Purpose




The academic literature and research lines exploring the effect of quality improvement methods on environmental performance still remain in early stages. The purpose of this paper is therefore to investigate, through a systematic review of the existing academic literature, the environmental (green) impact of using quality and operations improvement methods such as Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma. This includes the impact on energy saving and the usage of natural resources.




Design/methodology/approach




This study follows a systematic literature review approach through which it analyses research papers published in top 16 operations and quality management journals. No specific time frame was established, but a set of keywords were used to short-list the articles. A sample of 70 articles was finally short-listed and analysed to provide a discussion on environmental concerns related to Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma.




Findings




The comprehensive review of short-listed articles indicates that both Lean and Six Sigma can be considered effective methods to support the conservation of resources, combat global warming and saving energy. Various scholars provide evidence of this, and as such, organisations should not only consider these methods to manage quality and improve operational performance but also meet environmental regulations. A set of research questions that demands further investigation has also been proposed based on the findings of this research.




Research limitations/implications




This study is limited to a sample of 70 articles collected from top 16 operations and quality management journals. The search of journals is also limited to a set of key words (“Lean”, “Green”, “Six Sigma”, “environment”, “sustainable” and “sustainability”) used to short-list the sample size.




Practical implications




The study shows that organisations can consider the adoption of Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma to meet environmental regulations, save costs and also meet quality management standards. This will contribute in helping organisations to formulate more effective and inclusive strategies which do not only consider the quality and operational dimensions but also the environmental dimension.




Originality/value




Literature exploring the environmental/green impact of quality management methods commonly used in industry is limited. There is also a lack of studies aiming to investigate the green impact of Lean and Six Sigma in top operations and quality management journals. The study focusing on investigating the green impact of Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma methods altogether is also a research first of its kind.

/pdf/investigating-the-green-impact-of-lean-six-sigma-and-lean-56xp1vmy8h.pdf

Investigating the green impact of Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma: A systematic literature review

Why social sustainability counts: The impact of corporate social sustainability culture on financial success

In reality, preventive maintenance (PM) tasks usually include lubrication, cleaning, inspection, adjustment, alignment and/or replacement. They should be planned before failure occurs, aiming to improve the overall reliability and availability of the production system. In the literature on PM scheduling, researchers usually consider maintenance as a single task and schedule it together with the production schedule. This may result in poor predictions on maintenance scheduling since different kinds of PM tasks have different maintenance intervals and require different durations. Production also involves various kinds of resources, such as plastics production requiring injection machines and moulds. These resources require different sets of maintenance treatment. If maintenance schedules for different resources are not harmonised, the planned production will be disturbed dramatically by the non-availability of resources. In this aspect, this paper proposes a joint scheduling (JS) method to handle production...

A joint production scheduling approach considering multiple resources and preventive maintenance tasks

Overprocessing waste occurs in a business process when effort is spent in a way that does not add value to the customer nor to the business. Previous studies have identified a recurrent overprocessing pattern in business processes with so-called “knockout checks”, meaning activities that classify a case into “accepted” or “rejected”, such that if the case is accepted it proceeds forward, while if rejected, it is cancelled and all work performed in the case is considered unnecessary. Thus, when a knockout check rejects a case, the effort spent in other (previous) checks becomes overprocessing waste. Traditional process redesign methods propose to order knockout checks according to their mean effort and rejection rate. This paper presents a more fine-grained approach where knockout checks are ordered at runtime based on predictive machine learning models. Experiments on two real-life processes show that this predictive approach outperforms traditional methods while incurring minimal runtime overhead.

/pdf/minimizing-overprocessing-waste-in-business-processes-via-1co7zv1ofn.pdf

Minimizing Overprocessing Waste in Business Processes via Predictive Activity Ordering

This thesis adopts a holistic approach towards railway track capacity to develop methodologies for different aspects of defining, measuring, analysing, improving and controlling track capacity utilisation. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the concept of capacity and the railway capacity challenge is explained. Chapter 2 focuses on past approaches to defining and analysing the concept of railway capacity. Existing methods for estimating capacity utilisation are studied in four categories: analytical methods, parametric models, optimisation and simulation. Chapter 3 examines various factors affecting capacity utilisation. Chapter 4 develops the systems engineering foundation toward railway capacity. From process improvement methods, Six Sigma and its Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) cycle is chosen as the underlying framework of the thesis. Chapter 5 defines lean, micro and macro capacity utilisation based on the discrete nature of railway capacity. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to develop two novel methodologies to analyse lean capacity utilisation. A DEA model analyses relative efficiency of train operating companies based on their efficiency to transform allocated train paths (timetabled train kilometres) and franchise payments to passenger-kilometres while avoiding delays. A case study demonstrates its application to 16 train operating companies in the UK. The operational efficiency of stations is benchmarked from similar studies for ports and airports. Two models are developed for analysing technical efficiency and service effectiveness. 96 busiest stations in Great Britain are analysed by this method. For analysing capacity utilisation in the freight sector, the concept of ‘profit-generating capacity’ is introduced in chapter 6. It is applied in an American freight case study to choose between bulk and intermodal trains in a heterogeneous traffic. DEA is also used in another case study for identifying the most profitable commodities. Chapter 7 suggests using variation reduction and failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to control capacity utilisation. For improving railway capacity utilisation it is suggested to find and improve the weakest line section, the weakest trains and the weakest station. A real world case study of the South West Main Line in Great Britain, demonstrates applying these aspects. For finding the weakest line section two existing methods of the UIC 406 and the CUI method are compared with each other. For finding the weakest trains a meso index is suggested. It can identify which trains can be removed to free up some capacity in the busiest section of the line. Simulating delays and removing the highest delay causing trains is another method suggested. The weakest stations are identified by applying the DEA methodology developed in chapter 5. Target values for train stops at each station are suggested to be fed to the tactical timetabling. It is concluded that developing methodologies to analyse, improve and control railway capacity utilisation is needed and the methodologies proposed in this thesis can be a stepping stone towards them.

Railway track capacity : measuring and managing

Introduction: Five Stages of Lean Manufacturing Lean Manufacturing Industrial Dynamics and Bullwhip Effect Three Toolboxes for Lean Manufacturing Let's Play a "Lean" Game: Manufacturing a Gyrocopter Five Stages of Lean Manufacturing: Business Bottom-Line Based Put Business Bottom Line First: Transfer Function for Production Cost Production Transfer Function Short-Term vs. Long-Term Production Transfer Functions Short-Term Transfer Function for Production Transfer Function for Marginal Cost The Law of Diminishing Returns: Key to Understanding Lean Manufacturing Transfer Function for Average Fixed Cost Transfer Function for Average Variable Cost Transfer Function for Average Total Cost Transfer Function for Long-Term Cost Analysis Goal Tree and Success Analysis: From Goal Setting to Successful Goal Setting Understanding the Voice of Customers: The Essential Elements Voice of Customers: Relentlessly Customer Focused Voice-of-Customers Capability: Critical Elements Voice of Customers' Role and Responsibilities Analyzing Voice of Customers: Law of Demand Maximizing Utility to Customers Kano Model: Integrate the Elements for Voice of Customers Balance Production and Demand: Value Stream Mapping What Are Value Streams? What Is Value Stream Mapping? How to Complete Value Stream Mapping Guidelines for Developing Value Stream Mapping Kaizen Event Analysis for Value Stream Mapping Business Bottom-Line Analysis of Value Streams From Lognormal to Cobb-Douglas Distribution: Lean Production Analysis Technology: The Production Function Long-Run and Short-Run Production Functions Three Stages of Production Lognormal Distribution Cobb-Douglas Production Function Quantifying Additional Profit from Productivity Gains Total Factor Productivity Business Cycles and Demand Fluctuations: Time-Critical Analysis and Decision Making Business Cycles and Demand Fluctuations Regression Analysis: Understanding Customer Demand Statistically What Is Time Series Analysis? Smoothing Techniques Summary How Demand Fluctuation and "Exogenous Shocks" Influence the Bottom Line How To Shockproof Your Company: A Lesson from Frank Lloyd Wright Business Risk Assessment Risk Quadrant Chart Develop a Business Risk Management Plan Risk Assessment Matrix Lean Production: Business Bottom-Line Based Approach for Identifying Productivity Improvements Quantifying Additional Profit from Productivity Gains Case Study of a Gyrocopter Manufacturer: Improving Profitability Implement Cellular Manufacturing Example of Cellular Manufacturing: Organize Gyrocopter Production Equipment into Cells to Reduce Inventory and Process Time Example of Gyrocopter Manufacturing: Eliminate Intermediate Spooling Operation Manage Production and Inventory Costs Theory of Constraints: "The Drum Is a Bottleneck" Identifying and Exploring Constraints The Five Focusing Steps and the Continuous Improvement Goal The General Application of Theory of Constraints to Operations: Drum-Buffer-Rope Approach Plant Types for Operations The Thinking Processes for Implementing Theory of Constraints Learning as Actively Addressing Constraints Learning to Negotiate the Meaning of Constraints Accounting Systems for Lean Manufacturing Case Study: Marion Gyrocopter Corporation (MGC) Conclusion about the Case Study Kanban: Align Manufacturing Flow with Demand Pull Kanban-Based Systems Why Use Kanban? How Kanban Works The Rules for Kanban Steps for Implementing Kanban Types of Kanban Kanban Development Kanban Design to Achieve Manufacturing System Objectives Kanban Card Calculation Summary Jidoka: Implement Lean Manufacturing with Automation What Is Jidoka? Ladder Logic: A Tool to Implement Jidoka Boolean Functions for Ladder Logic Implement Jidoka Using Ladder Logic Additional Functionality for Manufacturing Autonomation Pull System, One-Piece Flow, and Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) Establish a Pull System Why Use Pull Systems and One-Piece Flow? Overcome Barriers: Two Old Beliefs Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) How to Implement Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) Case Study: Flow Management of an Integrated Circuit Packaging Work-in-Process System Lean Manufacturing Business Scorecards What Are Lean Manufacturing Business Scorecards? How Have Lean Manufacturing Business Scorecards Been Evolved? Lean Manufacturing Business Scorecard for Planning and Policy Deployment Lean Manufacturing Business Scorecards for Problem Solving and Continuous Improvement Building the Business Intelligence Strategy Bibliography Index

Lean Manufacturing: Business Bottom-Line Based

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

John X. Wang

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Lean Manufacturing: Business Bottom-Line Based