Implementing Lean Manufacturing in Engineer-to-Order Industries

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Industrial Technologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2022) | Viewed by 6253

Special Issue Editors

Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: industrial design; industrial management; lean manufacturing; production engineering, production planning and control; decision support systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: optimization; operations management; logistics; production engineering; lean manufacturing; inventory management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: production planning and control; decision support systems; reliability of production systems; profitability analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: design engineering; optimization; big data analytics, simulation modeling, operations management; logistics; production engineering; lean manufacturing; quality management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditionally, lean manufacturing has been the focus of low-mix high-volume repetitive manufacturing industries. It is noteworthy that, in these industries, there are numerous studies illustrating success in the implementation of lean manufacturing in terms of reductions of lead times and costs and improved levels of quality.

In the last few years, in recognition of the success of the lean manufacturing approaches in the manufacturing sector, the amount of papers implementing lean manufacturing outside the repetitive production environment, especially in engineer-to-order (ETO) industries, has increased. Examples of these production systems are companies operating in the building and construction phase, machinery-building industry, shipbuilding, aerospace, railway equipment, etc.

However, while lean principles can be applied in any industry, in an ETO environment, the implementation of both methods and tools must be adapted, and often, new ones have to be embraced. Only by conceiving different new methods and tools is it possible to overcome the major constraints to unfold the full potential of lean manufacturing in nonrepetitive manufacturing environments.

With the primary goal of extending the toolbox available to all practitioners in ETO companies, this Special Issue focuses on the development and implementation of new lean manufacturing tools and methods for manufacturing efficiency in ETO industries.

Submissions for the Special Issue include but are not limited to the following topics:

  • Implementation of lean principles for lead times and cost reductions in ETO operations;
  • Development of new lean methods and tools to support ETO design, maintenance, logistics, and production planning;
  • Methods for supply chain management through synchronization of engineering, manufacturing, and on-site installation in Lean-ETO industries;
  • Improvement of safety and quality in an ETO enterprise through lean implementation;
  • Application of lean manufacturing concepts for redesigning layout in ETO industries;
  • Investigation on association between human factors and lean manufacturing to improve productivity in nonrepetitive manufacturing environments;
  • Modeling and simulation for lean implementation in ETO industries;
  • Review of criticalities and limits in implementing lean manufacturing in ETO industries;
  • Industrial applications in practice.

Dr. Leonardo Marrazzini
Prof. Dr. Marcello Braglia
Prof. Dr. Roberto Gabbrielli
Prof. Dr. Marco Frosolini
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • lean manufacturing
  • lean methods and tools
  • engineer-to-order
  • high-mix/low-volume
  • practical implications
  • production planning and control
  • supply chain management

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1289 KiB  
Article
Lean and Flexible Project Delivery
by Hajnalka Vaagen and Glenn Ballard
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 9287; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11199287 - 06 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2005
Abstract
The average cost and time overrun of frequent changes in ETO and construction projects is high, and with steadily increasing cost constraints, productivity increase is critical for future competitiveness. Successful lean implementations in project-based production systems have led to great reductions in waste [...] Read more.
The average cost and time overrun of frequent changes in ETO and construction projects is high, and with steadily increasing cost constraints, productivity increase is critical for future competitiveness. Successful lean implementations in project-based production systems have led to great reductions in waste and time to market. However, companies also often struggle with effective customization of lean principles to their changing contexts. This paper extends the scope of the operational system of lean project delivery, initially focused on a project-based production system with the Last Planner System (LPS®) at core, to enhance master planning with options to flexibly handle changes. The research follows the guidelines of Design Science Research, combining the theory and practice of lean project management with results for project flexibility from quantitative models. The main contribution is the proposed operational system, along with the process to evaluate its intended utility, i.e., to increase the ability to quickly and cost effectively handle late changes. This enables the quantitative assessment of the value of planned flexibility in lean projects, before the decision is taken, and illustrates this value for capturing opportunities from customer-driven changes. Insights into the value of design research for the management of project uncertainty are emphasized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Implementing Lean Manufacturing in Engineer-to-Order Industries)
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20 pages, 14215 KiB  
Article
Lean Maturity Assessment in ETO Scenario
by Mariastella Chiera, Francesco Lupi, Andrea Rossi and Michele Lanzetta
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3833; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11093833 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2827
Abstract
The obligatory path towards a lean manufacturing organization requires assessment and monitoring. However, a lean assessment framework is not yet available for the engineer to order (ETO) scenario. This work explored ten lean ETO maturity principles—identified from the literature—that take insight from three [...] Read more.
The obligatory path towards a lean manufacturing organization requires assessment and monitoring. However, a lean assessment framework is not yet available for the engineer to order (ETO) scenario. This work explored ten lean ETO maturity principles—identified from the literature—that take insight from three formally defined sets (Toyota Way, lean construction, and lean product development principles). A practical assessment model was proposed based on the evaluation of ten lean ETO objective criteria (four with mathematical formulation) and was validated on a real industrial case. A problem-solving tool, including a new lean tool, called the Problem Focus Matrix (PFM), was also presented; this tool was aimed toward development of an integrated framework that would include the organization mission, management, and continuous improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Implementing Lean Manufacturing in Engineer-to-Order Industries)
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