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The purpose of this paper is to review decision support system application trend in manufacturing sector. Following the introduction of decision support system, the paper has discussed the application of decision support system in manufacturing sector and identifies the trend in term of decision support system types and their application types. In year 2011 until 2015, the most preferred decision support system were developed by using the model application. It also been found that, most of the developed decision support system are used to support evaluation activities in manufacturing operations. This review provides research trend on decision support system for the recent five years (2011 -2015) in the context of decision support system application in manufacturing industry.

This study aims to empirically investigate the impact of sustainable manufacturing practices (SMP) on sustainability performance (SP) among manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Drawing from the theoretical lenses of stakeholder theory, the present study advocates the three pillars of sustainability, encompassing economic, environmental, and social sustainability, in measuring firm performance. Using PLS-SEM approach, the survey data collected from 150 firms were analyzed. The findings reveal that both underlying variables of SMP, internal SMP and external SMP, have positive and significant impact on environmental and social sustainability. Surprisingly, while internal SMP proof the significant positive influence on economic sustainability, external SMP failed to do so. Theoretically, the study contributes to the sustainable manufacturing literature by demonstrating the relationship between SMP and sustainability performance (SP). Practically, the study is beneficial for practitioners in understanding the diverse aspects of SMP and SP, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of their current SMP, and provides a guideline in improving their performance.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in the economic development of Malaysia, accounting for approximately 97.3% of businesses in the country. While there is a plethora of studies which examine the commitments of large and multinational firms towards business sustainability, little is known about the efforts of SMEs to translate their strategic orientation towards environmental and social sustainability into action. It is important to examine the extent of SMEs' response to the imperatives of becoming sustainable businesses through the implementation of sustainable manufacturing practice (SMP) in their business operations. The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent of the implementation of SMP among SMEs in Malaysia. Analysing survey data from 127 SMEs, the results show that the extent of the implementation of SMP among them is low to moderate. This implies that although environmental initiatives are becoming important nowadays, there is still a lack of implementation of SMP in the operational and business activities of SMEs in Malaysia. As well as offering some insights into SMP, particularly in the context of SMEs, this study provides a useful reference for salient stakeholders, such as the government and industrial practitioners, for making decisions and taking further action related to the strategies of nurturing, implementing and enforcing environmental protection and social well-being.

Nowadays, manufacturing high product variety is essential for manufacturing companies in order to be sustainable in a volatile market. However, maintaining a shorter lead time in manufacturing operations is also crucial as the speed delivery becomes one of the manufacturing competitive priorities. Motivated by this issue, this study aims to develop a model of Time Loss (TL) for sub-assembly processes in automotive industry. In relation to this, critical elements of TL will be clearly justified through a thorough analysis of literature study in the aspects of Man, Machine, Method, and Material (4M). In this study, the critical elements of TL is defined as an unnecessary activity that needs to be eliminated or minimized. The relationships between the critical elements of TL are clarified through the flow of activities involved in the concept of manufacturing input-output. Finally, the critical elements of TL are compared to the existing non-financial manufacturing performance measures presented in isolated models (e.g. leanness, agility, responsiveness, etc.). Results of the analysis show that the critical elements of TL can be represented as a holistic performance measure of manufacturing operations that includes leanness, agility, fitness, responsiveness, flexibility, and sustainability.