Employees’ Perception on Lean Production System Implementation: A Case of Malaysia Automotive Component Manufacturer

Abstract

Stiff competitions, fluctuation in demand and changes in customer preferences have prompted the automotive component manufacturers worldwide to enhance their manufacturing system. Lean Production System (LPS) is a proven method used by many automotive component manufacturers to maintain their competitiveness. Although research on lean implementation has been conducted extensively, there is still a limited number of studies on the LPS implementation from the employees’ point of view. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the LPS implementation from the employees’ perspectives in an automotive component manufacturer in Malaysia. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in this study. A survey questionnaire was developed from previous literature and distributed to 50 middle and lower level employees. The questionnaire was pilot-tested by the employees and also verified by the industry experts. Structured interviews with 25 employees were conducted to determine their perceptions and problems encountered during the LPS implementation. The result of the study revealed that majority of the employees in this company were only aware of 5S and Kaizen although there are many other LPS tools which are also useful to them. However, the employees agreed that the LPS give many benefits in the workplace. Another finding was Employee Involvement (EI) in the LPS was mostly in the form of sharing responsibility with their co-workers. Problems were due to the lack of knowledge and training in the LPS among the employees. Greater effort should be taken by the company to ensure successful LPS implementation and its sustainability over time.

Importance of first-line employees in lean implementation in SMEs: a systematic literature review

“…Successful lean implementation requires high commitment and engagement from FLEs, which builds upon supportive management, sufficient and appropriate training and education, careful involvement in problem-solving and decision-making with a balanced job demands-resources design and suitable appraisal and reward systems. FLEs often perceive lean as extensively controlling and coercive with inappropriate demands for technical knowledge and problem-solving skills, causing fear, loss of confidence and resistance to the implementation (Antomarioni et al , 2020; Che Mamat et al , 2014; Conti et al , 2006; Shokri et al , 2016). A lean awareness program, sufficient training and engagement with external consultancy support the understanding of the lean philosophy and fundamentals and raise FLEs’ motivation and confidence as a precondition for commitment and engagement to lean (Longoni et al , 2013; Vidal, 2007; Vilda et al , 2019).…”

“…Individual workers' uneven contributions and involvement may lead to resentment and decreased efficacy of lean teams (Procter and Radnor, 2014). This is especially important for inexperienced shop-floor workers in SMEs, who might not be given a chance to be involved in decision-making or problem-solving (Che Mamat et al , 2014), calling for careful involvement and “respect for workers” (de Treville and Antonakis, 2006). At the heart of lean production, teamwork allows employees to receive feedback, share issues and provide support (Conti et al , 2006).…”

RFID impacts on barriers affecting lean manufacturing

“…This inability of lean implementation created a curiosity among researchers to determine why this failure regarding the lean sustainability occurs and tried to find barriers that are affecting its implementation (Martinez-Jurado and Moyano-Fuentes, 2014; Rose et al , 2013a). After in-depth research, the key barriers identified from different studies are lack of lean implementation knowledge, company culture and management attitude, which further create ambiguities like longer lead times, unbalanced inventory control and unstable customer handling (Behrouzi and Wong, 2011; Che Mamat et al , 2014). The reason of these problems are poor employee attitude, unavailability of real-time data information, operational invisibility and lack of understanding of key concepts (Rose et al , 2013a; Eswaramoorthi et al , 2011; Yadav et al , 2010).…”