PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an effective methodology for implementing lean manufacturing strategies and a leanness evaluation metric using continuous performance measurement (CPM).Design/methodology/approachBased on five lean principles, a systematic lean implementation methodology for manufacturing organizations has been proposed. A simplified leanness evaluation metric consisting of both efficiency and effectiveness attributes of manufacturing performance has been developed for continuous evaluation of lean implementation. A case study to validate the proposed methodology has been conducted and proposed CPM metric has been used to assess the manufacturing leanness.FindingsProposed methodology is able to systematically identify manufacturing wastes, select appropriate lean tools, identify relevant performance indicators, achieve significant performance improvement and establish lean culture in the organization. Continuous performance measurement matrices in terms of efficiency and effectiveness are proved to be appropriate methods for continuous evaluation of lean performance.Research limitations/implicationsEffectiveness of the method developed has been demonstrated by applying it in a real life assembly process. However, more tests/applications will be necessary to generalize the findings.Practical implicationsResults show that applying the methods developed, managers can successfully identify and remove manufacturing wastes from their production processes. By improving process efficiency, they can optimize their resource allocations. Manufacturers now have a validated step by step methodology for successfully implementing lean strategies.Originality/valueAccording to the authors' best knowledge, this is the first known study that proposed a systematic lean implementation methodology based on lean principles and continuous improvement techniques. Evaluation of performance improvement by lean strategies is a critical issue. This study develops a simplified leanness evaluation metric considering both efficiency and effectiveness attributes and integrates it with the lean implementation methodology.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present supply chain metrics and to propose a fuzzy-based performance evaluation method for lean supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
– To understand the overall performance of cost competitive supply chain the paper investigates the alignment of market strategy and position of the supply chain. Since lean is applicable in many supply chains, the authors propose a set of metrics to evaluate supply chain performance. Moreover, the paper uses a fuzzy model to evaluate the performance of cost competitive supply chains. Fuzzy is an appropriate model method when uncertainty is present. It also allows modelling of a significant number of performance metrics across multiple supply chain elements and processes. Competitive strategy can be achieved by using a different weight calculation for different supply chain situations.
Findings
– Research provides optimal metrics for lean supply chains. The proposed method can measure the performance of lean supply chains using a fuzzy approach and competitive strategies.
Research limitations/implications
– The metrics which have been selected to measure the performance of lean supply chains is particularly applicable for high volume, low-price products.
Practical implications
– By identifying optimal performance metrics and applying performance evaluation methods, managers can predict the overall supply chain performance under lean strategy. By identifying performance for each metric they can also categorize the existing performance and optimise them accordingly.
Originality/value
– This study provides a performance evaluation method for supply chain managers to assess the effects of lean tools and competitive strategies.
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