Dr. Saleeshya P. G.

The concept of lean is ever-expanding and has continuously been researched upon. But, the question of how lean a system is has been frequently overlooked. In this study, we have researched upon the capability of a multi-level model to calculate the leanness of a system based on studies conducted in various manufacturing industries. The major issue studied and addressed in the problem is the evaluation of wastes in the system through the inhibitors of lean manufacturing in an industry. The different levels of the assessment model deal with the lean dimensions in the first and topmost level, the eight major wastes in lean manufacturing in the second level and the inhibiting factors affecting lean behaviour in the final level. Leanness as a metric is then calculated through the implementation of variability source mapping and data envelopment analysis techniques on the specific data collected through our research instrument. The obtained results have been assessed through plotting all dimensions simultaneously on a radar chart for evaluation. The results have been presented and the model's validity has been assessed. Inferences were drawn from findings of the study.

Companies worldwide have now realised that 'customer focus' is what wins the game. As demands of the customer become more and more volatile and unpredictable, they have to stay ahead of their competitors in fulfilling the needs of the customer. The supply chain as a 'unit' has to compete against other supply chains for reaching out and delighting the customer. Responding fast to the changing customer needs has been an intangible factor underlying a successful business. Thus, responsiveness of the supply chain has become the differentiator between the competing supply chains. In this paper, the end-to-end supply chain factors influencing responsiveness are identified from extant literature and a model of responsiveness of the supply chain has been developed by conducting a survey of 204 pump manufacturers. The developed model has been validated through confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling. These findings can help to identify the areas of improvement for the supply chain and may lead to a focused improvement in these areas thus improving responsiveness and profitability.

The paper presents a case study conducted at a surgical equipment manufacturing company, where productivity improvement can be achieved by reducing the lead time required to manufacture their product. Using an important lean tool value stream mapping (VSM) the various wastes that are held up at each stage of manufacturing is identified, from which the most critical waste has been selected using a cost-time profile (CTP). Then a model is developed and solved using regression analysis. Based on the values obtained a cost-time profile is drawn again and compared, which reveals that there is nearly a 50% increase in the overall productivity.

This paper is an outcome of a study carried out in five manufacturing industries. Based on the literature review, field study and industry study a multi-level model which constitute the enablers of agile supply chain, the factors which are identified as the sources of driving force of these enablers has been developed. This model also identifies the business performance indicators (BPIs) of a manufacturing system. The objective of this paper is to identify the most important enablers of agile supply chain and the driving forces behind these enablers in an organisational system. By identifying these factors and forces, an organisation can channel its resources in the most effective way in order to enhance the achievement potential of its different BPIs. Multiple regression and Gauss elimination method are identified as suitable tools for analysis in this study. Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Changing customer and technological requirements force manufactures to develop lean capabilities. Many organisations have adopted lean thinking paradigm in their drive to optimise performance and improve competitive position. In this paper, the application of lean production systems is described in an automotive context. The results reported are based on the data collected from a survey covering around 15 manufacturing companies in India using a standard questionnaire. The study was driven by a conceptual model which relates lean practices to competitive objectives. The method of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to analyse and identify which among the various lean production tools and enablers are likely to have greater impact on realising a lean production system. © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

This paper reports the salient details of a study carried out with the objectives of identifying what makes an organisation agile, identifying various enablers of agility by field study, developing a modelling framework for assessing agility and assessing agility in Indian manufacturing industries. For this purpose, data were collected from Indian manufacturing industries with the help of a questionnaire. The method of analytic hierarchy process was used to analyse and identify which among these factors are likely to have greater impact on realising an agile organisation. This study revealed a number of interesting observations, which are reported in this paper.

An agile supply chain corresponds to the quick responsiveness of an organisation to ever changing market demands without compromising on cost and quality of the product. The textile industry is one such industry having a volatile market demand. This paper is an outcome of a case study conducted in a leading spinning industry in South India. Various enablers and determinants of agility were identified through literature review, field study and industry study. Based on the findings of these studies a multi-level model was developed and the suitability of this model to improve the agility of supply chain was tested. For this, two methodologies - analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and interpretive structural modelling (ISM) were identified as suitable tools. The analysis of the results of AHP and ISM methodologies provide the industry an insight on how the supply chain can be made more agile. Further, the model provides the top management a clear vision of the practices to be implemented and the improvement methods to be adopted by the company for an effective management of supply chains in spinning industries. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

To achieve the status of an agile manufacturer, organisations need to clearly understand the concept of agility related to their industrial and business circumstances and then identify and acquire the appropriate characteristics, which will result in an agile manufacturing organisation. This paper is related to a real-life study carried out in Indian manufacturing organisations to assess the extent to which the agile manufacturing paradigm is recognised and deployed, as this paradigm has been a major objective of many companies. With the help of literature study and a preliminary study of selected industries, a framework was developed which in its schematic form captures and depicts the efforts an organisation may have to put in a concerted manner to enhance its agility. This framework was used to develop a questionnaire with which a survey of Indian manufacturing industries was carried out. The data collected through this questionnaire was analysed by the model developed by the authors. This model helps to determine the measure of agility called effectiveness index for agility at the various hierarchical levels of an organisation. This paper reports the salient details of the model and how it was applied on the data collected from the industry survey. © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.