If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Structured Abstract:3 Purpose 4The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Total Productive Maintenance 5 (TPM) practices on manufacturing performance of textile and apparel manufacturing firms. 6Design/methodology/approach 7 A self-administered survey questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 236 usable 8 responses resulted in a 78% response rate from 30 textile and apparel firms. Correlation and 9 regression analysis was performed using SPSS software to identify the effect of TPM on 10 manufacturing performance. 11 Findings 12The results show that all the TPM practices have positive and significant relationship with 13 manufacturing performance and significantly improve cost effectiveness, product quality, on-14 time delivery and volume flexibility. 15Research limitations/implications 16 The study was carried out only with the lean implemented textile and apparel manufacturing 17 firms where TPM was formally implemented. 18Practical implications (if applicable) 19 The study presented in this paper offers academics and practitioners a better understanding of 20 the relationship and impact of the TPM practices on the manufacturing performances. Thus 21 practitioners will be able to make better and more effective decisions about the 22 implementation of TPM practices. 23 Originality/value 24 The understanding of the effect of TPM practices on manufacturing performance is timely for 25 labour intensive manufacturing industries such as textile and apparel since it has not been 26 researched adequately. Therefore, findings will impact the global textile and apparel industry 27 positively.28 29 delivery; Volume flexibility 30 attaining the objectives of implementation, lack of training and education, and lack of 1 organizational communication (Crawford, Blackstone and Cox, 1988; Becker, 1993; Ahuja 2 and Khamba, 2008b). 3 Limitations of TPM and understanding of the relationship between TPM and manufacturing 4 performance in high labour intensive and low tech manufacturing industries such as textile 5 and apparel have been limited. Until the abolition of the quota under the Multi Fibre 6 Agreement (MFA) in 2005, textile and apparel firms in Sri Lanka had g...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of lean production practices and lean duration (the duration for which lean production is in operation) on manufacturing performance. Design/methodology/approach The survey was used as the main method of data collection. In addition to survey data collected from 1,189 respondents from export-based textile and apparel firms operating in Sri Lanka, longitudinal data were collected over a period of seven months from a firm in the study sample to corroborate the survey findings. Findings The findings revealed that lean production practices significantly enhance manufacturing performance. Further findings revealed the importance of the duration of lean production in operation in achieving higher levels of manufacturing performance. This provides empirical support for the contention that the adoption of lean production can only be achieved through time. Practical implications Findings have implications for practices of export-based textile and apparel producing countries from Asia, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, which are competing intensively with each other for their market share in the global export-based textile and apparel production. Originality/value Manufacturing firms are adopting production methods and management practices to become leaner and fitter to create a new labour intensive production model that generate distinctive internal capabilities for survival and growth in international markets. Academics and practitioners in the field of manufacturing technologies will be interested in better understanding how lean production practices would enhance manufacturing performance from a non-western developing country context.

The literature suggests that the bottom-line changes often cited in lean implementation success stories, such as reduced inventories and faster flow times, are not the only results that should be considered. The potential detrimental effects on employees should be considered as well, or turnover and morale problems may sabotage the effectiveness of such implementations. However, the ways in which lean production environment influence employee behavior has received scant empirical attention. The aim of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of job involvement on the relationship between perceived organizational support and turnover intention in the lean production in Sri Lanka. A random sample of 616 shop-floor employees engaged full-time in export-apparel manufacturing firms that have implemented a formal lean production system in the whole manufacturing function and it has become the standard of operation for at least 1 year in Sri Lanka responded. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. It was found that job involvement partially mediates the relationship between perceived organisational support and turnover intention. The findings provide useful information to better understand employee perceptions toward lean production environment and the findings will be a source of general guidance in stimulating future research in this area

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of perceived organizational support (POS) on the relationship between participation in decision making (PDM) and effective commitment, and PDM and job satisfaction in lean production in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – A random sample of 616 shop-floor employees engaged full-time in export-apparel manufacturing firms, which have implemented a formal lean production system in the whole manufacturing function and where lean production has become the standard of operation for at least one year in Sri Lanka, responded. Regression analysis was used to test hypotheses. Findings – It was found that POS moderates the relationship between PDM and effective commitment, and PDM and job satisfaction. Originality/value – The literature suggests that the bottom-line changes often cited in lean implementation success stories, such as reduced inventories and faster flow times, are not the only results that should be considered. The potential detrimental effects on employees should be considered as well, or turnover and morale problems may sabotage the effectiveness of such implementations. However, the manner in which the lean production environment influences employee behavior has received scant empirical attention. The findings of this study provide interesting implications to practice and will be a source of general guidance in stimulating future research in this area

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