Selection and performance estimation of Green Lean Six Sigma Projects: a hybrid approach of technology readiness level, data envelopment analysis, and ANFIS

Application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the Selection of Sustainable Suppliers: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis

The supplier selection process is a strategic decision-making process that influences the company’s sustainability. Lately, the sustainability concept has been highlighted as an organization’s source of success and profitability. Therefore, the selection of a sustainable supplier has become an imperative for organizations and is the focus of this manuscript. Suppliers are key stakeholders in the supply chain, and their proper selection is a key factor in a successful and sustainable supply chain. For this reason, it is crucial to determine how and which methods are mostly used by companies when choosing sustainable suppliers with the aim of examining whether the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) contributes to the same. This article is the first to present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 87 articles dealing with the application of DEA in the sustainable supplier selection in the period 2010–2022, with the application of the keywords “Data Envelopment Analysis”, “Supplier”, and “Sustainable” in Scopus and Web of Science databases. The main goal of this manuscript is to explore the applications of DEA in a sustainable supplier selection and to provide an analysis and visualization of bibliometric data to reveal the annual trends of published articles in this area, the top contributing journals, the most cited papers, the most contributing authors, citations, affiliations, and countries’ analysis, and an in-depth keyword visualization analysis. The findings of this study provide valuable insights and emphasize the ever-growing trend toward the selection of sustainable partners and suppliers in business using DEA methodology. Notably, this work shows the applicability and efficacy of DEA in specialized areas of supply chain management and should contribute to the construction of an overview of the existing literature on DEA studies regarding the process of selection of sustainable suppliers in supply chain management as well as stimulate the interest in the topic. This article gives an overview of a research field that is actually insufficiently explored through the scientific literature and presents a wide area and guidelines for future work.

Analyzing the Factors Enabling Green Lean Six Sigma Implementation in the Industry 4.0 Era

Green Lean Six Sigma has emerged in the Industry 4.0 era as a business strategy contributing to the circular economy by adopting the 3R concept, i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle. Despite its broadly acknowledged capabilities in the manufacturing industry, practitioners continue to be cautious about its implementation, owing to insufficient knowledge and culture. Hence, there is a need to systematize the existing knowledge regarding this green initiative and also to recognize the key factors enabling its implementation. In the Malaysian manufacturing context, the enabling factors have yet to be identified and evaluated. This current study is the first of its kind to identify and examine these factors and to create a structural model to conceptualize and operationalize this business strategy. The implemented methodological approach includes two steps. Firstly, it performs a systematic review of leading studies on the topic, which are rather scarce in the current context. The second step entails a principal component factor analysis using varimax rotation to finalize the findings. The theoretical and empirical results revealed a structural model with five interconnected key factors, including twenty-seven enablers, that can be used to narrow the existing knowledge gap in the understudied context.

Green Lean Six Sigma sustainability-oriented framework for small and medium enterprises

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to integrate Green technology, Lean and Six Sigma methodology under the umbrella of Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS). Further, the study also proposes an eight facet GLSS framework for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance organizational sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, GLSS integration has been proposed based on intangible features like barriers, challenges, toolsets, etc. Moreover, the GLSS framework has been realized based on Six Sigma well-known define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) approach.

Findings

It has been found that lack of customer involvement, financial constraints and ignorance towards Kaizen are the most pre-eminent barriers for GLSS execution. Further, it has been found that most frequently used GLSS tools are the 5S, environmental value stream mapping (EVSM) and life cycle assessment (LCA). The proposed GLSS framework encompasses systematic application of different GLSS tools that lead improved organization sustainability.

Practical implications

The present study will facilitate industrial managers to incorporate the GLSS approach in their business process through systematic understanding of key elements related to this sustainable approach. This study further prompts practitioner to incorporate GLSS in industry through systematic adoption of the proposed framework for improved environmental performance.

Social implications

This work provides detailed knowledge for the researchers and academicians by dispensing awareness into integral measures and framework. GLSS toolsets dispensed in this work augments academicians and researchers to make decision which tools to be used at distinct phases of GLSS project execution.

Originality/value

The present study is the first of its kind that provides integral measures and GLSS framework for SMEs.