis also targets challenges faced by ETO companies while implementing lean techniques, whose variability management and reduction purposes are part of the assessment too. Thus, a systematic literature review was firstly performed to fix such thematic issues. Results mainly reveal a low maturity level of literature about Lean in ETO companies, although the number of papers in recent times unfolds a growing interest towards the topic. Systematic review was then complemented by an empirical research methodology, as to investigate Lean in ETO contexts from a different perspective. A case study was indeed performed by carrying out semi-structured interviews to eight companies belonging to the Italian machinery industry. Results argue that 28 out of 29 lean practices were implemented at least once in the research sample, although they show different occurrences and adoption extents. Plus, specific companies’ attributes seem to impact the usability of some lean practices, and remarkable ETO adaptations are discussed too. Beyond this, techniques registered multiple implementation challenges, and a classification of practices according to variability reduction or management purposes was outlined as well. As further research, it would be interesting to validate empirical findings obtained with a broader and multi- sector sample, by also assessing quantitatively Lean benefits in ETO companies.
Il Lean manufacturing è uno stile di produzione volto a semplificare il lavoro attraverso la ricerca e l’eliminazione degli sprechi, ovvero attività che consumano risorse senza creare valore. Il pensiero Lean affonda le sue radici nel Toyota Production System (TPS), definendo così l'industria automobilistica come suo scenario di origine. La produzione di massa è quindi tipicamente considerata un requisito per l'adozione del Lean, sebbene di recente qualcosa stia cambiando. Infatti, tale approccio è sempre più utilizzato in ambienti non ripetitivi quali le aziende ETO. Pertanto, la tesi si pone l’obiettivo di indagare se le pratiche lean possono essere applicate anche in un contesto ETO, approfondendo anche gli eventuali adattamenti necessari. Inoltre, la tesi esamina anche le difficoltà che insorgono nelle aziende ETO durante l'uso di tecniche lean, così come la conseguente gestione o riduzione della variabilità. È stata quindi inizialmente eseguita una revisione sistematica della letteratura per rispondere a tali quesiti. I risultati, in generale, rivelano una scarsa letteratura sul Lean nelle aziende ETO, anche se il recente numero di articoli dimostra un crescente interesse. La revisione sistematica è stata poi affiancata da un’analisi empirica, così da indagare il Lean in contesti ETO da una diversa prospettiva. È stato infatti svolto un caso di studio intervistando otto aziende appartenenti all'industria meccanica italiana. I risultati dicono che 28 pratiche su 29 sono state implementate almeno una volta nel campione di ricerca, sebbene mostrino diverse frequenze e livelli di adozione. Inoltre, specifici attributi delle aziende sembrano avere un impatto sull'utilizzo di alcune pratiche lean, e interessanti ETO-adattamenti sono stati altrettanto discussi. Le tecniche hanno poi riscontrato molteplici difficoltà, ed è stata anche realizzata una classificazione delle pratiche sulla base della conseguente riduzione o gestione della variabilità. Attraverso ulteriori ricerche, sarebbe interessante validare i risultati empirici ottenuti con un campione più ampio e multisettoriale, analizzando anche quantitativamente i benefici del Lean manufacturing nelle aziende ETO.
Lean management in ETO sector : challenges and solutions
ALBANESE, SAVERIO
2020/2021
Abstract
Lean manufacturing is a management style aimed at simplifying work by hunting and eliminating waste, where wastes concern activities which absorb resources without creating value. Lean thinking is deep-rooted in the Toyota Production System (TPS), thus conceiving the automotive industry as its native scenario. By implication, the mass production is typically considered a precondition for Lean adoption, although in the last decades change is coming. Indeed, this paradigm is ever more targeted by non-repetitive environments like engineer to order (ETO) companies. Accordingly, the dissertation aims at investigating whether lean practices can perform also in an ETO scenario, by also deepening adaptations they need undergoing to better suit the new context. Meanwhile, the thesis also targets challenges faced by ETO companies while implementing lean techniques, whose variability management and reduction purposes are part of the assessment too. Thus, a systematic literature review was firstly performed to fix such thematic issues. Results mainly reveal a low maturity level of literature about Lean in ETO companies, although the number of papers in recent times unfolds a growing interest towards the topic. Systematic review was then complemented by an empirical research methodology, as to investigate Lean in ETO contexts from a different perspective. A case study was indeed performed by carrying out semi-structured interviews to eight companies belonging to the Italian machinery industry. Results argue that 28 out of 29 lean practices were implemented at least once in the research sample, although they show different occurrences and adoption extents. Plus, specific companies’ attributes seem to impact the usability of some lean practices, and remarkable ETO adaptations are discussed too. Beyond this, techniques registered multiple implementation challenges, and a classification of practices according to variability reduction or management purposes was outlined as well. As further research, it would be interesting to validate empirical findings obtained with a broader and multi- sector sample, by also assessing quantitatively Lean benefits in ETO companies.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2021_12_Albanese.pdf
accessibile in internet per tutti
Descrizione: Testo della tesi
Dimensione
4.18 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
4.18 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in POLITesi sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/10589/181839