The adoption of lean manufacturing (LM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is not as vigorous as in large organizations. This purpose of this study is to assess the maturity level of LM implementation in the machinery and equipment (ME) SMEs. The close-ended survey questionnaire method was adopted in three Malaysian manufacturing ME SMEs, and data was collected for the descriptive analysis. The findings showed that these case companies are generally at a low-to-moderate level in terms of LM understanding. Meanwhile, the extent of LM implementation and the success level is still moderate. The proposed LM conceptual model provides valuable perspectives and establishes a holistic understanding of the phenomena in LM maturity status for ME SMEs. The proper synchronization of LM understanding, implementation, and success are vital to building the strong LM maturity foundation for lean organizational transformation. It serves as useful guidance and strategic framework to other companies in dealing with the operational excellence challenges. The significance of this study will help ME SMEs to identify their current position and promote progress in the lean application journey. This will benefit the management team and lean practitioners in decision-making and enhance tactics to attain a higher level of success.

This study aims to explore the predominant critical success factors (CSFs) for the implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) producing machinery and equipment (M&E). The convergent parallel mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) were employed in three Malaysian M&E manufacturing SMEs. The study identified four predominant CSFs that significantly impact on the LM application in M&E manufacturing SMEs, namely, leadership and commitment of the top management, training to upgrade skills and expertise, employee involvement and empowerment, and the development of LM implementation framework for SMEs. This study can assist the M&E manufacturing SMEs in prioritising these predominant CSFs so that the management teams can work on the improvement strategy and achieve a higher level of lean sustainability. It offers valuable insights into the LM implementation that could provide a practical reference guide to other industrial companies.

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End-of-life vehicles (ELV) management is becoming a global concern in the automotive industry. However, there is still limited study on supply chain optimisation that focusses on specific ELV treatments. Therefore, this mini-review article analyses the supply chain optimisation for recycling and remanufacturing sustainable management in ELV. A total of 51 papers were reviewed from the year 2016 to 2021. The key topics in each article were assessed and classified into various themes, followed by the content analysis. The percentage breakdown for the six main themes are ELV recovery management system (37.25%), reverse logistic network design (29.41%), ELV economy analysis (15.69%), government regulation or subsidies (7.84%), ELV quantity forecast (5.88%) and ELV part design (3.92%). It can be concluded that ELV recovery management and reverse logistic network design are the top two key focusses of supply chain optimisation priorities that have been extensively applied to improve ELV development. The literature gap has shown that the study on remanufacturing in the ELV supply chain is minimal compared to recycling. The classification of ELV recycling and remanufacturing supply chain optimisation in this study will be beneficial in supporting real-life problem-solving for industrial applications. This study serves as a valuable reference guide to identifying more sustainable solutions in ELV management and promoting the critical focus area for academicians and industry players.

The end-of-life vehicles (ELV) issue has become an essential topic in the fast-growing automotive industry. This study utilizes comprehensive content analysis to critically review the recent ELV research developments and underpinning issues in Malaysia. Fifty relevant ELV studies in Malaysia from the year 2006 to 2021 are selected and categorized based on three innovative sub-elements (product, process, system) of sustainable manufacturing. The literature review findings show that sustainable product recovery and recyclability issues in ELV treatments are still a major concern. Current studies overlook specific research on sustainable and integrated processes for ELV treatment. There is still lack of detailed ELV implementation framework equipped with the documented procedures and appropriate industrial practices in the ELV ecosystem to optimize the ELV supply chain. ELV policy is yet to be enacted in Malaysia, and public awareness of ELV is still low. There is inadequate alignment in ELV research developments with the current National Automotive Policy 2020 in Malaysia. The proposed integrated conceptual model will provide an extensive overview for scholars, policy-makers, and ELV stakeholders to implement appropriate actions to improve present ELV businesses in line with the public readiness to enact the potential ELV directives or legislation in Malaysia.