Effects of lean distributed manufacturing on factory’s resilience: the current practice in UK food manufacturing sector

Abstract

Purpose Lean distributed manufacturing (LDM) is being considered as an enabler of achieving sustainability and resilience in manufacturing and supply chain operations. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of how LDM characteristics affect the resilience of manufacturing companies by drawing upon the experience of food manufacturing companies operating in the UK. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual model to analyse the impact of LDM on the operational resilience of food manufacturing companies. A triangulation research methodology (secondary data analysis, field observations and structured interviews) is used in this study. In a first step, LDM enablers and resilience elements are identified from literature. In a second step, empirical evidence is collected from six food sub-sectors aimed at identifying LDM enablers being practised in companies. Findings The analysis reveals that LDM enablers can improve the resilience capabilities of manufacturing companies at different stages of resilience action cycle, whereas the application status of different LDM enablers varies in food manufacturing companies. The findings include the development of a conceptual model (based on literature) and a relationship matrix between LDM enablers and resilience elements. Practical implications The developed relationship matrix is helpful for food manufacturing companies to assess their resilience capability in terms of LDM characteristics and then formulate action plans to incorporate relevant LDM enablers to enhance operational resilience. Originality/value Based on the literature review, no studies exist that investigate the effects of LDM on factory’s resilience, despite many research studies suggesting distributed manufacturing as an enabler of sustainability and resilience.

A bibliometric review of progress and trends in food factory design research

“…(2018) reported a multidisciplinary decision‐support system that facilitates the design and control of plants such as centralised kitchens to address the complexities of multi‐facility production networks. In recent years, approaches such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing have also attracted attention, as these can increase working capital, eliminate production process defects, reduce process variability, improve production quality and increase profitability (Sánchez‐Rebull et al ., 2020, Ul Haq et al ., 2022). It is well‐known that energy conservation and consumption reduction can provide great economic and environmental benefits for both enterprises and society, and there are many ways to achieve this, such as improving energy utilisation efficiency through the application of measures such as pinch analysis, integrated heat pumps and recovery of low‐grade heat (Tuan et al ., 2012, Miah et al ., 2015).…”