Exploration and prioritization of lean techniques in a hotel supply chain

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for identification, categorization and prioritization of lean techniques adopted in a hotel supply chain. Design/methodology/approach A survey tool is used for the identification of lean techniques that are relevant to a hotel supply chain. The targeted sample includes experts from 50 four- and five-star hotels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that confirmed experience in implementing lean practices across hotels supply chain. A Supplier-Inputs-Process-Outputs-Customers (SIPOC) chart and experts’ opinion are used to allocate and categorize the identified lean techniques across the construct of the hotel supply chain. Finally, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to prioritize the criteria and sub-criteria of adopted lean techniques. Findings Study results have identified six main categories of lean practices and 19 specific lean techniques as relevant to a hotel supply chain. The identified categories include JIT, Kaizen, Quality, Inventory, Maintenance and Standardization. The study found that JIT and Kaizen take the top priority among the identified categories of lean practices. In line with that, on-time service to customers, effective improvement system and on-time delivery from suppliers were found to be the three most relevant lean techniques to a hotel supply chain. Research limitations/implications The study has targeted a representative sample of hotels with experience in implementing lean practices. Study findings have several implications to researchers and practitioners for effective adoption of lean techniques within a hotel supply chain. However, the accuracy and credibility of results obtained from this research including SIPOC allocation and lean categorization are highly dependent on the accuracy and credibility of collected empirical data from surveyed hotels within the study context. Results of AHP prioritization also depend on the credibility of judgements made by the hotels’ supply chain experts. Practical implications The study provides the hospitality industry with a structured approach that can help in a prioritized adoption of most relevant lean techniques across the hotel supply chain to reduce wastes, create value, increase efficiency and improve the service level. Study findings can be used by hotel management to direct and focus the effort of lean capacity building, resources allocation and implementation plans. Originality/value Limited research is available on lean management in the context of a hotel supply chain. Also, most of the previous research is focused on lean impacts, while academics and practitioners agree that the identification and prioritization of most relevant lean techniques is crucial to the successful implementation of lean management for waste reduction and value creation. This research addresses this important issue in hotel supply chains and proposes a structured approach for effective lean adoption.

Assessment of lean-green practices on the sustainable performance of hotel supply chains

“…Apparently, these two lean practices were not viewed by the specialists of hotel supply chains to be of effective impact on the 3BL performance. This can be explained based on the nature of hotels supply chains in which inventory control systems and standardization of processes are not well utilized yet compared to manufacturing systems (Li and Found, 2016; Mollenkopf et al , 2010; Al-Aomar and Hussain, 2018b). Kaizen, quality and productive maintenance were found to be of a higher impact as they can be directly linked to economic sustainability (i.e.…”

“…As indicated by Mollenkopf et al (2010), lean practices are becoming increasingly difficult to implement and sustain as supply chains increase in complexity and length. Thus, as discussed in Al-Aomar and Hussain (2018b), the exploration of relevant lean techniques and their effective adoption are crucial to the successful implementation of lean in hotel supply chains. However, although most researchers agree that adopting lean methodology can greatly improve hotel services, less attention has been paid to measuring its impact on the sustainable performance of hotel supply chains (Abreu et al , 2017).…”

An empirical study of the impact of lean on the performance of the construction industry in UAE

“…These are the just-in-time concept, resource reduction, strategies improvement, standardization, defect control and management techniques. Al-Aomar and Hussain (2018a); Jorgensen and Emmitt (2008) argued that lean construction can be defined by a number of specific characteristics, such as waste elimination, the reduction of waste sources, end-user requirements and preferences, supply chain management and production as a pull approach (not a push approach), process focus and process flows in production management.…”

Performance of physical asset management using the analytic hierarchy process

“…AHP is a powerful and flexible tool for handling both quantitative and qualitative factors. It involves expert opinion, and a small sample size is acceptable in its implementation (Nagi and Chan, 2005; Drake et al , 2013; Al-Amor and Hussain, 2018). It consists of several steps which when applied properly can aid in solving complex problems with multiple criteria (Saaty, 2008).…”