Local Manufacturing - Strategic Operationalisation Of Lean Methods In Manufacturing-related Small And Medium-sized Enterprises (SME)

Abstract

The economic, social and ecological crises of recent years have shown that a change in our understanding of production and value creation is necessary. A more even distribution of production capacities can promote social and economic stability. The ability to produce locally unavailable products or spare parts at short notice (e.g. manufacturing medical-products during the pandemic) avoids CO2 emissions due to transport and increases local production sovereignty and resilience. This means that production structures need to become more dynamic and responsive for spontaneous demand. Increasing local production at the place of need seems to be a solution that addresses the problems raised. When looking at currently available local production structures, small and medium-sized enterprises can be found at most locations. Unfortunately there is still a lack of productivity compared to industrial production in this enterprises. One form of overarching organisation and corporate culture that is largely established as standard in industry is the Lean Business Model. The introduction of such a strategy offers potentials for increasing the productivity and performance of a company regardless of its size. However, the methods and principles are not consistently applied in small and medium-sized enterprises. In the context of this work, studies were identified that deal with the feasibility of implementing Lean Methods in the manufacturing sector worldwide. The results were bundled into a new data model and subjected to a secondary analysis. The aim is to obtain a complete assessment of all lean implementation methods according to VDI2870 Holistic Production Systems. The suitability of the implementability in small and medium-sized enterprises is extended by an evaluation with regard to the target dimensions time, costs and quality. This creates a new possibility for strategic operationalisation of the Lean Methods for manufacturing companies.