Tarcisio Abreu Saurin

Implementing lean production systems: research areas and opportunities for future studies

The increasing use of lean production (LP) by companies from several sectors has substantially increased the amount of publications and different emphases on the subject, which amplifies the need for organisation of that knowledge. This article aims to identify the research areas on LP implementation and to propose research opportunities. The literature review was based on 102 studies published in the years between 1996 and 2012. The studies were divided into six research areas, named: (a) structure and scope of LP systems; (b) factors that influence in the LP implementation; (c) methods for implementing LP systems; (d) LP assessment methods; (e) results of implementing LP systems; and (f) adaptation of LP to particular sectors. The findings suggested that the substantial increase on the amount of publications on LP implementation has created fragmented and dissociated areas that would benefit from integration.

A framework for assessing the use of lean production practices in manufacturing cells

This study introduces a framework for assessing the use of lean production (LP) practices in manufacturing cells (MCs). The development of the framework included four stages: (a) defining LP practices applicable to MC, based on criteria such as the inclusion of practices that workers could observe, interact with and use on a daily basis; (b) defining attributes for each practice, emphasising the dimensions which were typical of their implementation in LP environments; (c) defining a set of evidence and sources of evidence for assessing the existence of each attribute–the sources of evidence included direct observations, analysis of documents, interviews and a feedback meeting to validate the assessment results with company representatives; (d) drawing up a model of the relationships among the LP practices, based on a survey with LP experts. This model supports the identification of improvement opportunities in MC performance based on the analysis of their interfaces. A case study of an MC from an automobile parts supplier is presented to illustrate the application of the framework.

Safety and production: an integrated planning and control model

A safety planning and control model (SPC) has been integrated into the production planning and control process. The model integrates safety into three hierarchical levels of production control. Safety long‐term planning starts with the preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) of construction processes. These plans are detailed and updated at both medium‐ and short‐term planning levels. The main performance measure adopted for safety evaluation at the short‐term level is the Percentage of Safe Work Packages (PSW). It monitors the degree in which work packages are safely carried out. The model also proposes a participatory mechanism that allows workers to point out existing risks as well as to evaluate risk controls. This paper discusses two empirical studies in which the model was implemented in industrial construction projects.

A systematic literature review of resilience engineering: Research areas and a research agenda proposal

Abstract Resilience engineering (RE) has been advocated as a new safety management paradigm, compatible with the nature of complex socio-technical systems. This study aims to identify the research areas and to propose a research agenda for RE, based on a systematic literature review that encompasses 237 studies from 2006 to 2014. Six research areas are identified: theory of RE; identification and classification of resilience; safety management tools; analysis of accidents; risk assessment; and training. The area “theory of RE” accounted for 52% of the studies, and it indicates that research has emphasized the description of how resilient performance occurs. The proposal for a research agenda is focused on: refining key constructs; positioning RE in relation to other theories; exploring other research strategies in addition to case-based studies; investigating barriers for implementing RE; and balancing the importance on describing and understanding resilience with the emphasis on the design of resilient systems, and the evaluation of these designs.

A complex systems theory perspective of lean production

Lean production (LP) has been increasingly adopted in complex systems, such as healthcare and construction sites. However, little is known of the extent to which the lean philosophy matches the nature of those systems, which have different characteristics of complexity in comparison with manufacturing plants, in which LP was originated. This article analyses the extent to which LP is compatible with the nature of complex systems, as a basis for the identification of learning opportunities for LP from complex systems theory (CST). As a framework for this analysis, both the prescriptions from LP and CST for designing systems are compared in terms of their potential impact on a set of characteristics of complex systems. Examples of how LP may learn from CST are identified as well as examples of how CST may help to tackle common difficulties in LP implementation.

Contextual factors and lean production implementation in the Brazilian automotive supply chain

Purpose This paper aims to understand the patterns of lean production implementation, and the relationship between three context factors (i.e. firm size, positions within the supply chain and time length of the lean initiative) and the adoption of lean production practices in firms of the automotive supply chain in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 65 companies of the automotive supply chain in Brazil. For data analysis, first a cluster analysis was performed to identify common characteristics in the companies’ context factors when considering patterns of lean implementation. Then, multivariate analysis of variance was used to investigate the differences between the context factors and the degree of use of lean practices. Findings High lean adopters had better performance than low lean adopters in terms of lead time, inventory and turnover. Firms at the first and second tier of the automotive supply chain were “leaner” than firms at the third tier. Large-sized firms were more likely to have a higher degree of use of lean practices than medium and smaller ones. Some, but not all, lean practices followed these patterns. Results also showed that some lean practices were most commonly adopted at the beginning of the lean journey, whereas others took more time to mature. Originality/value This paper demonstrated how lean practices were implemented at different positions within the supply chain, and the patterns of implementation often followed. It also considers lean in the context of developing countries such as Brazil.

Classification and relationships between risks that affect lean production implementation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to classify the risks that affect the lean production implementation (LPI) process, and to demonstrate how that classification can help to identify the relationships between the risks. Design/methodology/approach – Initially, a survey was conducted to identify the probability and impact of 14 risks in LPI, which had been identified based on a literature review. The sample comprised 57 respondents, from companies in the south of Brazil. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out to analyze the results of the survey, allowing the identification of three groups of risks in LPI. Then, a case study was conducted in one of the companies represented in the survey, in order to identify examples of relationships between the risks. Multiple sources of evidence were used in the case study, such as interviews, observations and documents analysis. Findings – The risks that affect LPI were grouped into three categories: management of the process of LPI, top and middle...

Managing barriers to lean production implementation: context matters

As the barriers to lean production implementation (LPI) are influenced by the context, the search for generalisable barriers, relationships, priorities and control measures is to some extent elusive. This study introduces a framework for managing barriers to LPI in specific companies, which is comprised of five stages: (i) description of the context; (ii) identification of the barriers; (iii) analysis of the influence of the context on the barriers; (iv) analysis of the relationships among the barriers using interpretive structural modelling – this sets a basis for prioritising the barriers; and (v) a feedback meeting to discuss the results of data collection, which also informs on the development of an action plan to control the barriers. The use of the framework is illustrated by a case study of a manufacturing plant. Data collection involved interviews, observations and document analysis. A follow-up visit to the company was conducted 18 months after the initial data collection, in order to identify changes in the context. The framework is a contribution in terms of prescriptive theory related to LPI, and is also a means for the generation of data for developing descriptive theory related to the barriers to LPI.

Identificação de oportunidades de pesquisa a partir de um levantamento da implantação da produção enxuta em empresas do Brasil e do exterior

This paper presents a survey on the lean production (LP) implementation process in 47 Brazilian and foreign companies. Among the main results, the survey pointed out that the respondents are mostly interested in learning about lean organizational culture and value stream mapping. The main drivers for adopting LP are improving competitiveness and the fact that LP is adequate to solve critical production problems. People resistance to changes and difficulties to adapt concepts and practices are the main difficulties during LP implementation. The most frequently used practices are work standardization and visual management. Pull production implementation is the practice of highest priority. The results of this survey, along with the observation data collected during visits to some of the investigated companies, permitted the identification of research opportunities on LP implementation, which are summarized at the end of this article. Resumo: Este artigo apresenta um levantamento do processo de implantacao da Producao Enxuta (PE) em 47 empresas do Brasil e do exterior. Entre os principais resultados, o levantamento revelou que: os temas de maior interesse em ampliar conhecimentos sao a cultura organizacional enxuta e o mapeamento do fluxo de valor; os principais motivos para adotar a PE sao a necessidade de melhorar a competitividade e a adequacao da PE ao combate de problemas criticos da producao; as principais dificuldades na implantacao da PE sao a resistencia das pessoas e a dificuldade na adaptacao de conceitos e praticas; as praticas mais utilizadas sao a padronizacao do trabalho e o gerenciamento visual; a producao puxada e a pratica prioritaria no momento. Os resultados deste levantamento, aliados a observacoes realizadas durante visitas em algumas das empresas, permitiram a identificacao de necessidades e oportunidades para pesquisas sobre a implantacao da PE, as quais sao sumarizadas no final do artigo. Palavras-chave: Producao enxuta. Questionario. Avaliacao de empresas.

How a cockpit calculates its speeds and why errors while doing this are so hard to detect

Recent incidents have shown that the production of take-off speeds is an activity vulnerable to miscalculations with a potential for disastrous outcomes. The aim of this paper is to analyze the calculation of the take-off speeds in a modern airline cockpit as a distributed cognitive activity in order to identify possible vulnerabilities in this process. We took the cockpit as the joint cognitive system under analysis and conducted an ethnographic study based on documental analysis, flight observations, interviews, and the analysis of 22 events involving failures related to the calculation of take-off speeds. The main argument is that the cognitive systems engineering perspective, with less focus on the human contribution than it is common in investigations, levels people and artifacts in the system as equal contributors to its eventual performance. Our analysis identified four assertions regarding vulnerabilities in the process of take-off speeds calculation: (1) representations at the level of the cockpit are always partial and incomplete; (2) some interactions require interpretation rather than institution; (3) interactions of agents do not follow a canonical process of coordination; (4) the control of the prevention of failures is accurate but inadequate. These vulnerabilities are a matter of interactions among cognitive systems in the cockpit, rather than vulnerabilities of individual agents, such as humans or artifacts.